# 5.4.1 Setting up: Oval Cut Direction = V in Settings # Setting up: Oval Cut Direction = V in Settings 5.4.1 CALC oval method The third Oval Cut Direction option in Spectre Cloud is **V** — a pure vertical-only configuration that records and displays ovals with the **vertical dimension only**, without a paired horizontal value. Setting Oval Cut Direction to V tells Spectre Cloud that your shop's oval cuts are made exclusively on the vertical axis, and that your documentation workflow records only that single directional stretch rather than a full V × H pair. If your shop records ovals as a two-value pair with vertical listed first, see **5.2.1 — Setting up: Oval Cut Direction = V/H** instead. This page covers the V-only configuration specifically. ## 📐 What "V" Cut Direction Means When Oval Cut Direction is set to **V**, Spectre Cloud treats the oval as a single-axis measurement. Only the vertical stretch is entered and recorded — the horizontal dimension is not displayed as a separate value because it is assumed to equal the starting bit size with no horizontal stretch applied.

Setting	Values Recorded	Display Format	Example
V/H	Both axes	Vertical × Horizontal	`1-1/16 × 1`
H	Both axes	Horizontal × Vertical	`1-1/16 × 1`
V (this page)	Vertical axis only	Vertical stretch only	`1/16"` or `1-1/16"`

The practical effect is that spec sheets and oval records in V-only mode are more compact — a single measurement rather than a pair — which suits shops whose drill press setup and documentation tradition have never required a horizontal value to be recorded separately. ## 🛠️ How to Set Oval Cut Direction to V ### 🖥️ Desktop 1. Click your **Pro Shop name** or profile icon in the top-right corner of the screen. 2. Select **Settings** from the dropdown menu. 3. Navigate to the **Spec Sheet** or **Oval** settings section. 4. Locate the **Oval Cut Direction** option. 5. Select `V` (or `Vertical`, depending on how the option is labeled in your version). 6. Save your changes, or confirm the setting has been applied if Spectre Cloud saves automatically. ### 📱 Mobile / Tablet 1. Tap your **avatar icon** or shop name at the top of the screen. 2. Tap **Settings**. 3. Scroll to the **Spec Sheet** or **Oval** section. 4. Tap **Oval Cut Direction** and select `V` (or `Vertical`). 5. Confirm the selection is saved before leaving Settings. ## 🏢 Who Typically Uses V-Only Notation V-only oval documentation is less common than V/H or H-first pair recording, but it is a legitimate and practical choice for a specific subset of shops and workflows: - ✅ **Shops whose drill press produces only vertical ovals** — if your press, oval attachment, or technique is physically incapable of introducing a horizontal stretch, recording only the V dimension is accurate and sufficient - ✅ **Shops following a simplified spec sheet tradition** — some regional training programs and older pro shop conventions document ovals as a single stretch value rather than a dimensional pair, particularly for finger holes where horizontal variation is rare - ✅ **High-volume operations prioritizing speed** — recording one value instead of two is faster, and for shops where horizontal ovals are never drilled, the second value would always be zero and adds no information - ✅ **Shops migrating from paper records that used a single oval column** — if your historical spec cards have a single oval measurement field per hole, V-only mode in Spectre Cloud produces records that are consistent with that history ## 📌 Important Considerations Before Choosing V-Only - ✅ **V-only is appropriate only when horizontal stretch is genuinely absent** — if your press occasionally produces a measurable H component, V/H mode captures the full picture and V-only mode does not - ✅ **The setting is account-wide** — all staff and all devices on your Spectre Cloud account will use V-only documentation once this is saved; confirm every driller in your shop works exclusively with vertical cuts before applying this setting - ❌ **V-only records cannot be directly compared to V/H or H/V records** — if part of your bowler history was recorded as pairs and part as V-only, the records will be inconsistent; choose one format and standardize before entering historical data - ❌ **Switching from V/H or H to V-only after saving records is not recommended** — existing pair-format records will not be reformatted; any new entries will appear as single values alongside older paired entries, creating ambiguity in spec history - ❌ **Do not use V-only if horizontal ovals are even occasionally needed** — a single unexplained horizontal cut on a bowler's ball has nowhere to go in a V-only record; use V/H mode to retain the flexibility to record both axes when required ## ✨ V-Only vs. V/H — Choosing the Right Setting

Shop Situation	Recommended Setting
Press produces vertical ovals only — horizontal stretch never occurs	V-only
Press produces vertical ovals primarily but occasional H component is possible	V/H
Both axes are routinely stretched and documented	V/H or H
Historical paper records used a single oval column	V-only (for consistency with history)
Unsure whether H component occurs — want the complete record	V/H
Multi-staff shop where different drillers use different press setups	V/H (captures all possibilities)

## 🌐 A Note on IBPSIA Standards IBPSIA documentation guidelines generally favor recording both oval dimensions as a pair to ensure complete and reproducible spec records. V-only mode is a valid configuration in Spectre Cloud, but if your shop is IBPSIA-affiliated or serves bowlers who may have their equipment maintained at other shops, consider whether a single-axis record provides enough information for another driller to reproduce the fit accurately. When in doubt, V/H mode gives you the full record without requiring any extra measurement effort at the press. ### Related Sections - 5.2.1 — Setting up: Oval Cut Direction = V/H in Settings - 5.3.1 — Setting up: Oval Cut Direction = H in Settings - 5.4.2 — When to use V-only mode and which drill presses it suits - 5.4.3 — Entering V-only cut values and reading output - 2.x — Settings Overview **Tip:** If you are setting up Spectre Cloud for the first time and are unsure whether your shop ever produces a horizontal oval component, start with **V/H mode** rather than V-only. V/H captures every possible cut combination, and you can always enter `0` for the H value on holes where no horizontal stretch was applied. Switching to V-only later — once you are confident it never applies — is straightforward. Switching the other way, after realising V-only was too restrictive, means reviewing your existing records for missing H data. ⚠️ *Verify the exact label used for V-only mode in your version of Spectre Cloud — it may appear as `V`, `Vertical`, or `V only` in the Settings screen. Contact the Spectre team if this option does not appear in your Oval Cut Direction settings or if the behavior differs from the description above.*