Flight Archery Projects

[bjrogg]

Still watching Ryan. 

Bjrogg

[superdav95]

Wow. Love that idea for the clamping.  I’m gonna use that!   

[mmattockx]

Wow. Love that idea for the clamping.  I’m gonna use that!

Gluing blocks onto pieces for clamping is pretty common in the furniture making/fancy woodworking world. It can greatly simplify clamping some tricky joints.


Mark

[RyanY]

Got to work on some arrows today. I have some doug fir shafts from Surewood that I am planning on using but I need to taper them to lose some mass and figured I'd practice on some big box poplar. I've never made arrows so I had to make myself a shooting board. Got the planes sharp and went to town. I used my belt grinder to smooth them but but they got pretty "Lumpy" if that makes sense? I only did a hand full of the shaft blanks so I'll probably try and hand sand the rest. Also made a sanding jig but not sure how useful it will be. My shop is in a detached garage and I'm learning I really need heat and a bathroom in there. 

[RyanY]

Anyone have any tips for keeping the shaft nice and parallel? I'm going to try without the belt grinder. Any tips are greatly appreciated!

[bjrogg]

I wish knoll would pop in here. He made nice shafts.


Bjrogg

[willie]

Anyone have any tips for keeping the shaft nice and parallel? I'm going to try without the belt grinder. Any tips are greatly appreciated!

Are you planning to taper the ends?
the longer the taper jig the less you would have to worry about the middle third, but that jig in the bottom pic is certianly an improvement ovet the narrow belt

[RyanY]

Yes. I’ll be barrel tapering them using the shooting board and plane. Might get too narrow for that jig but I could make another one.

[willie]

Yes. I’ll be barrel tapering them using the shooting board and plane. Might get too narrow for that jig but I could make another one.

somewhere on this site is pics of a taper jig made from 2 pieces of angle iron set alongst each other. not quite parrellel but in a wedge that constitutes the taper. sandpaper is fixed to the surface somehow. I think Pat B posted it

[superdav95]

I like the Osage jig.  I’m isinvv hv an old piece of tung and groove plank of hardwood flooring I had left over.  I’m measuring about an 1.25. Ack from center mark towards the nock for my thickest point on barrel.  Then I slightly taper to the nock about .245” diam.  towards the tip it’s more a gradual taper to about .180”.  I may go less yet we shall see the plank of wood seems to keep good hold of it for me.  I’m sure there must be a better way but for now this is working for me. 

[JW_Halverson]

I wish knoll would pop in here. He made nice shafts.


Bjrogg

Ryan, that would be Mike in our board bow admin group.

[RyanY]

Every time I’ve hung out with Mike, he’s making poplar shafts. I forgot his PA name.

[Del the cat]

I like the Osage jig.  I’m isinvv hv an old piece of tung and groove plank of hardwood flooring I had left over.  I’m measuring about an 1.25. Ack from center mark towards the nock for my thickest point on barrel.  Then I slightly taper to the nock about .245” diam.  towards the tip it’s more a gradual taper to about .180”.  I may go less yet we shall see the plank of wood seems to keep good hold of it for me.  I’m sure there must be a better way but for now this is working for me.

Here's my tapering jig:-
https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.com/2017/04/reusing-stuff-and-improvements.html
Del

[superdav95]

I like the Osage jig.  I’m isinvv hv an old piece of tung and groove plank of hardwood flooring I had left over.  I’m measuring about an 1.25. Ack from center mark towards the nock for my thickest point on barrel.  Then I slightly taper to the nock about .245” diam.  towards the tip it’s more a gradual taper to about .180”.  I may go less yet we shall see the plank of wood seems to keep good hold of it for me.  I’m sure there must be a better way but for now this is working for me.

Here's my tapering jig:-
https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.com/2017/04/reusing-stuff-and-improvements.html
Del

pretty cool Del!  you can tell a lot about a man by seeing the effort put into his jigs!

[RyanY]

Got to work on more arrows. Made a jig to trim the end and drill a hole for the nock. I wanted a smaller diameter than my files for the nock so it worked out well. Was able to get the cut started on my bandsaw so it was a quick process to at least get them started and opened up. Got the shafts down to a decent diameter and worked one to get the process down. After barrel tapering it, it was still at 201 grains and even quite narrow at just over 17/64". I toasted it in the oven at 350F for 30min and then it was in the house for about a week. Measuring it now it is 185 grains. I found for this poplar that if I get the shafts to just under 5/16" diameter and then barrel taper them, they're ending up around 210 grains. I could be more aggressive at the tip end and they will still be trimmed a bit. I was intimidated by the process but it hasn't been bad. Good practice before I consider it for the doug fir shafts I got from Surewood.