Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => HowTo's and Build-a-longs => Topic started by: juniper junkie on January 02, 2008, 12:29:47 am
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I have been getting a lot of questions on the syringa arrows I have been shooting for a while now. so I thought I would share with you how I build them. Syringa (philadelphus lewisii) grows throughout the more arid regions of the northwest and northern california, also referred to as mock orange, it grows in rocky hillsides and along creek bottoms, in the mid summer it blooms with a white flower, which is Idaho's state flower. it produces shoots and seeds for distribution. usually growing in clusters of shoots ranging in size depending on the age of the plant. the plants which grow in the more shady areas produce the longer shoots. shoots with reddish color bark are sucker shoots and are weaker than the grayer bark ones and have a larger pith in the center. this is what a bush looks like.
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locate the shoots that are the straightes and do not have any hard curves to them, gradual curves are no big deal since it is easy to straighten
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OH! Mock Orange and not Lilac! ;) I have a nice Mock Orange(probably P. coronarius) bush in my front yard. Looking forward to your build-along. Pat
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next you will need to straighten the shafts as they dry. the bark seals in the moisture incredibly well so there is no real hurry while the bark is on them. at this point they will be very limber.
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next you will need to scrape off the bark and cambium layer, you can use a obsidian flake, knife or any kind of blade, just hold a metal blade vertical so as not to gouge into the shaft. after the bark is off then lay them on a flat surface to start drying, you will need to check them almost every day if it is warm and make sure they are staying straight. next you will want to remove any nodes that are on the shaft, I use a small hand plane with the blade set real shallow, I have also used a strunk arrow planer. you can now use the plane to even out the shaft on the fat end. keep rotating the shaft as you plane and remove the high ridges, keeping it round. this will also get rid of some of the irregularities in the shaft.
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I generally use hand straightening, but on problem shafts I use a arrow wrench which is a small block of hardwood about 1/2" thick 5-6" long with a couple of holes drilled through, one 11/32, the other 5/16. using this does leave small depressions in the shaft. you can use heat if the shaft has become too dry and is not responding to bending, this works very well and does not take much heat. once you have the shafts straight then you can take a drill, I use a cordless makita because it is not too fast, I wouldnt use a high speed drill, and sandpaper, start with 80g, hold the paper in one hand folded up and chuck the other end in the drill and squeeze the sandpaper while the shaft turns, this also helps to reduce the thickness of the butt end of the shaft, and remove some of the marks from straightening. dont use too much on the center portion of the shaft until you check the spine as this will weaken it. you can next switch to 220g. you will notice a pith in the center of the shaft, although it is not always true center. for my nock inserts I will remove the pith using a small rat tail file. or you can use a small flat screwdriver, the pith is really soft and is removed easily. I usually go down about 3/4".
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after the pith is removed you will need to make the inserts. I use a hardwood for the inserts, in this case I am using cocobolo, because I like the look of the contrast with the white shaft. I cut the material into 3/8" about 1-1/4" long I then chuck them into the drill, you may need to sand down the edges to get them in the drill, next i go to my disc sander, with the insert chucked in the drill I position it on the edge of the sanding disc with about 1/2-3/4" being sanded, run the drill and slowly let the disc reduce this area to form a tang to insert into the pith, this will take some practice ;) not all the piths are the same size so I usually do them per shaft so they fit good, use the edge of the disc to form the mating surface of the outer shaft. one it fits then glue it into the shaft. once dry you can chuck up the shaft and use the sanding disc to round off the nock and even it to the shaft, once you get close you can finish by holding sandpaper and useing the drill as before. after the fine paper is used you can take steel wool to further smoothe the nock and area to be fletched. I will post the next steps tomorrow. happy new year to all!
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OOPs I forgot the pics ;D
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another pic
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Looking awesome Dave, real informative and good pics. I'm sure everyones going to love it. Keenan
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now that the nock insert is in and dry you will need to cut the nock grooves, to do this I use a block about 1 1/2" square, in the center I drill a 11/32 hole, I then cut a groove about the width I want the nock down the center. I want the shaft to fit tight into this so it doesnt move when you do the groove, test it as you sand down the nock with the drill, you can even make a couple using smaller or larger holes. I put the shaft into the jig and clamp the jig in a vise, next I will cut the groove, you can use a small file, 2 hacksaw blades clamped together or some other abraiding device that matches the size you are after. I got this attachment for my hack saw from a friend, not sure where to get them, but it works really well. cut the groove to your desired depth, you can touch it up with sandpaper after you are done.
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awesome
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great work! I would never have the motivation to do such fine work on my arrows since they seem to get lost anyway >:(
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Thats a tile saw blade should be able to get them most anywhere, I bought one at the local hardware store.
Great build along.
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great work! I would never have the motivation to do such fine work on my arrows since they seem to get lost anyway >:(
hopefully it will make me shoot better ;D
Dana, I found one today at the local hardware store, they work great for nocks. I will post on decoration and fletching this weekend.
