how to make a wood arrow for a bow?
i want to know how to make a archery arrow, i can get all the equipments i just need to know how to make it. i hate paying 20 bucks Just for a arrow, so im going to make my own.if you can answer this tell me how people space out the feather so evenly b/c at you tube i see people just guessing where the fetching goes.
please include a website or instruction. any help is appreciated
First the shaft, it’s not just about straightness or weight, the shaft need to be spined properly. You see when you shoot an arrow out of a bow, the arrow bends, bend too much or too little and the arrow won’t go the way you point it. If you need to make a mistake though, error on the stiff side. This part is rather hard if you don’t have a spine tester. A spine tester is easy enough to make, what you need is a 2 pound weight, something to hang the weight on the shaft, and two blocks of wood. Here’s what you do, place the blocks 26″ apart, place the would be arrow shaft across the blocks. Hang the weight approximately in the middle of the shaft, and measure the deflection of the shaft to the hundredth of an inch if possible. For shaft material I’ve used hard wood dowels just for kicks. They don’t last long but they work ok for light bows.
I don’t know how heavy your bow is, but you can use Easton spine chart or any other manufacturer to guess what spine you should need. You’ll need to know your draw length and the bow’s draw weight at that draw length to determine the spine needed. A half inch deflection for example is good for use on a 40 pound bow with a 30″ draw length. So now you have your shaft, next you need to taper both ends, to swage it as we call it. You can use a pencil sharpener or sander to taper the ends. You put the nock on one end and points on the other. The nock and point you’ll be better off buying already made. They should cost about $1 per arrow.
Fletching is the last step. If you’re using feathers, your best bet is to use a fletching jig, AAE makes a cheap one for about $20. I do know some people that can fletch just by sight. You’ll need a fast drying glue, because the problem with feathers is that it has a natural curl. So if you have no jig, you’ll have to hold on to that feather until the glue sets, normal fletching glue(fleth tite) takes about 20 minutes to dry. Spacing and straightness will come with training if you’re not using a jig. With a jig it’s all automatic. Once you’re done gluing all the feathers, make sure to add a dab of glue to the leading and trailing ends of each feather. This final step will make a huge difference on how long your feathers will stay on the shaft. Good luck.
How to splice Feathers. Archery