Construction

P0 is the pivot where the move starts (a low for a rising fork).
P1 and P2 are the next swing high and swing low (the first reaction).
The median line starts at P0 and passes through the midpoint of P1 and P2.
The upper and lower lines are parallel to the median and pass through P1 and P2. Oyticker also draws dashed lines halfway between the median and each outer line, and shades the inner half more strongly.

Andrews pitchfork drawn from a low P0, a high P1 and a low P2, with price rallying to the median line — P0 starts the advance, P1 and P2 are the first reaction. After P2, price rallies straight to the median line. At its default length the fork stops as far beyond the midpoint of P1–P2 as P0 is before it.

By default the lines stop at that length, which keeps the drawing proportional to the swings that define it. Extend right prolongs them to the edge of the chart.

How to draw it in Oyticker

Choose Channels & pitchforks → Pitchfork.
Click P0, then P1, then P2. With the magnet on, each point snaps to the candle's high or low.
In the options, choose the variant and tick Extend right if you want the lines to run to the chart's edge.

How to read it

Median line attraction. Andrews held that price returns to the median line most of the time; reaching it is a natural target for a move that starts at P2.
Reaction at the median. Price often pauses or reverses on the median line; a decisive close through it opens the way to the opposite outer line.
Outer lines act as support and resistance for the trend; the dashed half-lines are intermediate levels.

Case study: failure to reach the median line

A guideline associated with Andrews' method (often called Hagopian's rule) states that when price fails to reach the median line, it is likely to move back beyond the outer line it came from, and often further than where it started. The failure shows that the force that should carry price to the median is missing.

Rising pitchfork where the rally from P2 stops well below the median line, then price closes below the lower line and falls under P2 — The rally from P2 stops well below the median line. Price then closes below the lower line it started from and falls under the P2 low: the rising fork no longer describes the market.

Variants: Schiff and modified Schiff

In a steep trend, the Andrews median line from P0 is often too steep: price never gets back to it. The variants move the starting point of the median line to reduce the slope; the outer lines still pass through P1 and P2.

Variant	Origin of the median line	Use
Andrews	P0	Standard fork
Schiff	Same time as P0, price halfway between P0 and P1	Steeper trends
Modified Schiff	Halfway between P0 and P1 in time and in price	Between the two

Schiff pitchfork on a steep uptrend, with the median line acting as support — A steep advance: the Andrews median line would run above the price. With the Schiff origin (halfway between P0 and P1 in price, dotted connector), the median line matches the trend and acts as support.

Limits

Everything depends on the choice of P0, P1 and P2; two analysts with different pivots get different forks.
Like all sloped lines, forks are sensitive to the chart's scale and to the timeframe they are drawn on.
Median-line “attraction” is a tendency described by practitioners, not a law: always define what invalidates the scenario (for example a close beyond an outer line).

Charts in this guide use simulated prices generated for illustration; levels and outcomes shown are examples, not observations of a real market. Educational content only, not investment advice.