Trad Gang
Topic Archives => How To - Resources => Topic started by: lovethehunt on February 07, 2012, 03:40:00 PM
-
I was asking questions here the last couple of weeks about footing wood shafts and the effect on spine, etc. I gathered the goods to try it and want to share the process. These are not my original ideas and take no credit for them. I am just a guy who likes to build my own equipement.
Materials:
1x4x10 maple block
threaded inserts and 1.25" thumb screws
90' v-bit and router
router table, I use a home made one.
arrow shafts...these were broke off at the point and now are alive again.
footing material .5x.5x8" I used walnut
glue
Start by making your footing jig..there are good posts on this.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting008.jpg)
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting011.jpg)
I marked the short end of mine so it was easier to rotate the shaft and line it back up.
Next put the shaft in your jig, nock to the tall end and end to be cut flush with the short end, and transfer the lines to your arrow.
Now feed the arrow through your router table tall end first, go slow.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting015.jpg)
-
your shaft should look like this when cut
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting012.jpg)
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting013.jpg)
next cut your footing material .5x.5x8 and mark it for the foot
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting016.jpg)
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting017.jpg)
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting018.jpg)
I made these cuts on a band saw
-
Been waiting on this one Todd. Thank you for doing this.
-
now open the cuts and try to get glue all the way down to the bottom, them glue the shaft also.
Put some small clamps at the base of the cuts. the shaft will split the foot if you don't
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting016.jpg)
push the shaft in as far as you can and let it dry overnight
now here is the laborus part.
use a block plane to start making your square foot round again. finish this with sand paper. I used a 11/32 guage from my taper tool to help. Go slow and work toward the nock.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting003.jpg)
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting021.jpg)
-
this may take 20 mimuts, a sharp plane is the key. You will get faster as you go. Last one took 5 min.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting005.jpg)
There you go, start to finish, 4 point footing!
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lovethehunt/Arrowfooting023.jpg)
I tried mine out they flew great! One only got to make the trip 4 times before it was broke but the footing held. Trees are tough on arrow!
Enjoy you new project,
Todd
-
nice job!
-
This ONE needs to be moved to the HOW TO RESOURCES at the end of the thread.
Great info. Thanks
-
can I ask what glue you used? I see tight bond in the picture but wanted to double check.
-
Nice job on the tutorial!
-
Awesome.. This should be posted in the how too section..Great job
-
Todd, how long is the jig and what angle is the top cut?
Thanks, Mike
-
Excellent work!
-
Thanks for the info! Great job :thumbsup:
-
Thanks for putting this out there, that's a nice job!
-
That answered a few questions I had on how guys footed arrows, thanks. Not to mention... Nice work.
-
wow great thread thanks alot. i have footed some shafts but i deff need some more practice. great work lovethehunt
-
Great thread. Definately needs to be moved to the "how to resources" forum.
-
nice work todd
-
Great post Todd ! Bring the jig to archery on Monday.
-
Excellent tutorial, where did you find the instructions on how to make the footing jig?
-
Nice job on the footing..!
-
Thanks for the nice comments guys. Here are the answers to a few questions.
1. I used tite-bond glue, I had it right there on the bench. Any good wood glue should work as long as the shaft is sealed well after its done.
2. My jig block is 5 inches long with a 1/8 inch bevel. This yielded a 3 1/2 inch foot.
3. I saw the jig done on a post by Jason Westbrock and on another forum. It was not to difficult to make. Web search "Footing wood arrow shafts"
I also made a 10 inch taper tool that I will post later. Used a drill to turn the shaft, very effective.
Todd
-
Todd,
I made dozens of footed shafts using about the same setup you are using.
Have you had any problem with the footing splitting as you push the two pieces together?
This was my biggest problem. I'd do my best to pick the straightes grain material for footings. Take extra care in getting as clean a joint as I could. Then crack,,, I'd hear a tiny pop or crack and see the footing split. Very aggervating...
Troy
-
Troy, I did have a little trouble with that. Make sure you clamp the foot before inserting the shaft. I am going to experiment with a wider kerf saw blade on the foot. I used a .020 on the first couple and bought a .025 to try. A longer taper may also help cut down on the steep angle of the wedge effect. If they do split fill the area with ca glue, it's much stronger then the footing wood.
Todd
-
Todd, that was going to be my suggestion to you. I had to clamp the footings at the end of the cut to stop it.
The problem with longer fingers on the footing is getting them all to come out at the same point on the shaft.
Using a wider curf blade really helped.
Troy
-
I love the do it yourselfers that post on this site. I AM going to build some footed shafts one of these days.
Thanks, sw
-
wixwood,
Be careful, very careful,,, It's habit forming!!
Troy
-
Originally posted by Troy Breeding:
wixwood,
Be careful, very careful,,, It's habit forming!!
Troy
VERY HABIT FORMING.
-
4 wing footings look beautiful, but hardly really add considerable impact strength to the arrow. It takes a long time, is messy and cumbersome. Especially the reduction of the 4-wings into the arrow diameter.
The conical splice, which the arrow-fix or the rep-arrows are using are much better for impact strength. I was shooting 1/2 doz. 4 wing footed cedar shafts footed with Jatoba (in the ironwood family)into a concrete landscape block. All 6 splintered and shattered along the arrow shaft and made the shaft completely unusable/unrepairable. After that test, I shot a single cedar arrow, footed with 1.5" of black locust wood behind the point using the arrow-fix conical splice method. I was shooting the arrow 7 times. After the 7th impact, the field tip split along the ferrule. The arrow is still fine. Distance for all shots was about 11 yards and with a 60# longbow. Assuming, that the little footed arrow would have broken off, the break would have been right behind the point and could have been easily repaired again. I have 1 arrow out of my 3D-shoot set, which is repaired 5 times within the first 4" behind the point. Works fine. I am currently evaluating hickory and ash....which can be bought in arrow shaft diameters...