Making wood arrows

How to's, questions, and build alongs for those traditional archers who are interested in building their own custom arrows.
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This area strictly for arrows. Building, flight or broadhead flight.
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Longbowfanatic
Posts: 251
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 10:41 am

Re: Making wood arrows

#61 Post by Longbowfanatic »

dahyer wrote:I just buy the cheapest sticks I can find and fling um till they break.
That's what I'm talking about, brother!

Cody2306
Posts: 93
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2016 4:05 pm

Re: Making wood arrows

#62 Post by Cody2306 »

Really nice arrows.. the only part I struggle in is straightening the shafts.. I don't think I got the eye for it.. for my last set I ordered two dozen Douglas fir and I just grabbed the straightes ones and use them.. I still have some shafts but will prob a my order some premiums so maybe I don't have to worry about straightening.

Longbowfanatic
Posts: 251
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 10:41 am

Re: Making wood arrows

#63 Post by Longbowfanatic »

Cody2306 wrote:Really nice arrows.. the only part I struggle in is straightening the shafts.. I don't think I got the eye for it.. for my last set I ordered two dozen Douglas fir and I just grabbed the straightes ones and use them.. I still have some shafts but will prob a my order some premiums so maybe I don't have to worry about straightening.
I do it this way. After some trial & error, it gets easier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF19jShVbsw

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Shadowhntr
Posts: 4614
Joined: Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:47 pm

Re: Making wood arrows

#64 Post by Shadowhntr »

Good video
The element of surprise can never be replaced by persistence.

stumper
Posts: 2688
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:40 pm

Re: Making wood arrows

#65 Post by stumper »

Cody2306 wrote:Really nice arrows.. the only part I struggle in is straightening the shafts.. I don't think I got the eye for it.. for my last set I ordered two dozen Douglas fir and I just grabbed the straightes ones and use them.. I still have some shafts but will prob a my order some premiums so maybe I don't have to worry about straightening.
I know I am a heretic, but I do not bother straightening..... They still seem to fly well for me.
Nothing clears a troubled mind like shooting a bow.

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Shadowhntr
Posts: 4614
Joined: Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:47 pm

Re: Making wood arrows

#66 Post by Shadowhntr »

dahyer wrote:
Cody2306 wrote:Really nice arrows.. the only part I struggle in is straightening the shafts.. I don't think I got the eye for it.. for my last set I ordered two dozen Douglas fir and I just grabbed the straightes ones and use them.. I still have some shafts but will prob a my order some premiums so maybe I don't have to worry about straightening.
I know I am a heretic, but I do not bother straightening..... They still seem to fly well for me.
I am near the same way, but I only hand straighten. I tell anyone who will listen, as much as Dave is saying. With hand straightening alone, I can lay them in there nice and tight and have ruined many arrows from robin hooding them. If you are shooting 25 yards and under getting them decently straight is all you'll need. I will add anyone who shoots cane or bamboo as a shaft material, will tell you there are little crooks and inconsistencies in those shafts at each node.....yet when shot they fly very accurately. As I tell everyone else...sure, a perfectly straight wood shaft is great but it's not necessary to be very accurate. I wouldn't want them badly crooked, but fussing over a little blip is almost a waste. I'd about promise you, after shooting and pulling the shafts from the target several times...all that work getting them perfectly straight was for nothing, because there is no way to keep them in that condition in the field esp over a little time. You will constantly be in there on the shaft roller fixing them to keep them perfect as they were when you started. That's what discourages so many people from using woodies. Trust me when I say hand straightening them to the best of your ability without fussing too long/much, will produce arrows that will be as accurate as you will ever be with a traditional bow. Then you can keep them to that point out in the field by a quick check now and again by looking down the shaft and turning it, and adjust with a quick hand straightening. If you never bust nocks and robin hood it wont matter how straight the shafts are...you still won't be. However I've busted tons of nocks and split arrows with what many would call unacceptably crooked shafts that were actually only minorly crooked. It's one of those things that gets over thought and over worried about. Can it hurt getting them perfect? Maybe not and maybe so....it hurts Only if you let the thought of them having to be perfect discourage you because its impossible to keep them perfectly straight in using them, and the constant thought and maintenance haunts you and robs your confidence. We as humans would love whats actually our faults, to be blamed on the equipment. I've shot WAY too many hand straightened shafts very accurately to believe anything different.
The element of surprise can never be replaced by persistence.

