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Tapering War Arrows

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TheDukesArchers:
I'm making some livery arrows with 1/2 shafts, will I need to taper them down to 3/8 at the nock? I don't have a tapering jig so how can it be done by hand?


Thanks

Ian.:
Do you have an electric drill?

TheDukesArchers:
I do yes. Does the taper start in the middle of the arrow and taper towards the nock?

Ian.:
You need to have an ideal weight in mind, which for a heavy bow can be anything from 60-70 grams then minus the weight of the head. Weight all the shafts from heaviest to lightest. Start with the heavy ones first and taper 6" down from the point, to the very tip. You want to aim for an even taper from 1/2 to 3/8, you do that by wearing a glove and holding 120 grit sandpaper, with the shaft in the chuck spin the drill a fair speed and gently grip the arrow from the point and move slowly down, you should be able to remove a good amount of wood doing it this way, when you are nearly done move to 400 grit with the same process until all the marks are gone. With the lighter shafts do the same just taper them a little less. The final result is arrows all of the same weight.

Tapering jigs are easy to make, so I recommend you have a think about getting the parts together to make one.

DarkSoul:
Do you "need" to taper them....no. The arrow will not know if it's taper. But you will be able to make a lighter arrow with the same spine by tapering it. However, if you want to make a Livery Arrow that meets the EWBS regulations, you need fulfill these requirements, including


--- Quote ---Any shaft wood found on board the Mary Rose is acceptable. These include ash, birch, oak and most commonly aspen or poplar. Either a torpedo or bob-tailed shaft profile is acceptable.
Minimum shaft diameter at the shoulder 1/2”
Minimum shaft diameter at the nock 3/8”
Minimum Shaft length (bottom of nock to shoulder) 30 ½”
--- End quote ---

As far as tapering goes...do you think they had tapering jigs and powertools a few hundred years ago? ;) You can use a small but sharp hand plane. It leaves some rough edges which can be sanded smooth by hand. If you're making only a few arrows, this works great. For consistent batches of wararrows, a jig will be useful.

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