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Juniper Junkie, super build-a-long using the Syringa! Thanks for posting the pics of the bush. I really like the tool you use to jig out the nocks, I can't wait to build one and put it to use. Joe H
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Juniper, that's the blade I use to cut knocks also. Cutting a straight knock takes a bit of practice, but it's easy when you finally get it.
Sean
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Hey Dave,
Those arrows are really ugly and I'm sure they fly like garbage. I think you need to make a dozen for me and send them to me so that I'll be the only one seen with them. you know I'm the only one who can take the humiliation of using such crappy arrows!
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Oh Billy!!! I do think your in trouble now. If I know Dave he will find the most twisted and knarly of the bunch and send you a couple! ;D
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sorry it took so long to get back on. been kinda busy. now that we have our nocks cut and the shafts sanded, we can proceed with some decoration. I use alcohol based leather dye to color the front section, next I use water based deck stain to do some mild cresting, i want them to look native-like so I dont use a crester, the deck stain drys flat so the paint looks like red ochre. I sometimes dye the back section as well, this time I want the contrast with the nock inserts. now we can proceed to fletching.
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we first need to split the feathers, to do this I cut just through the membrane of the quill, you dont want to cut too deep, then pull outward to strip the membrane from the quill. this results in a nice thin membrane for gluing. if you cut too deep it will pull chunks of white stuff with it. if this happens i take a sanding block with 100 grit paper, put the feather in the fletching clamp and sand it flat. be careful not to sand through the membrane. I use a single clamp fletcher and ca glue unless I want more primitive then I use sinew and tb #3. I am assuming that most of you already know how to fletch, so I wont bore you with the details ;)
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after the fletching is complete, I use a feather burner to shape the feathers. bend the ribbon to the desired shape and position, be sure the ribbon doesnt touch the shaft. then when you have the burner hot, simply rotate the shaft and burn the feathers to the same shape. be sure to do this OUTSIDE!!! the smell will get you kicked out of the house, and it doesnt go away for a long time especially goose feathers. :o I like burning because it seals the edges of the feather and they seems to last longer without fraying.
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next i wrap the forward ends of the feathers with sinew. I like to use backstrap sinew because it has long thin threads and is easy to seperate. I use tightbond 3 because it is waterproof and dries somewhat clear. I seperate the threads and place them in warm water to soften, dont have the water too hot or the sinew will curl up. apply the glue to the shaft where the sinew is going. I like to do the area where the nock insert is as well. start the sinew by wrapping it back on itself for the first revolution or two then rotate the shaft. you want the tail of the sinew thread to be about center of the wrap when done. once wrapped i apply a littlle more glue to hold down the end.
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next step is to apply the tips, I take the shaft to my disc sander and rotate the shaft to get it to fit the taper of the tip. I have made a jig for cedar shafts, but these are smaller so I need to make another one. after the sinew has dried then you can apply a couple of coats of tung oil to help seal the shaft, but it isnt that neccessary unless you are in wet conditions. these arrows are going to be given away along with a syringa youth bow at an upcoming traditional archers banquet. I will post some more pics of finished arrows soon, my batteries died in my camera. hope you enjoyed this build-a-long. these same tactics can be used with wild rose as well. If someone wants more info on any of the steps, I will be glad to add more photos. like Gordon had said in his build-a-long. this forum has taught me a lot, it is nice to pass some along. thanks :)
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Cool arrows ,thanks for sharing,I needed help in building shoot arrows.Kind of know how but you gave me some good ideas.No I need to go to work on some. :)
Pappy
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Hey Dave, you did awesome.
Those arrows look even better in person then the pictures show. That bow sure is a beaut as well. Great buildalong.
Guys if you want a good, heavy and hard hitting arrow, then you need to give syringa a try. I'ts real dense and I've been more then impressed. Keenan
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sorry it took so long to add pics. here are some pics of arrows I have made. the larger arrows with the obsidian points are my hunting arrows from this past season, they weigh around 600 grains. the smaller obsidian tipped arrows are display arrows, the rest are practice arrows.
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Great Build JJ. Thanks for taking the time and effort to share with the rest of us.
Otoe
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Nice Dave! You are really getting good at working syringa. You bringing those to the Buttes?
David T
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you bet. I will have some bundles to trade if you want some. I will be going that first weekend, the 21st. hope to see you there.
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Great job JJ. I love the way they match the bow. Justin
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Very nice arrows, I bet they fly well. :)
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you bet. I will have some bundles to trade if you want some. I will be going that first weekend, the 21st. hope to see you there.
I'll be there the same time! Lookin forward to it!
David T
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I've run out of my own arrows months ago, and I just never got around to making new ones until last night. I was reusing some of the various broken ones and firring three or four shots and then going back inside. I was focusing on bow making. I forgot what a joy arrow building can be. Though very time consuming.
I wouldn't cheat on, on my primitive bows by using power tools or electricity. Though I think that I might just Sin and make a few arrows; and Buy a jig for fletching. I like the looks of that feather burner.
Where did you get it?
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I got my feather burner at a garage sale. you can buy them new from three rivers archery or check with some advertisers in PA. you can also find them on ebay.
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Hey,
I think i seen them arrows somewheres. ;)