Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: TSA on February 14, 2018, 11:11:47 pm
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Hey Dieselcheese,
Here we go mate
had to drag this out, havent used it in years. keeping it for when i retire, if ever, and need to keep busy. ;)
the key to all of this is full support, the shaft needs to be supported both on the infeed and the outfeed side.
i set the unit up on a long straight hefty piece of lumber.
i glued and screwed tracks on the sides to guide a carriage block,- that carries the drill. nice and snug, but still easy moving, the longer the carriage- less chance of it binding too.
also an endstop- to stop me bashing into the doweller.
you have to build this all so that the center of the drill chuck lines up exactly with the center of the doweller, on both planes- makes sense :)
then on the outfeed side- i have 4 support blocks- with a slighly tapered hole - so that the dowel can easily find the hole andfeed in easily.
the bores are really kinda cone shaped- like a funnel.
then i bought a good 1/2" drill with very high speed.
the key here is max rpm, and slow feed rate- i would do 36" in about 1 minute,
as the arrow starts to exit the doweller, i reach around and grab the dowel with some sandpaper in my hand- and let it spin through that.
but it will get hot- and remember heat is the enemy of sandpaper- so move the paper around in your hand- working with a cool spot all the time
works well, cos you dont have to worry about the infeed being lined up.
i never put a drill on the outfeed side to pull the shaft through- i would just pull them out backwards- and start the next one.
the piece of ply with the 4" hole, was for my dust collector hose- it sucked away all the shavings and most of the sanding dust.
gotta keep the blades razor sharp.
i, like most guys can get a good edge on a cutting tool- but consistancy is the key here- so i actually bought one of those sharpening jigs from lee valley- that hold the blade at the correct angle- then they just roll on a sharpening stone- very effective!
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here is a closer shot of the carriage custom made to fit the drill perfectly- remember to keep good airflow to the cooling vents in the drill.
good luck mate.
holler if there is anything else i can help with.
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Thanks!
I think the carriage is the element I'm missing. Glad you posted these pics.
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Kewl - Thanks for Posting (-P :OK ! Bob
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TSA, the fact that you own a business selling arrow shafts but take the time Give folks tips and instruction to do for themselves is admirable. Thank you.
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I agree with Morgan, Thank you for this. Cool setup too
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its an absolute pleasure guys.
i am first an archer, second an incurable tinkerer, and third a businessman!
much to my wifes dismay. ;D
we all love the same thing, its easy to help others- and there are enough folk who want to buy shafts to justify the business.
thank you.
cheers
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great looking setup, thanks for posting. I have been tossing the idea around with getting a Veritas dowel maker myself. I would like to just experiment with different arrow woods, so your guidelines and pictures are very helpful!
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Nice set up TSA.Thanks for showing this.
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@TSA: I have been toying with the idea of making HHB arrows. Do you think the Veritas dowel maker would be able to produce acceptable arrow shafts from HHB with your setup?
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HHB as in Hophornbeam?
i have never worked with HHb at all bows or otherwise, so dont truly know the woods properties.
but from a hardness perspective, i have made Ipe shafts with the veritas- just have to go a bit slower- now those were awesome shafts :OK
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Wayne your a good guy. Thanks for posting
Bjrogg
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Well thought out setup. Thanks for taking the time.
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@TSA, yes eastern hophornbeam (ironwood). I have lots of staves cut for bows but wanted to see whether I can make some arrows from it as well but have found little information on people's experience with it as arrow wood.
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i would give it a whirl! :)
nice straight clean staves- no twist no grain runout- will make great arrows, and the veritas will cut it just fine,
like i said it cut the IPE just beautifully- just went slower.
cant comment on how long the blades will stay sharp for, as i only made a half dozen or so- but if you have to resharpen thats not a big deal.
one other thing i used to do with the spruce, was make a shaft, spine it, and adjust the diameter to match my spine requirement.
woods like Sitka Spruce are incredibly consistent when in close proximity to each other- dont know about HHB.
i might have landed up with shafts that weren't exactly 11/32, but i just barrel tapered so they matched my nocks and tips- but they were all the same spine.
obviously goes without saying- pics and lots of pics!!!
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Again, thanks for the tips True Shaft.
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Thanks TSA, I think I will take the plunge and buy a Veritas dowel maker tool. HHB has very very tight growth rings and is a diffuse porous wood. I think it would allow me to make thin but strong arrows while maintaining the weight on the arrow. I think I would gain some speed that way without giving up much of the kinetic energy of the arrow.
One additional question I have if I may: I understand from your post that you vary the size of the shaft with the tool to get to the spine you want. How much variation are you able to get from the blades of the tool to get to the desired arrow size & spine? The Veritas inserts I am looking to get are 5/16 & 3/8.
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absolutely, and well done for taking the plunge.
i know that when i was using the veritas- and that was probably a good 6 or 7 years ago-i could get shafts as thick as .380 when i was running 11/32- which is .343.
now i cant remember what die i was using even if there was an 11/32. :-[
but the infeed side- is just to stabilize the square, so thats easy.
the diameter is easily adjusted with a nice set of dials and big nuts- clearly explained in the manual, for me to explain it, i would have to go and read again- lol!!
what i do remember is that i had to re-read the manual a few times :D :D
but its clearly written, and easy to understand.
good luck and keep us posted as to your progress.
when youre down the track a bit, maybe we could swap some shafts- i would fancy a set of the HHB shafts. ;)
i might have some shafts you might be interested in, that we haven't released yet
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@TSA, thank you very much for your feedback and advice, it is very much appreciated! I would definitely be interested to swap some HHB shafts once I have actually successfully made some (wish me luck...!). I love HHB as bow wood and I harvest it right out of my bush. I have some staves that have nice straight grain I can use for making arrows. They would be straight shafts since I am not sure how I would accurately hand taper them. Any ideas?
I will definitely keep you posted. I have some pics of the previous arrows I have made on my posting on the Beaver Quiver that is close to your posting on the Veritas dowel maker tool. I did not make the shafts, I have purchased those from Carson Brown and they are Douglas Fir 11/32" shafts. I hafted points from Steve Allely and sinew wrapped turkey feathers from my bush.
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PatB has an awesome shaft taper setup- pm him i guess for some pics- super easy to build.
if anybody understands the love of shaft building, and pleasure derived from it, I do!! ;D
and i am not about to deny anybody that- its an absolute pleasure in being able to help where i can!
Carson also does some amazing shafts, i have seen their shafts. high quality- well graded!
Really much of a muchness when one starts to compare Fir to Sitka to POC- the main difference being weight. Fir being the heaviest, then POC then Sitka being the lightest.
they are all good tough arrows, with subtle differences.
The key for me, is the attention to detail in the grading!! and i know Surewood do a great job in that regard! I would never hesitate to recommend their shafting!!