Iron Shaft Length - Club Build Question

[IndyBonzo]

I’m a newbie to building irons, so sorry if this is a silly question, but here goes.  

If my chosen irons come in lengths 40” - 36.5” (1/2 inch increments), am I correct in assuming these are intended to be 3-PW generally speaking?

And if I want to build a 5 iron at 1/2” long (i.e. 38.5” rather than standard 38” shaft (per Golfworks)), I presume I should buy the 39” shaft and butt trim it 1/2” rather than buy the 38.5” (6 iron) shaft and not trim it at all?  I say this assuming flex is tailored to the predicted club head.  Or does it matter?  Or do I have it all wrong?

Relatedly, I bought some shaft pulls from eBay that were supposedly standard sizes but they are short by about 1” or more.  The so-called 5 iron shaft is only 37”.  I suspect they were tip trimmed, which is not what I want at all.  (I extended and built one and the ferrule would not fit without extensive interior sanding, hence my conclusion about the tip trimming.  Yes the ferrule was the correct size for the intended shaft (.355).)  Rather than adding 1 1/2” extensions I think I should try to resell these shafts and start over.  Am I right about that, or am I over-thinking it?

My goal is to have “standard” stiffness and specs save for the extra 1/2” length (which I know will impact stiffness somewhat).

Thank you Spies for any help you can provide!

[cnosil]

20 minutes ago, IndyBonzo said:

I’m a newbie to building irons, so sorry if this is a silly question, but here goes.  

If my chosen irons come in lengths 40” - 36.5” (1/2 inch increments), am I correct in assuming these are intended to be 3-PW generally speaking?

And if I want to build a 5 iron at 1/2” long (i.e. 38.5” rather than standard 38” shaft (per Golfworks)), I presume I should buy the 39” shaft and butt trim it 1/2” rather than buy the 38.5” (6 iron) shaft and not trim it at all?  I say this assuming flex is tailored to the predicted club head.  Or does it matter?  Or do I have it all wrong?

Relatedly, I bought some shaft pulls from eBay that were supposedly standard sizes but they are short by about 1” or more.  The so-called 5 iron shaft is only 37”.  I suspect they were tip trimmed, which is not what I want at all.  (I extended and built one and the ferrule would not fit without extensive interior sanding, hence my conclusion about the tip trimming.  Yes the ferrule was the correct size for the intended shaft (.355).)  Rather than adding 1 1/2” extensions I think I should try to resell these shafts and start over.  Am I right about that, or am I over-thinking it?

My goal is to have “standard” stiffness and specs save for the extra 1/2” length (which I know will impact stiffness somewhat).

Thank you Spies for any help you can provide!

I have a basic understanding of club building but here goes on your questions:

iron shafts are usually sold as parallel tips or taper tips.  You need to figure out which your clubs need.  Parallel tips require both tip and but trimming.  Tap tips only require but trim to length but are already tip trimmed for the specific iron; which is why they are listed for and you  buy them based on the intended iron. You’ll hear the term hard and soft stepping but ignore that for basic iron assembly.   
 

as for the shaft not being the correct length.   That is one of the problems with buying used shafts.  The hosel depth of irons varies so a set that was standard length in one head may be longer or shorter in another.   For used shafts it is best to know the actual length you need and verify the length that way.   
 

 

[IndyBonzo]

Thank you @cnosil.  That is helpful.  
 

My desired shafts are Project X LZ. They are taper tip and butt trim only for sizing. 
 

They are sold by length, not by club, hence my question re whether a 39” (3rd longest) is intended for a “standard” 38” 5 iron (assuming 40” is for a 3 iron, 39.5” for a 4 iron, etc.) or whether I should just install an uncut 38.5” shaft (which may be intended for a 6 iron following my assumption) - ?  
 

Golfworks seems to confirm my thoughts:

So based on this I guess I should trim an uncut 39” shaft by 1/2” for my 5 iron, rather than using the uncut 38.5” shaft.  But one wonders.

On the shaft pulls I think I need to chuck them and start over.  Crap.  Learning is fun!  LOL.  (It really is.)  

I recognize this is basic to anyone with experience.  Thank you for the help and for any other thoughts or suggestions. 

[cnosil]

29 minutes ago, IndyBonzo said:

Thank you @cnosil.  That is helpful.  
 

My desired shafts are Project X LZ. They are taper tip and butt trim only for sizing. 
 

They are sold by length, not by club, hence my question re whether a 39” (3rd longest) is intended for a “standard” 38” 5 iron (assuming 40” is for a 3 iron, 39.5” for a 4 iron, etc.) or whether I should just install an uncut 38.5” shaft (which may be intended for a 6 iron following my assumption) - ?  
 

Golfworks seems to confirm my thoughts:

So based on this I guess I should trim an uncut 39” shaft by 1/2” for my 5 iron, rather than using the uncut 38.5” shaft.  But one wonders.

On the shaft pulls I think I need to chuck them and start over.  Crap.  Learning is fun!  LOL.  (It really is.)  

I recognize this is basic to anyone with experience.  Thank you for the help and for any other thoughts or suggestions. 

If you read the trimming instructions on golfworks it says IR1 for those shafts which are butt trim only.    If you are installing in a 5 you buy the 39 and cut to length.  Also remember, it will come at stock shaft length of 39” and the club length will be longer after the install so,it will probably be more than 1/2” trim; remember you measure club length from the bottom of the club head to the tip of the shaft and not just the shaft length.   

[IndyBonzo]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

If you read the trimming instructions on golfworks it says IR1 for those shafts which are butt trim only.    If you are installing in a 5 you buy the 39 and cut to length.  Also remember, it will come at stock shaft length of 39” and the club length will be longer after the install so,it will probably be more than 1/2” trim; remember you measure club length from the bottom of the club head to the tip of the shaft and not just the shaft length.   

We agree on the butt trimming in consecutive posts, so at least I have that right.

Thanks much, @cnosil!

[buckpillar]

IndyBonzo,

The shafts you are going to use are taper tip and do only need butt trimmed, I see your looking for a regular flex I would go with the 5.0 or the 5.5.

If your going with the standard club lengths, just as a suggestion as the shafts come in half inch increments you can purchase them in the final club lengths to save you from trimming the butt.

Remember that trimming will change the weight of the shaft (not much) but if your going to match swing weight you can take that into account.

If you go Dynamic gold shafts I would suggest an R200 or R300 flex.

Hope this helps.