Anyone tried those spinefinders you can get off ebay? Are their results any good compared to the commercial SST PURE'ing service that uses a computer to find the optimal shaft orientation?

They seem to be just a couple of free-spinning ball bearings in a tube, which you insert the shaft into. A 3rd bearing you hold near the tip to flex the shaft down. Supposedly when you do this, the shaft orientates itself to the neutral bend point at the top and 180 deg on the otherside is the spine. Supposedly this neutral bend point is important, because if the clubhead isn't aligned with it, it might want to be naturally open or closed when the shaft is flexed during the swing.

Found this video which shows a spine tool in use:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fOEnprofIM

Also how does this relate to 'FLO' that was mentioned in the SST PURE'ing thread, where you see a good FLO shaft oscillate back and forth well, but bad FLO where it oscillates all over the place?

I've not tried one my self but have had my irons spined by a professional clubmaker using one.

Having seen my clubs osscillate since having the work done I can confirm that there is definitely a consistency in oscillation.

Its been mooted that the commercial SST Pureing process is simply a more costly way (due to licensing fees) of achieving the same result.

Hmmm! - It'll take a lot more than a static bend or oscillation test to prove to me that there is a difference worth having in spine aligning.

Smoke and mirrors

Mike

I have one of JB's spine aligners and I NEVER fit a shaft without first finding the Neutral Bend Point (NBP) and the Spine.

I usually have the NBP pointing to the target (9o'clock) but I have tried it a 3 o'clock which makes the shaft act a little stiffer.

Taz does not agree with it and there are a large number of experienced clubmakers who agree with him, however I do think that spine aligning does make a difference to shot dispersion.

My brother in law had great difficulty in keeping his driver on the short stuff. He went to a very reputable clubmaker in the South East of England who spined his clubs and the difference in his ability to hit the f/way was quite remarkable, hardly ever in the rough.

I also have a JB Pro Hydraulic Shaft Puller. Best investment I ever made. Makes shaft extraction a real piece of cake. Had it shipped over from the States. Jerry Ballard is a real gent and will help you as much as he can. He modified his Puller for me to make it cheaper for him to ship to me, I think he nowhas a model especially for the European  market. 

Thanks for the feedback on the JB tools. Was more looking at the cheaper alternatives, but will consider them now. The shaft extractor looks a useful addition if you want to go the DIY route.

Useful to know about the difference between putting the NBP either at 9 or 3 o'clock. I've heard on graphite shafts, you can sometimes get multiple NBPs and spines? If so, which one should you align to? Should the NBP and FLO (flat line oscillation plane) positions always match up? If they don't, which would should you go with? Or do you split the difference?

Should spining/flo be done before or after shaft tipping, butt trimming, etc? Heard conflicting advice, some say after due to them changing the location of the spine. Some say before, as spining can change the frequency and you might need to match it up afterwards. 

Edit: found this website which mentions about the recommended alignment:

http://www.clubmaker-online.com/spines.html

Type 1 shaft: There are two optional orientations available. S - 9 o'clock, N - 3-o'clock and the opposite with S at 3 o'clock and N at 9 o'clock. Testing information to date indicates that the S - 9 o'clock position offers slightly more accuracy while S - 3 o'clock offers slightly more distance.  

Type 2 shaft: There are again two optional orientations available. N1 - 9 o'clock and the opposite N2 - 3 o'clock. The important thing about this shaft type is that the more stable "N" locations are in line with the swing plane, offering maximum stability along the swing plane line. In addition the stronger S1-S2 spines are aligned in the 6 -12 o'clock plane and help to minimize "toe droop" as the clubhead approaches the ball during the swing. This appears to be an ideal type of shaft since it offers the best swing plane stability while minimizing toe droop. 

"Should the NBP and FLO (flat line oscillation plane) positions always match up? If they don't, which would should you go with? Or do you split the difference"?

Mike,

Therer is no doubt the FLOing is better than Spining.

There can be a small variation in the position, you should go with one or the other not spilt the difference and if you can FLO than go with that.

I've tried to FLO but I can't ever get the club to flat line, there always seems to be some oscillation. Probably just me not being able to do it properly.