Hunting bow

[Eledhwen]

Learn to make your own. It is not hard, there are many tutorials on the net. It takes a bit to ensure proper balance and alignment but once you have that down, you can make them a lot more cheaply than you can buy them.

For targets, use burlap bags filled with straw or hay....or even old nylon window screening. Use a backstop. These will not damage the arrows...if you are going to hunt with traditional arrows you must practice with them to be the best you can be with them. Especially if you make them yourself.

Broadheads I do not practice with. I use bodkins or field points with the same grain weight and made the same way.

It is a fascinating pass time.

Eledhwen

[Willrett]

These might be a cheap easy way to start but I'm sure there are cheaper if you look.

Shafts http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=467589

Arrows http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=467588

Fletching jig http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=425362

they also have a few different feather options but I didnt link those. I'm asking for the shafts for xmas and my birthday in march since I know a few people who have ordered from here before.

[Jon]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BOYTON-PINE-ARROW ... 53e2c7ace5
What about these? they have some other cool stuff in their shop too.

[Willrett]

They should work to. That will give you a really good base to start building arrows. All you have have to do is add points feathers and cut nocks, and maybe straighten alittle.

[Eledhwen]

You will need a taper tool or taper block & drill. Ensure they have both 5 and 15 degree angles..the former for the nocks, the latter for the points if you are using modern nocks and socket points. Use hot glue to affix them...you can then 'tune' your arrows to your bow and shooting style; tedious but a huge improvement over stock items. Ensure you know your draw length and cut the shaft to match. Get a grain scale so you can weigh the completed arrows.

The initial investment in tools and gear can be a bit daunting, but once you have them all you need are shafts...and if you are nuts like me you get spoke shaves, draw knives, scrapers and tillering sticks and make your own shafts and bows from scratch. I have not completed a bow yet, no.

Make sure the arrow points you choose are right for the job..and satisfy any laws that may be in force. Here an arrow must be a well sharpened broadhead at least 7/8ths of an inch wide. For hunting that is.

The fletching jig is a must have; I have a Jo-Jan multi-fletcher but unless you are doing LOTS of arrows a single will do. Cheaper too.

If you want to paint or crest the arrows you will need dipping tubes and related gear; I suggest holding off until you decide if you like making arrows.

I get my shafts from Allegheny Arrow Woods. A variety of hardwoods and cedars and some can be had in 100 counts...at good prices..which can make the learning & losing process less painful. Ash is nearly indestructible as far as arrows go.

An arrow straightener is a good tool...but more effective with fir woods than with hardwoods. A spine tester is a necessary tool if you are making your own; the arrow must be spined to the draw weight of your bow or you could be injured if the arrow breaks on release. One of our members here put up a how-to on making one cheaply, I cannot now remember who it was.

As I say, the initial outlay can be daunting...but making your own arrows..and perhaps sometime your own bows, is a VERY useful skill to have.

Hope that helps.

Eledhwen

[Jon]

Yeah awesome, thanks. So i should probably go for ash, I'll make maybe two with broadheads and the rest with bodkins and um.. are the nocks they sell plastic and, if so should i be cutting my own nocks? And I'm guessing flights are about 5 inches?

[Eledhwen]

The nocks they sell are called snap-nocks and are made of plastic. I have heard of some made from horn but never seen any.

Self-nocks, or what you call the cut nock, can be done in two ways.

The easiest is to cut a slot perpendicular to the grain of the arrow shaft no deeper than necessary to hold the string. This was consistent with much of medieval arrow manufacture.

The second, and prettiest, is to first cut a two inch deep slot parallel to the grain and then glue a sliver of horn or some other hardwood into that slot. Once dry you repeat the above process with the actual nock slot cut perpendicular to the grain of the shaft. If you use say black walnut inserts on an ash shaft it can be very pleasing to the eye.

Honestly though, on ash shafts, given they are hardwood anyway, you do not really need the inserts. That is better done on cedar and other softer wood shafts.

I use a hacksaw to make the cut; some folk will layer two or three blades, depending on shaft circumference. I do one slot and then use jewelers files to shape the nock the way I want it.

The thread binding on the fletches comes back to just a bit beyond the deepest part of the nock slot...and gets slightly bent in by the string with use. It is said to reinforce the insert method but I do not really see that it makes that much difference.

If you decide you like making arrows, you can try footed shafts. That is something I am only beginning to experiment with. Essentially it binds a hardwood fore portion to a cedar or softwood rear portion making an arrow consisting of both woods. The part with the head is hardwood, the bit with the fletches is softwood. It lightens the arrow while still providing good strength on impact. These shafts are usually tapered rather than straight/parallel.

Note: Ash is heavy relative to other shafting woods so it will not fly as far as lighter wood arrows will. Best used with heavier draw bows for anything other than target practice...unless you are really, really close with a lighter bow. I have both cedar and ash shafts; the difference in range is noticeable...but the ash shafts hit harder as they have more mass. Trade off...like so many other things.

Hope that helps

Eledhwen

[Jon]

Thanks Eledwhen, that really does help. I've been wanting to make my own proper arrows for a long time and now I know how to!