stumper
Posts: 2688
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:40 pm

Re: Making wood arrows

#67 Post by stumper »

Shadowhntr wrote:
dahyer wrote:
Cody2306 wrote:Really nice arrows.. the only part I struggle in is straightening the shafts.. I don't think I got the eye for it.. for my last set I ordered two dozen Douglas fir and I just grabbed the straightes ones and use them.. I still have some shafts but will prob a my order some premiums so maybe I don't have to worry about straightening.
I know I am a heretic, but I do not bother straightening..... They still seem to fly well for me.
I am near the same way, but I only hand straighten. I tell anyone who will listen, as much as Dave is saying. With hand straightening alone, I can lay them in there nice and tight and have ruined many arrows from robin hooding them. If you are shooting 25 yards and under getting them decently straight is all you'll need. I will add anyone who shoots cane or bamboo as a shaft material, will tell you there are little crooks and inconsistencies in those shafts at each node.....yet when shot they fly very accurately. As I tell everyone else...sure, a perfectly straight wood shaft is great but it's not necessary to be very accurate. I wouldn't want them badly crooked, but fussing over a little blip is almost a waste. I'd about promise you, after shooting and pulling the shafts from the target several times...all that work getting them perfectly straight was for nothing, because there is no way to keep them in that condition in the field esp over a little time. You will constantly be in there on the shaft roller fixing them to keep them perfect as they were when you started. That's what discourages so many people from using woodies. Trust me when I say hand straightening them to the best of your ability without fussing too long/much, will produce arrows that will be as accurate as you will ever be with a traditional bow. Then you can keep them to that point out in the field by a quick check now and again by looking down the shaft and turning it, and adjust with a quick hand straightening. If you never bust nocks and robin hood it wont matter how straight the shafts are...you still won't be. However uve busted tons of nocks and split arrows with what many would call unacceptably crooked shafts that were actually only minorly crooked. It's one of those things that gets over thought and over worried about. Can it hurt getting them perfect? Maybe not and maybe so....it hurts Only if you let the thought of them having to be perfect discourage you because its impossible to keep them perfectly straight in using them, and the constant thought and maintenance haunts you and robs your confidence. We as humans would love whats actually our faults, to be blamed on the equipment. I've shot WAY too many hand straightened shafts very accurately to believe anything different.
Very well put sir! and I may I add people need to realize that with trad archery you are using equipment with limitations... Archery, in general, has limitations that rifle shooting does not. And traditional archery has more limitations than a compound bow. I can tell you this... when I used to shoot compound I would get infuriated at every arrow not perfectly in the bullseye because, with a sight and perfectly tuned arrows, I could and should consistently get bullseyes. Perhaps the best thing about trad archery for me is the freedom to accidentally make a bad shot and be ok with it. I am a beginner at this whole archery thing and can hit squirrel-sized target with my cheapo woodies.... I'm ok with that! Let the pressure off yourself with perfection.... If we were looking for perfection we wouldn't be using a natural imperfect medium as our material of choice for the bows as well as the arrows.
Nothing clears a troubled mind like shooting a bow.

Captainkirk
Site Admin
Posts: 12787
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 8:19 pm

Re: Making wood arrows

#68 Post by Captainkirk »

Jason and Dave, you said a mouthful there, sirs!
This is the heart of trad archery; equipment with limitations. Same mindset that drove me to muzzle loading firearms. The equipment does not 'do the work for you'; you need to learn to adapt,improvise and overcome and if you don't, the blame lies entirely in the hands of the user. No excuses..."my sight pins came loose"...blah, blah, blah. A miss is a miss and I'm man enough to admit it was MY fault, not Fred Bear's...LOL :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Aim small, miss small!

stumper
Posts: 2688
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:40 pm

Re: Making wood arrows

#69 Post by stumper »

:lol:
Nothing clears a troubled mind like shooting a bow.

joe harrod1945
Posts: 194
Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2018 3:41 pm

Re: Making wood arrows

#70 Post by joe harrod1945 »

I used dowel rods,an made arrows.killed a doe with one.poor boy has too.

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