tipping a new shaft. | Golf Monthly

Yes - what shaft is it?
Normally, most graphite wood shafts only have enough tip parallel section to tip up to 3"-4" but in reality you would tip a lot less before you reached that maximum to allow for insertion into the bore of the head - or for the adapter.
A lot depends on the actual shaft and on the actual head. The BBGM (bottom of bore to ground measurement) will dictate the overall flex of the club as it also dictates how much (if any) you need to tip the shaft. For example if the head is a bore thru design where the shaft passes all the way through the head to the ground, then no tipping at all is necessary to get it to play "to flex".
Tipping 3" or more in ANY shaft will make it a tad stiff because you've taken a sizeable chunk of the shaft profile away and left yourself with more butt section (the stiffest part of any shaft) in the finished length. If you tip less, then you trim more butt section away in the finished length to make it weaker - that's how it works.
Nonetheless, you can't affect the flex point of a shaft at all by trimming - it's set in the shaft by its design and construction, therefore you can't alter it. You have to consider the overall length of the shaft and decide which part of it you want to retain in the finished build. If you want it weaker, trim less tip and more butt - if you want it stiffer, trim more tip and less butt. But if it's a mid flex point shaft for example, it will still be a mid flex point shaft when you've finished.
If you can tell us what the shaft is, what the head is and what your target flex and length is - then we can help you out a bit more accurately.