Hathcock History:

As recently as 5,000 years ago, all human societies were still basically living in the Stone Age and the making of stone tools was about as high-tech as it got. Each tool began to develop based on specific needs.
Stone commonly used for tool making included flint, chert, quartz, silicified limestone, quartzite, and indurated shale.
Flint, which was used universally during the Stone Age, was comparatively simple to work. A pebble was hammered against the flat side of the stone until a long strip with edges peeled off. This formed a rough blade from which a variety of tools could be crafted.
Now began the intricate work of knapping or chipping a point sharp enough to pierce the hide of a wholly mammoth or the throat of an attacking saber tooth. The same knife could also ward off the attacks of human predators. Flint was plentiful and a used projectile could be re-sharpened or modified into a scraper or other tool.
Early men used knives as weapons, tools, and utensils for eating. Knives were oftentimes decorated with feathers. People took pride in possessing a sharp and beautiful knife. Later gold and silver inlays were embedded in the knives. Some knives were exclusively meant for men and some for women; some were made for use by both sexes.
One of the most important uses of knives was found in the art of healing. The first known medical procedure called trephination, which was the cutting of a hole through one’s skull to relive excess pressure, dates back to the Stone Age. The success rate was remarkable. Skulls have been found from about 8,000 BC with these telltale holes, most of which are exact and show growth, indicating that patients often lived for weeks, even months, afterwards.
Stone scrapers existed in a wide range of sizes, shapes and forms. The scraping edge can be on either end or in the center. This tool had a variety of uses, one of which would have been to shape arrows to ensure an accurate flight pattern when hunting game. For thousands of years, arrows were made from cane and wood. The arrowhead was fastened on with sinew; the other end had feathers, and was notched for a bowstring. Arrows were often decorated. Each hunter may have had his own design. In order to make the arrow fly true, it was necessary to have as straight a shaft as possible.
There were several methods that early man used to ensure straightness in their arrows.
After removing the bark from a freshly cut sapling, the arrow maker would slowly bend the shaft until it looked straight. Next the wood was pushed through a shaft straightener. This was a stone with a hole or groove in it. Green wood was placed in the groove and bent to shape as the stone was heated. The shafts were then bundled together and placed in a drying area until they were properly seasoned.
The second method was used on shafts that were already dry. Animal grease was applied to the area that needed straightening. The grease kept the shaft from burning or scorching when heat was applied. As the area was heated up the shaft became flexible. Again, the shaft straightener was used. After the shaft cooled and seasoned for a few days, it was time to use the spoke shave.
The spoke shave was the earliest multi-purpose tool known to man. Its concave cutting surface was the ideal shape for scraping and shaping arrows, darts, spear shafts and bows. It could also be used to scrape the meat from bones or to shave thin strips of bone for making fish hooks and needles.
Today, we have modern tools to ensure perfect symmetry in our arrow shafts. Modern arrow straighteners do an excellent job of getting aluminum shafts straight within .005 inch over the span.  At worst, this may translate into a few thousandths of an inch of bend over the entire shaft length, certainly within the tolerable range.  By slowly turning the shaft, the dial indicator on the straightener will show the severity and location of bends.  A built-in lever allows for over-flexing the shaft in the opposite direction to straighten it.  Extremely crooked shafts can't be straightened effectively in this manner and are better off in the garbage. Most archery catalogs offer straighteners. Your local pro shop is sure to offer a straightening service.
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