Problems related with the implications of conservative and gyroscopic forces on vibration and the stability of a circular cylindrical shaft modeled as a thin-walled composite beam and spinning with constant angular speed about its longitudinal axis are addressed. Taking into account the directionality property of fiber reinforced composite materials, it is shown that for a shaft featuring flapwise-chordwise-bending coupling, a dramatic enhancement of both the vibrational and stability behavior can be reached. In addition, the effects played in the same context by transverse shear, rotatory inertias as well as by the various boundary conditions are discussed and pertinent conclusions are outlined.