Handmade Arrows

[Dave Budd]

Continuing the archery theme that seems to be the thing lately, I thought that I would put a pic of a couple of arrows that I made over the weekend It's been a long time since I last made arrows from scratch like this, noramlly I buy the components and assemble them. I figured since I'm teaching a course doing this soon i really should practice

Both arrows are made form sunshoots of Birch from my woods and have been straightened over fire, stripped and scraped till good. The top is fletched with pigeon (courtesy of my landlord who gave me a couple of tastey birds over christmas) and the bottom with grey Goose feathers. Both arrows are self nocked and whipped with button thread (I know ny whipping isn't the prettiest, but it does the job! ). Both arrows are tipped with steel points made by me; the top a small broadhead (for display only!) and the bottom a bullet type target point.

Thanks for looking

 

[Matt Weir]

Nice work Dave,

Obviously you have had some practice over the years if these are what you can produce whilst 'a bit rusty'.

Matt.

 

[Big Bad Stu]

Dave,

Fair play, they are fantastic. I made some arrows for field archery a couple of years ago and it seemed to take ages. I bought and assembled the components.

Did you have to spend much time straightening the shafts, were they seasoned or green?

The thing I found about making arrows up is that it makes you appreciate the old fletchers in medaevil times, how much pressure they must have been under during times of war etc.

Regards

Stewey.

 

[bent-stick]

Nice.

One suggestion: carry the whipping right up to the nock or put another band of whipping under the nock. If you don't reinforce them and they break they flirt off all over the place. I've had it happen a few times and it does the bow no good and theirs the potential to nail a bystander.

BTW if you want a target to chuck your broadhead at a jute sack filled with rags dumped on the ground will take a lot of hits without coming to harm.

 

[ArkAngel]

They are far too nice to shoot

 

[Gumbob]

Superb work mate!!

I really need to get into this archery malarkey

Gumbob

 

[stovie]

One of my favourite pastimes, Fletching. It's so therapeutic

 

[Dave Budd]

Thanks guys

The first of these arrows was still mostly green when I started to straighten it, but it wouldn't hold the new shape. So i left it indoors fro a few days until it had dried out a little and it stayed pretty good. the second was dry, but still only cut about 3 weeks before hand, so not properly seasoned. Seasoned arrows tend to be easier to straighten coz they don't bend so easily, I ws just in a hurry!

I wouldn't say that these are as straight as a bought arrow by a long way, but they shoot ok. I took tehm out and shot them at the practice butt from 10 feet up to 50yds, then around my field archery course. They were both fine I had to re-whip the first one coz I tried some pretty gold fly-tying thread and it wasn't up the the job and came off Otherwise I could shoot just as well as with my home assembled shop bought arrows as with these, in fact these arrows are lighter so the first couple of shots were a little high

I didn't whip the nocks mostly out of curiousity as I've never made self nocked arrows for anything but a muck about with bend stick (greenwood) bows. The bowyers bible says that you don't need to if you get the groove at right angle sot the grain, since these are shoots I didn't think I'd bother. I'm sure the reinforcement is a good insurance policy though

oh, I should also say in the defence of my fletching. I deliberately didn't use a fletching jig. Infact the goose feathered arrow doesn't have any glue on it, the feathers were flat ground and sat nicely on the shaft as I whipped it on. The pigeon feathers wouldn't let me do that coz they werea little curly and I had to use a little fletching glue.

 

[stovie]

Thanks guys


oh, I should also say in the defence of my fletching. I deliberately didn't use a fletching jig. Infact the goose feathered arrow doesn't have any glue on it, the feathers were flat ground and sat nicely on the shaft as I whipped it on.

That's how I do mine. My only jig is the mitts at the end of me arms, and a quick shufty down the shaft to make sure me cock feather is proud....

 

[jon r]

These arrows are lovely! :You_Rock_ How big should fletchings be. I find a few pigeon feathers lieing around sometimes but i never thought they would be big enough

What other feathers are good for fletchings? Pheasant?

 

[stovie]

These arrows are lovely! :You_Rock_ How big should fletchings be. I find a few pigeon feathers lieing around sometimes but i never thought they would be big enough

What other feathers are good for fletchings? Pheasant?

Personally all I ever use (unless I'm messin' around in the woods) is Goose primaries

and they are easy come by, especially with easter coming up...

 

[jon r]

Where would i get whole wings like that!?

 

[stovie]

Where would i get whole wings like that!?

From a goose Sorry!
I get mine from a local farmer, normally around easter and christmas...

 

[Dave Budd]

the size of the fletching depends on lots of things, mostly the whippiness of your shaft and the weight of your point . The bigger they are the more weight up front they can cope with but also the more drag they create. With the arrows I have there I've got 3" feathers and sems to work well for me.

I cheated with teh goos feathers, I bought full length ground turkey feathers from Quicks though I did mean to get some wings from the goose farm up the road. Just didn't get around to it yet


Does Stovie's pic there remind anybody else of a scene from Dogma?