Making Arrow Shafts

Message

MIK · #1 Post by **MIK** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 9:35 pm

howdy doody one and all

yep its MIK the wanna know everything person again

i am interested in making from scratch a set of arrows but i am unsure of how to make the shaft out of a piece of timber

looking for advice on the best types of wood as well as what tecnique is used

thanks

MIK

erron · #2 Post by **erron** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 9:42 pm

Sounds like another candidate for our Lore & Legend pages!

I'll scout around. Anyone know any good references?

Good questions, MIK.

Erron

Glenn Newell · #3 Post by **Glenn Newell** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 10:18 pm

Mik here is a system Steve Wallace worked out. I will try and get some better pictures up tomorrow night with descripition on how to do it...Glenn...

MIK · #4 Post by **MIK** » Wed Sep 10, 2003 10:39 pm

what a brilliant idea ... tools and me dont get along ... much better with a puter .. if i pick up a hammer out at the range everyone runs away or attacks me to remove the hammer from my hands - i always seem to get the wrong damn nail

but i reckon even i could handle this idea

thanks and i look forward to any others that have anything else

MIK

Griffo · #5 Post by **Griffo** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 1:41 pm

Man Glenn, that camera of yours takes top photos mate, might have to get me one

Griffo

erron · #6 Post by **erron** » Sat Sep 13, 2003 1:49 pm

Motion seconded, Griffo!

Glenn, could you supply some accompanying text so I can put these into an article and upload it to the Lore & Legend pages? I understand if you're too busy, just a thought.

Great photos.

Erron

Glenn Newell · #7 Post by **Glenn Newell** » Sat Sep 13, 2003 2:14 pm

I will take better photos and more of them and upload them with text. I have just been flat out this last week. I will get onto it as soon as possible...Glenn...

erron · #8 Post by **erron** » Sat Sep 13, 2003 4:48 pm

Thanks mate, no pressure

Erron

Glenn Newell · #9 Post by **Glenn Newell** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 10:13 pm

Hand Made Arrow Shafts

For me one of the best things besides bowhunting is making my own equipment and making good quality matched arrow shafts is one of the most important pieces of our terminal tackle. You can use a variety of timbers such as oregon, hoop pine, slash pine, silver quandong to name a few and with trial and error I am sure that many more will be found in Australia.
Step One. To make your shafts select a piece of timber with straight grain and rip it in 12mm billets.
Step Two. Lay your billet on the board and plane each side lightly until you have all four sides squared up and dressed down to the finished size. Make sure you plane down as far as you can go once you have all four sides dressed. The cleats on the plane are 9mm to 10mm high but you can vary to suit whatever size shaft you want.
Step Three. Place the billet on edge into the grove and plane the edge down, do this on two sides, now place one of the edges you have just planed down on the flat surface of the board and plane down the other two edges. Now you will have a billet with eight equal sides.
Step Four. Lightly plane off each edge so that you will now have a billet with sixteen equal sides.
At this stage all you will have to do is sand the shaft down smooth, you can do this by hand or you can put one end in a drill and sand smooth. Use fine sandpaper so you don’t leave sanding marks on the shafts but you will still need to finish off by hand sanding up and down the shaft with the grain.
If you have done everything equally and you have cut all of your shafts out of the one piece of timber you should have a set of shafts that should be matched for spine and weight. The set of three arrows were made by Jason Condie who bought nogging material at the hardware store. These shafts worked out to 10 cents each and flew as good as any commercially bought shaft.

Glenn Newell · #10 Post by **Glenn Newell** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 10:19 pm

More photos.

MIK · #11 Post by **MIK** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 12:47 am

thanks Glenn

Great pickies and explanation

even i should be able to do this ... just have to get someone to help me make the jig ... not real good with tools

all will be sweet though

have you ever made a footed arrow??
i take it that you would just get the footing done on the square bit first and then do the planing on the whole lot at once

will it be harder to plane as 2 different pieces of wood though???

i know i get the answers and then go and ask more questions

thanks again for you help
MIK

Glenn Newell · #12 Post by **Glenn Newell** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 7:07 am

I have done footed shafts MIk, they are not hard to do. I just cut my footing 7" long and 12mm square, cut a line down the centre of the footing to the 5" mark and that's it for the foot. To dothe arrow shaft I use a round shaft and mark a 5" line around the shaft and a centre line across the end of the shaft making sure that the grain or rifts will be laying the way I want them to be when the footing is finished. Using course sand paper glued onto a board I then sand the shaft down to the 5" mark up the shaft and down to the centre line to shape to shaft into a "V" but make sure you the "V" end of the shaft the same thickess as the widht of the cut in the foot so there will be no gaps.
To glue I use a wood P.V.A. glue, clamp foot at the end of the cut so it wont split and force shaft into the foot and line up both pieces for straightness and clamp or you can use tape and bind them together. When glue is dry you can hand plane footing round. You only "V" the shaft because when the shaft is forced into the foot the footing will want to compress onto the shaft which will make the whole thing stronger and you will also get a neat joint.
That's one way, you can also "V" the shaft as above and laminate the foot on in two halves, and you can do a four footed shaft with a router and jig set up and rout out both the shaft and footing, but that requires machinery and takes away the hand crafting. I will add some photos to this text when I get the time but it is fairly self explanatory...Glenn...

erron · #13 Post by **erron** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 9:07 am

have you ever made a footed arrow??

