Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: Allyn T on March 16, 2021, 10:48:44 am
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I have some hickory belly splits I'd like to attempt to make arrows with. Are there any tips or tricks that you guys use that would help me make less mistakes. My plan is to make 10 or so of same length and diameter and then see how consistant the spine is before I go further. I was also thinking of making a jig for my plane to make it easier to get them round
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That is one tough wood to work; I had trouble with just maple.
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I've done exactly that and it worked fairly well. Make it a little bigger than you want your final diameter to be. They do like to tear out also so make more than what you plan to finish out . Then after you get them round stick them in a drill with some sand paper and you can get them good and smooth.
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Ok I'll try it out then, thanks jake
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I like hickory arrows and I've made several. In my experience, they are not consistent in weight, so the diameters will be slightly different. They are better for foreshafts.
Most hickory splits easily, so that's a big plus. I use a hand plane to rough them out, following the grain, and straighten them in the rough. Then I sand them down to the diameter I want, with course grit, straightening them as I go so that I don't cut across the grain. I don't have any luck using a plane or scraper to fine tune the diameters. The tear-outs and chatter drive me nuts. I try to leave a little extra wood on them and spine them a little heavier so that I can fine tune them when completely dry, but I find that they increase in spine as they dry so I'm not too worried about the diameter.
I bundle them an let dry for at least a few months. I've purchase hickory dowels to try to cut down on the manufacturing time and they work ok, but I can only use maybe 1 out of 4 for arrows. The rest gets used for shorter pieces like foreshafts or they go into my smoker. ;D
The only thing I don't like about hickory is that the grain rises and the surface gets splintery when it gets wet. I have to seal them extremely well so this doesn't happen, and it takes extra time.
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Jack the grain pop is annoying. This hickory is super dry, do you straighten with heat?
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Tradecraft what problems did you have with maple?
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Too hard to work, it would take forever to get a decent shaft, let alone a matched dozen.
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Is that because you had a lot of tear out or what
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I didn't get that far :-\
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Lol ok
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Yes, I use heat to straighten hickory. Lots of heat.