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thumb plan arrows???

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Arthur Herrmann:
I have rounded more than 50 shafts, but less than 100. So I have a little experience. Arrows are the most important, but you cannot tell that from mine!  ;D

I simply hold the square in my left hand, the thumb (at the end of the shaft) on top of the portion that I want to remove. I have the plane in the right hand, and only do a little over half of the shaft. Once round, you can turn the shaft the other way and repeat... BUT! WHATCH THE GRAIN! If you go the wrong way, then it will dip in and chip up your pretty arra.

So to the other hafl, I just press the tip against the wall, lie the shaft on the work bench, use one hand to align the stock you want to remove. And do the other half. I just eye ball it. I probably confused you, so try and make sense of it and find your own technique, then you become fast.

The finer the shavings, the better. Keep the blade so you only take fine shavings off.

If you use the compressor, which I never have, don't worry about the spine. If you don't take too much off the shaft, then it should be just under 3/8, around 23/64. The spine of the arrow should be too high around 70 or 80 pounds. You might be shooting 70, 80 pound bows so I do not know. Fred G. Asbell said that he liked the compressed cedar, and that it really increased durability. He said buying them are expensive, so you doing it yourself might just be the ticket.

You can by 3/8 birch dowel, but you cannot control the density, and straightness like you can with your boards. I heard that you want dense, tight ringed, straight grained boards.

No matter what, they will break eventually unless you use fancy targets. I just like roving, and occasionally using my dads fancy target.

I have never used a dowel cutter, and my newest arrows are perfectly good. Even if I had much money, I am not sure if I would buy a dowel cutter.

Good luck!  :)

wally:
fair play to you for making your arrows any way you can. :)
Have ever you thought of the simpler way, of using natural tree shoots like dogwood or beech? They can work very well. And of course river cane plus lots of other growing stuff ;D

jape:

--- Quote from: ZanderPommo on October 05, 2008, 01:26:46 pm ---the place I got mine was Lee Valley tools online
Zander

--- End quote ---

well they have them at $189 for the basic set up for 1" dowel plus 'extras' such as the dowel inserts you need for arrows at $42.50 each - or a master set at just $349

http:// www. leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=42331&cat=1,180,42288

ZanderPommo:
in the subcatagory "drilling" click the first in the list

Zander

jape:
Thanks very much ZP, an excellent find!

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