Building Wooden Arrows?

[Bobson]

Hey folks.

I recently got into archery with my first compound bow, and my 15-year-old brother in law got very interested in archery along with me, so I bought him a recurve bow with a 55lb draw weight he had been wanting. He had been set up with carbon arrows (the 300 ones) that were cut to the proper length by the guy at the pro shop. We got 100 grain field points (and some 100 grain NAP Thunderhead broadheads) to practice, and he's had great results with the arrows and field points/broadheads as far as accuracy.

He's super handy with building things of all sorts, and he really wants to build some wooden arrows to use with his bow, but I have no idea where to start to ensure they'll be safe to fire. I figured some of you might be able to point us in the right direction.

He said he read up on what he could find, and learned that using wooden dowels might be a good place to start. I wasn't so sure, so I decided to ask here. Thanks in advance for any tips.

 

[jbbatok]

Made all my arrows for many years , recurve and longbow. Problem with dowels is they aren't made with the grain running straight down the length of the shaft( mandatory) and they aren't sold by spine weight. It's a lot of work to smooth , seal, taper ( for nock and point) and fletch a bunch of shafts and then find out they are too stiff or too light to shoot straight. Too light can be dangerous ( to the shooter)as well.
Buy the shafts from a traditional archery dealer then finish them to your tastes. There are many woods available , from heavy maple ( 1000 grains ready to fly after elk) to more traditional cedar,spruce, or even pine.
R ecurves tend to be picky about arrow weight so start with cedar if you can.

 

[Sky]

http://www.stickbow.com/stickbow/arrowbuilding/shaftcharacter.html

Shafts are normally sold in 5# spine increments such as 55#-60#. A good shaft supplier will hand spine shafts using the same orientation with the grain. The spine charts developed over the years have been established for 28" draw lengths for near center shot bows. For draw lengths greater than 28", the spine will need to be increased. If you plan to shoot heavy broadheads (heavier than 125 grains, then you may need more spine. Normally, for longbows and flatbows that are not center shot, then the shaft needs a little more flex to bend around the bow and a little lower spine is needed.

 

[nmlongbow]

Sky has good accurate info. I also wouldn't waste the time with dowels if you're picky about arrow flight or accuracy.

Cedar arrows are the most common but not the most durable. Sitka spuce, hickory and poplar are more durable but cost a bit more and weigh more. I like bamboo the best but they are a lot of work to get a consistent straight shaft.

Rosecityarchery is great for POC (Port Orford Cedar) for unfinished shafts or complete arrows. Braveheart Archery also has some good deals from time to time.
If you want to really get into building woodies then you'll need to invest in a spine tester, feather chopper, dip tubes, fletching jig, cresting machine and a taper tool.

I like building nice wood arrows but the time involved is so great that I don't do it as much as I used to.

Tollgatearchery.com will make arrows of any material and design that you want and have great service with reasonable prices.

 

[rcmodel]

Don't use hardware store dowel rods, unless you have a desire to have a shattered arrow driven through your left forearm by a 55 pound bow!

And I completly agree with the above post about needing

If you want to really get into building woodies then you'll need to invest in a spine tester, feather chopper, dip tubes, fletching jig, cresting machine and a taper tool.

I got by without most of that, but a fletching jig and taper tool is a necessity.
I didn't need the feather chopper because I was using pre-cut feathers, or later, plastic vanes.

rc

 

[mole]

You can made your own spine tester for little money. There are a few plans around on the net. Make the spine tester and take it to the store with you and test the arrows as you select for grain. You'll have to go through a lot get a dozen. I prefer 3/8" poplar for my wood arrows. A taper tool is just a few bucks and not really needed if you make your own head and self-nocks. I think I paid 20-25 bucks for a fletching jig at Academy Sports. The first few dozen I fletched all by hand. Archery doesn't have to be expensive.

mole

 

[rondog]

I'm not into archery, but I saw a show on TV once with some guy showing how the Indians made arrows, he was making them from scratch and whipping them right out. From making flint arrowheads to shafts from tree limbs and fletches from bird feathers. Pretty amazing.

 

[Jason_G]

Getting the right spine is essential, as is making sure you have the proper amount of mass forward and rearward of the balance point of the arrow. This allows the fletchings to stabilize the arrow easier.

I made a whole batch of arrows once that just wouldn't quite go where I thought they should go. They were "accurate enough", but just not quite right. I kept thinking it was me, until I had to hunt in a rainstorm one day. Turned out that when the fletchings were wet, the arrows shot like a dream. They just needed a little more rearward mass I guess. Doesn't seem like the little bit of mass from the water would be enough to make a difference, but the improvement in arrow flight was undeniable. I even tested wet vs. dry fletchings with that same batch of arrows again at home, and got the same results every time.

Look up "front of center", and read up on it.

Jason

 

[NDanforth]

I prefer Tonkin cane arrows, the have a natural FOC advantage due to the natural taper of cane. They are generally tougher than POC and I love the way they look. They also stay straighter once they are straightened.

Here is a half dozen with snake skin cresting that I made last year for a Christmas trade on an Archery forum I frequent.



55# elm self bow with a tonkin cane arrow


But some people can't get away from the romance of good POC, and I couldn't blame ya if you're one of those.

 

[Owen Sparks]

For some reason the larger the diamiter of the shaft, the more natural ot is for me to sight down it.

 

[Sniper X]

I have made hundreds of POC (Port Orford Cedar) and a few dozen from Footed shafts. Footted with Cocobolo, but the rest being cedar. I love wooden shafts,. NEVER use a dowel for an arrow shaft! I wouldn't trust them with a 20# bow. You can get a dozen port orford shafts pretty cheap, and buy what ever fletch you like to put on them and components. After all is said and done, a wood arrow can be quite beautiful, and very good at accuracy and for hunting. I prefer feather fletch on wooden arrows. I also dip and crest all my arrows, and it is quite beautiful. Have sold a bunch when people see them.