PAPS (Professional Arrow Preparation System)

Firenock®
SKU:
PAPS
$374.95
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Firenock PAPS is proudly designed in Illinois (US Patent# 9046452). A unique take on the ordinary arrow preparation tool, the PAPS acts as both your arrow’s spine index locator as well as your arrow deflection value tool. With PAPS (and some practice), you can easily do all complicated, but important arrow preparation procedures within seconds. 

Why Is Locating An Arrow’s Spine Index Important?

After locating the spine index or what we call the first dynamic bend of your arrow, you can use it as a reference point for your cock feather. By doing so, you can then predict how every one of your arrows will flex during launch because they will all flex in the same direction. With this new knowledge, your shooting accuracy will be enhanced. 

Why Do YOU Need PAPS?

After the release of our ultra high performance arrow series AeroBolt, we at Firenock noticed a need for a unique, quality tool for arrow preparation. This prompted the creation of the APS. While an excellent tool, we found that there was still a need for an even better tool. Specifically, a tool to simplify the tedious tasks of spine indexing, spine measuring, spine matching, etc. For without these arrow preparation procedures, shafts are not reliable foundations to install inserts, nocks, or vanes onto. Nor are they dependable enough to build high precision, high performance arrows from. Via the PAPS however, those essential steps can become effortless and straightforward. It is our belief that using the PAPS will become a significant part of your arrow preparation routine. 

3 Main Components

The Track

Proudly US made, the PAPS track is a 36 inch long double track system machined in a tripe box system. Made of 7000 series aluminum and finished with type two level three hard-anodizing, it’s safe to say that it is extremely durable. To even further ensure its durability and stability, especially at its long length, the bottom of the track has six 3M stoppers installed. Along both sides there are easy-to-read measuring tapes in both inches and centimeters. Specifically, on one side of the track, full length measurement (0-36” / 0-914mm) is provided while on the other side, it is center to each end measurements (18”-0-18” / 457mm-0-457mm). These two different measuring tapes are purposefully designed to simplify the process of measuring shaft length as well as of locating the middle point of the shaft. To doubly ensure your PAPS and bench is indeed level, at least one 7mm cylinder water level can be installed along the middle of the track. 

The Tower

The PAPS tower the core of the dynamic first bend locator. To provide the perfect perpendicular contact points between this tower and your shaft, there are two custom crowned ball bearings at the base of the tower. Three linear ball bearings make up the top portion. With these bearing, PAPS can apply perfectly vertical pressure to the exact center of the shaft during testing while still minimizing the horizontal pressure that may form during spine readings. 

The Supports

In the present market, most spine locater tools use off-the-shelf ball bearings to support and to rotate the shaft.  However, there are two fundamental problems with their design.

  1. Due to the straight edge of off-the-shelf ball bearings, when a shaft is bent during testing, it is forced to rest on on that straight edge.  This causes agular pressure to form between the two.  This issue worsens as the shaft is pressed harder, soon deeming the ball bearings useless.
  2. The typical hole in the middle of a ball bearing requires a screw to fasten it to a mount and/or jig.  Because screws are not typically designed and built for any particular system, the available tolerance of those screws will not and do not provide a perfect fit for your ball bearings.

Due to above problems, Firenock has custom-made new ball bearings. 

To solve the uneven pressure problem, our new ball bearings have a unique angle variable crown outer edge.  This also decreases overall pinch pressure on the shaft, or, in other words, the shaft can ride smoothly and freely all of the time.  Further, this forces the shaft to stay perpendicular to the center of the custom ball bearings.  To solve the second problem, the one about lack of screw tolerance, our bearings have a pre-built, ready to mount stud center.

All in all, PAPS comes with two supports which each have two of those custom crowned ball bearings installed.  Additionally, there is a machined index line on both sides of our supports to ensure the correct position via the measuring tape.

Contents

  • 1 x 36" track base with inch/mm ruler
  • 1 x spine/first dymanic bend locating tower
  • 2 x PAPS support rollers
    • Note that the APS support rollers is not recommeded to be used on the PAPS as refrence rollerss although they the same hight.  The narrower base of the APS is not ideal and it also do not have the machined refrence roller center mark.  However, the PAPS roller is more than adequate to be use on APS as support rollers.

Optional Accessories

  • The Vibration Module increases initial friction to exaggerate dynamic bend location for cock feather fletching
  • Digital Gauge Module for precise and efficient measurement of spine deflection value
  • Laser Module (originally for Aerovane Jig) and Laser Mount Module (adaptor) to assist in accurate cock feature postion marking

Reviews

  • 5
    PAPS

    Posted by Dennis Lappert on Mar 31st 2022

    After purchasing, and using, both the RAM and the Coops spine testers, I found myself not thrilled with the results. Then after seeing the PAPS unit being demonstrated on an Inside-Out Precision YouTube episode, I decided to give it a try. Opinion: Best of the Best. Extremely well built, easy to find the spine and mark for alignment. It does what it needs to do better than any alternative I've tried. I highly recommend, especially if you are like me and want the most accurate arrow flight possible.

  • 5
    PAPS

    Posted by Sean Quinn on Dec 17th 2021

    Great tool and it is well built. I was immediately comfortable finding the first dynamic bend on all my carbon shafts. A very worthwhile investment if you intend to build the most consistent arrows possible.. I look forward to years of use.

  • 4
    PAPS professional arrow preparation system

    Posted by Chris on Mar 17th 2021

    Great unit, takes a little getting use to to work but works well for spine aligning my shafts