Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: osage outlaw on February 20, 2011, 05:40:46 pm

Title: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: osage outlaw on February 20, 2011, 05:40:46 pm
I am getting ready to fletch some arrows, and I have a couple of questions.

I have a straight, left and right wing clamps for my fletching jig.  Which would be best for shooting a selfbow right handed? 

If I go with the right wing clamp, I assume I should use right wing feathers?

Any help would be great.  I don't want to fletch up a bunch of arrows and have them fliy like a wounded duck.
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: Pat B on February 20, 2011, 07:03:49 pm
I use a JoJan multi fletch with offset straight clamps. I fletched 6 cane arrows last winter, 3 with right wing, 3 with left. All I did different was offset the clamp to one side or the other for right and left. They all fly great from my bow. 60" osage static recurve,
56#@26"
 I was going to post pics but photobucket ate all my arrow pics.  >:( I had a seperate folder for arrows and it is empty.

...but any way, I like offset straight fletching. I use a bigger fletch instead of helical twist.
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: half eye on February 20, 2011, 07:14:25 pm
Osage,
       The conventional wisdom usually means right fletch, right wing, right-handed shooter. As a practical matter ya can shoot left fletch also, if ya pay attention to where the lower hen feather lays relative to the bow. You want the lower hen feather to pass right where the shelf meets the riser (or hand grips the bow) that means that the cock feather and upper hen feather will clear the bow.  For hunting purposes, it's been my experience that if you choose the straight jig (and the fletcher allows for it) offset the fletch about 1 to 2 Degrees and you should be able to stabilize the broadhead. If the offset is left then set it up like the left helical hen feather.    Just how it has worked out for me.... Now days, I do both ways ( but usually offset) so I can use more of the turkey feathers,  they fly good.
rich
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: osage outlaw on February 20, 2011, 09:03:32 pm
Thanks guys.  I need to get these arrows done so I can start going to a local 3D shoot. 
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: M-P on February 21, 2011, 05:16:50 am
I've read that it really doesn't matter which you use, just as long as you don't mix them on the same arrow.  In Kyudo the arrows come in sets of two RTW and 2 LW.  The arrows are traditionally shot one RW and then one LW.  They fly the same though.     Ron
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: beetlebailey1977 on February 21, 2011, 10:51:11 pm
I use a offset fletch and either LW or RW doesn't matter just match them all the same on a arrow.  I am right handed and I believe most of my feathers of LW.  Usually a lot of those around as most folks prefer RW.
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: eagleone on February 23, 2011, 12:57:55 am
I shoot right handed and had problems with rw feathers running into my hand - I started fletching my arrows lw and havent had the problem since
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: sailordad on February 23, 2011, 01:07:36 am
i use both
but i make sure i have either right or left on an arrow
never mix them
dont see a differance
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: hillbilly61 on February 23, 2011, 09:11:09 am
I fletch mine as I get the fletches. Not picky weather I get R or F wing (as long as there the same). I don't have a jig, and just glue up by hand. I find no diff in flight
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: M-P on February 24, 2011, 02:36:07 am
Eagleone,  Many, if not most, folks put a thread wrap on the front of the fletch to keep things from sticking into their knuckle when shooting off the hand.  Ron
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: matte on February 24, 2011, 11:21:20 am
I always thought it was right wing for left handed archers and right wing for left handers? I have used both and have had no problem providing my bow was tuned properly.
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: johnston on February 24, 2011, 08:04:13 pm
hillbilly61...do you measure or just eye-ball the spacing?

Lane
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: Hillbilly on February 24, 2011, 10:55:49 pm
I've never noticed a bit of difference, as long as you don't use both on the same arrow. I shoot both.
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: George Tsoukalas on February 25, 2011, 12:54:30 am
I'm right handed and I shoot left wing feathers put on with a straight clamp..offset. Jawge
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: CraigMBeckett on February 25, 2011, 08:39:20 pm
With the exception that they should be all of the same wing on any single arrow, the wing of the feathers should have no effect whether right or left handed for a couple of reasons as follows:

1, The rotation of an arrow is virtually nil in traveling the distance from the point it leaves the string until it passes the bow, think about it, the distance is at the most brace height and the arrow has only just left the restraint of the string.

2, A properly spined arrow flexes past the bow so the orientation of the fletching on the arrow has no effect nor does the direction it may spin in.

3, If the arrow is incorrectly spined and therefore strikes the bow during the release, the orientation of the fletching on the arrow and the direction of spin will have considerably less effect than the arrow striking the bow has.

Craig.

Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: hillbilly61 on February 26, 2011, 10:48:08 am
johnston... I just eyeball them. Every once in a while I get one that I missed the spacing a little :-[  If I had a fletching jig , I probably it. Maybe >:D ;D
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: JW_Halverson on February 26, 2011, 07:14:49 pm
Out of sheer cussedness I once made up two dozen arrows with random locations of the fletching.  Each arrow was either right wing or left wing and the complimentary jig to the fletch, but the placement in relation to the nock orientation was random.  Some came out with the cock feather against the bow, others with one hen feather against the bow, some with two hen feathers against the bow, and minor variations of all of the above. 

Each arrow had a roman numeral written below the cock feather, I through XXIV.  I kept track and only one of the arrows flew funny.  It hit considerably lower than all the rest and consistently.  I weighed it and the shaft must have been a mis-weighted "blem" in the bunch, it was almost 100 grains heavier than the rest.  Nice thing about these arrows, they got me over the panic of trying to get the arrow nocked with the cock feather located "correctly" when I was making a quick follow up shot. 

I think matching the spine to the specific bow is much more critical.  Bare shaft shooting this double dozen made them the best shooting arrows I have played with in the 8 years I have been goofing with bows.
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: johnston on March 08, 2011, 10:09:47 pm
Ok so I have been worrying about stuff that don't matter. Got a half dozen canes that I was real selective with and put on a  two feather peacock fletch just for fun and they flew better than some that I was trying to be "serious" with. Thanks guys.

Lane
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: JW_Halverson on March 09, 2011, 12:19:28 pm
I once had a B.S. artist try to explain to me how the Coriolis Effect dictates how we need to use right wing in the Northern Hemisphere and left wing in the Southern Hemisphere!  The guy was so obviously talking out his exit orifice the people standing around at the Rendezvous immediately threw a bucket of water on him on the spot and loudly proclaimed he was the newly elected high chief of the Walking Eagle Clan (too fulla s**t to fly!).

I have come to the conclusion that if I strain too hard to get every little detail matched perfectly on my arrows I'm wasting time.   For example imagine the most accurate off-the-shelf rifle made.  Shoot a 5 round group offhand on a windy day.  Complain about how inaccurate the rifle is, take it to a gunsmith and have the trigger improved, a custom rifled barrel installed, handload the most perfectly matched box of ammo, and install handpolished swiss-made optics installed and head back out and shoot the same groups offhand on another windy day.  You see gadget shooters doing this all the time at the archery shops, their homes are littered with good quality equipment they have "upgraded".

All our bow shots are offhand, I can't for the life of me figure out how to shoot a bow off bench.  Make good enough arrows and call it a day.  Work on a smooth release to take advantage of whatcha got.  Thus ends my sermon for the day.  Man, I sound pretty pompous some days.
Title: Re: Left wing or right wing?
Post by: johnston on March 09, 2011, 06:39:34 pm
But John you are right about shooters trying to improve everything except their ability. I don't have much confidence in arrows I make cause at this time I make awful arrows. With good arrows I feel I can do ok shooting. I will with help and time make better arrows. I hope.javascript:void(0);