Driver shaft not fitting in hosel

[peiserma]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading the forums for a while, and finally decided to join. This is my first post on TST.

I have wanted to try swapping shafts or building a club for a while. It seemed like it would be fun. So the other day, I found a broken driver that someone had stuffed in a trashcan on the course. That's a free driver head to me, so i figured this is the sign I've been waiting for.

I cleaned out most of the broken shaft, measured the ID of the hosel and ordered a 0.350 shaft based on the measurement.I also ordered the sanding mandrel that golfworks sells to clean out the remaining fiberglass at the very bottom of the hosel. Everything's looking pretty easy until I dry-fit the shaft, and discovered that the shaft won't go in all the way. Its maybe a half-inch away from bottoming out.

So I called up golfworks to order a new 0.335 shaft and ferrules. They issued me an RMA on the 0.35 shaft. I planned on returning the old shaft in the box the new shaft came. But when I dry-fitted the 0.335 shaft, its way too loose (in my inexperienced opinion, of course). By way too loose, i mean it wiggles like a loose tooth. More actually. I can definitely move the shaft off-center in relation to the hosel. My calipers can't extend all the way to the bottom of the hosel, so I can;t easily measure the hosel ID.

I could use some help figuring out the next steps. First, I had assumed that the shaft would be fairly snug to make the shaft relatively easy to align. The fact that the shaft is tapered would provide the necessary room for the epoxy. Are these assumptions correct? How much play/clearance should there be?

Second, how would you guys recommend I proceed? Sand the 0.35 shaft down a little? The difference between 0.35 and 0.335 is only 0.015. Since the 0.335 fits so sloppy, it can't require that much material to be removed. How much can a graphite shaft be sanded? Or would it be better to get some glass beads and use the 0.335 shaft?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If it helps, the head is an Adams GT3. The shaft is an Aldila NVS. I'm not worried about the perfect shaft/driver combo, I really just wanted to do this.

Thanks.

[Lihu]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading the forums for a while, and finally decided to join. This is my first post on TST.

I have wanted to try swapping shafts or building a club for a while. It seemed like it would be fun. So the other day, I found a broken driver that someone had stuffed in a trashcan on the course. That's a free driver head to me, so i figured this is the sign I've been waiting for.

I cleaned out most of the broken shaft, measured the ID of the hosel and ordered a 0.350 shaft based on the measurement.I also ordered the sanding mandrel that golfworks sells to clean out the remaining fiberglass at the very bottom of the hosel. Everything's looking pretty easy until I dry-fit the shaft, and discovered that the shaft won't go in all the way. Its maybe a half-inch away from bottoming out.

So I called up golfworks to order a new 0.335 shaft and ferrules. They issued me an RMA on the 0.35 shaft. I planned on returning the old shaft in the box the new shaft came. But when I dry-fitted the 0.335 shaft, its way too loose (in my inexperienced opinion, of course). By way too loose, i mean it wiggles like a loose tooth. More actually. I can definitely move the shaft off-center in relation to the hosel. My calipers can't extend all the way to the bottom of the hosel, so I can;t easily measure the hosel ID.

I could use some help figuring out the next steps. First, I had assumed that the shaft would be fairly snug to make the shaft relatively easy to align. The fact that the shaft is tapered would provide the necessary room for the epoxy. Are these assumptions correct? How much play/clearance should there be?

Second, how would you guys recommend I proceed? Sand the 0.35 shaft down a little? The difference between 0.35 and 0.335 is only 0.015. Since the 0.335 fits so sloppy, it can't require that much material to be removed. How much can a graphite shaft be sanded? Or would it be better to get some glass beads and use the 0.335 shaft?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If it helps, the head is an Adams GT3. The shaft is an Aldila NVS. I'm not worried about the perfect shaft/driver combo, I really just wanted to do this.

Thanks.

First of all welcome to TST.

Was the 0.335 shaft fit all the way down? Most drivers use a 0.335, and the club makers usually put a shim to make the fit snug. It fits into the hosel.

http://www.golf-topia.com/golf-club-tip-sizes-s/65.htm

[peiserma]

I was removing graphite from all the way down into the bore, so yes. I believe the original shaft was installed all the way down.

Who sells the shims you mentioned? I've seen brass shims for 0.335 to 0.35, but i don't think that's what you had in mind.

[Lihu]

I was removing graphite from all the way down into the bore, so yes. I believe the original shaft was installed all the way down.

Who sells the shims you mentioned? I've seen brass shims for 0.335 to 0.35, but i don't think that's what you had in mind.

Yes, they are. You need to look around. Golfworks will have them. You might have to do some customization. Also be careful gluing it, there is a coating that shears off pretty easily. Sand it off before gluing.

http://www.golfworks.com/default.asp?gclid=CNGCzefwn74CFc5ffgod_gkASA

[peiserma]

Thanks Lihu. That helped. You got me thinking about shims, I used some tape on the 0.335 shaft as a shim. This allowed me to determine that the ID of the hosel was 0.345. Since i doubt that anyone would manufacture this size ID on purpose, I assumed that I simply failed to remove all the old epoxy. I went back and re-sanded the ID. Then the 0.35 shaft fit perfectly. I finished assembly over the weekend and I took it to the range on Monday. I'm happy to report the club head did not fall off

[Lihu]

Thanks Lihu. That helped. You got me thinking about shims, I used some tape on the 0.335 shaft as a shim. This allowed me to determine that the ID of the hosel was 0.345. Since i doubt that anyone would manufacture this size ID on purpose, I assumed that I simply failed to remove all the old epoxy. I went back and re-sanded the ID. Then the 0.35 shaft fit perfectly. I finished assembly over the weekend and I took it to the range on Monday. I'm happy to report the club head did not fall off

Nice, how does the club perform?

[peiserma]

Distance-wise, marginally longer than my current club (Callaway Diablo), but i did not measure. The Diablo has a slightly closed face, the GT3 does not. So all initial shots went right. Have to learn this club before I can make a valid comparison. Also have not adjusted the swing weight yet, and I am not sure I need to. Despite being 1.5" shorter than the Diablo, swinging it does not feel wierd. It feels faster, but that is probably because i was swinging with my arms too much. The sound on impact is a dead thud, while the Callaway makes a little "clink"