- I've trod on a couple and broke 'em, does that count?

Glenn, thanks mate, these are great piccies and the accompanying text is very explanatory. I'll get this one into the Lore & Legend pages ASAP.

Erron

Glenn Newell · #14 Post by **Glenn Newell** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 12:23 pm

Erron the photos did not come out in the order I wanted, the last three photos should be reversed...Glenn...

erron · #15 Post by **erron** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 1:47 pm

No problem, will fix.

MIK · #16 Post by **MIK** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 5:54 pm

thanks Glenn you are a virtual encyclopedia of info for newbies like me ... much appreciated

its great the way you just say how to do it rather than using technical terms no-one understands

thanks again
MIK

gilnockie · #17 Post by **gilnockie** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 9:49 pm

Traditional Bowhunter, Dec/Jan 2003 on page 58 has an article on making arrows from scratch. Unfortunately the magazine is no longer available in Australia.

You can buy back issues. Try this link:

http://www.bowsite2.com/acb/showprod.cf ... Group_ID=2

erron · #18 Post by **erron** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 7:57 am

Hi gilnockie, I'm sure I saw it for sale recently in McGills in Melbourne. Is this a recent development?

Erron

MIK · #19 Post by **MIK** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 6:35 pm

is it possible to get Traditional Bowhunter at all in Australia

i went to the news agents today and they say that it no longer comes into Australia

i have organised them to get Primitive Archer magazine which looks like it might have some good articles in it as well

MIK

erron · #20 Post by **erron** » Fri Sep 26, 2003 7:47 pm

MIK,

you can get Primitive Archer through Whiting's Warehouse now...

Erron

MIK · #21 Post by **MIK** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 12:30 am

howdy doody one and all

well i have finally got things setup so that i can make some shafts

all i had to do was get me a workshop and some benches and all the gear

well i have finished get my workshop setup and check this out ...

my first arrow shaft ... just finished right now
you might say that i am happy that i managed to make one ... considering around the club i am not allowed to touch a hammer ... tools and me dont get along at all

it is made out of KD ash ... not sure about the spine as yet have to make a spine tester ... BUT IT IS STRAIGHT ... wow

thanks for all your help everyone ... very much appreciated
MIK

erron · #22 Post by **erron** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 9:07 am

Looking good MIK!

Do we have another shaft wholesaler in the making?

Erron

MIK · #23 Post by **MIK** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 5:41 pm

hiya erron

as much as it is a treat to make your own equipment i doubt very much that one could make any money out of selling shafts with the amount of time that it took to make that one shaft

the wood that i got from a friend to make the shafts with is 15mm square or there abouts and boy does that take some working down

i have now made 2 and counting ... he gave me 40+ bits of ash so i should be able to make a set or 2 out of all that

i might even get enough made to shoot at the Victorian Indoor Championships next weekend

MIK

erron · #24 Post by **erron** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 5:52 pm

I guessed there was a lot of work in it, MIK

Let us know how you get on in the shoot, yes? Where is it going to be held? What bow set up will you be using?

See, you 'aint the only one can ask a zillion questions

cheers,

Erron

#25 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 7:07 pm

Congrats Mik. It looks great. I'm sure that Ash would take a bit of chewin down to size alright.

Jeff

MIK · #26 Post by **MIK** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 10:53 pm

current count 4 ... and boy am i not use to using a plane ... my shoulders are killing me ... well i'm not dead as yet

the indoor champs are being held in Drouin

i will be shooting my longbow as i only have 3 arrows left for the compound ... robin hooded one the other night ... sux when $60 of arrows goes down the shoot

at least with the woods they are pretty cheap

i hope to have this lot ready to try out at our club indoor shoot on Thrusday night

thanks jeff ... i might have to go and buy me a thicknesser .... might be easier

MIK

MIK · #27 Post by **MIK** » Fri Nov 28, 2003 11:52 pm

i have picked up a couple of peices of what i am told is Queensland Red Cedar

has anyone tried making arrows out of this wood and what are the results you have come up with???

the 3 peices are out of small bits of timber and they dont spine the same .. i have a chance to get some larger bits to cut down but i dont know if it will be a waste of money

if no one has tried it i am prepared to give it a burl just to see what happens as i can use the out put as presentation arrows if they dont work out

thanks guys
MIK

#28 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 7:39 pm

MIK,

I haven't used it, but I can't see that it would be any good for shafts. I think the spine and physical weight would be to light as it is a very soft wood.

Jeff

Dennis La Varenne · #29 Post by **Dennis La Varenne** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 11:12 pm

Mik,

Note Jeff's reply above, but have a go anyway. Find out something doesn't work by trying it. This wood may be quite suitable for light bows.

It may prove impractical if you must make arrows of telegraph pole proportions from it for even light bows.

Dennis La Varenne

MIK · #30 Post by **MIK** » Sun Nov 30, 2003 8:31 pm

thanks guys

i will get some and give it a burl just to see what comes of it

we have a young guy (14) who has just taken up the longbow so if they are no good for me they should suit him at least

will let everyone know how things turn out

they look like a nice coloured shaft just plain so i hope they work well ... just for looks sake

MIK