Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: Yorkist on June 23, 2013, 09:13:16 pm
-
So I am planning on making a set of arrows for my bow and was looking for some advice seeing as this will be the first time I ever attempt something like this. My main question is what type of dowels would be the best to work with (the bow is a 60 lb draw weight and 28-32 inch draw) as well as fletching materials. I'm going to go with simple field points since these will be for practice for the most part.
-
The easiest way to go is to buy properly spined arrow shafting and precut feathers. We have a few sponsors that can supply you all you need. You can also try our Trading Post if you have items to trade.
-
You can get by with hardware store dowels. Try 13/32 or 3/8 for ramin wood(normal dowels). Sometimes you can get oak dowels. Get 3/8 and they will shoot great. I do suggest buying some shafts to start, of maybe spruce, ash, or fir, so you know the approx stiffness required to make good arrows. Feathers can be bought, precut or raw, or traded for.
-
I've used dowel arrows and I don't recommend them at all
-
Good arrows can be made from dowels. I have had good success using poplar dowels from lowes, but you have to sort through a lot of them to find a few good ones that are straight enough and have good grain. I would recomend following Pat B's advice for your first and use them as a pattern to make your own. Learning to make good arrows from scratch takes most people several attempts to get a set that all fly true. By all means search and read all the info you can find on this site and ask lots of questions. It's a great feeling when you finaly have a set you made yourself that fly true from yor bow.
-
I just made a batch of arrows from dowels I got from Lowes. I took my spine tester to the store and sat on the floor and went through about a hundred before I got a dozen or so spined the way I wanted. They shoot pretty good for about $0.88 per shaft. I just ordered 100 birch dowels that I paid about $30 for including shipping. I have just started going through them, but so far it looks like I'll get 3 to 4 dozen usable shafts. I also just got in my dowel making jig to make my own from boards. I had to figure out some way around the expense of poc shafts.
-
Would these be decent: lancasterarchery.com I figure I'll go for something like that at first then look at doing my own from scratch later.
-
Those bear paw guys whos names are on those shafts have some AWESOME YouTube videos, just search "bearpaw archery", really fun stuff to watch