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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: anchorman on August 05, 2010, 10:45:00 PM
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Hey guys and gals, I am new to shooting wood arrows and I was wondering if there is a secret to keeping hem straight after you get them that way..thanks....
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Don't bend them.. when pulling them out of a target
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make sure that the shafts are nice and dry when you straighten them, low humidity, and get them sealed. Not bending them when pulling out of a target, after that is exactly right. I just through mine in a box, when I am not using them and it is rare that I need to restraighten any.
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When I started building wood arrows I read somewhere that if you get them as straight as you can right before you make the nock and point taper they will still fly good even if they get a little bit of their crook back. But if you taper a crooked shaft and then go to straighten it afterwards it will probably never fly quite right. I still can't wrap my mind around why exactly that would make any sense, but it seems to work for me.
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Making good nock and point tapers is huge for good flight. If the nocks and points are off you are not going to get good results. IMO the straightness of the shaft in general is less important than nock and point taper.
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I just started myself and have made a couple dozen already. This is all good advice.
If they arrive straight, you really don't have to do a whole lot. Check them after every coat of lacquer/poly you apply to make sure they stay that way.
In addition to what was already mentioned...I heard that if you stored them in a back quiver for long periods of time in a way that they are stacked on top of one another at an angle...that they can become bent.
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Are they all going crooked or just one or two? Sometimes you get a shaft that is prone to bending. Sorta like a Gumby doll. You bend it one way and it stays, you bend it back and it stays. The only way to keep it straight is to neatly stack it on the fire wood pile and don't touch it with your hands, just a match!
Everyone's above advice is pretty good. I straighten with the Ace Roller, leave them over night, straighten again, leave them over night, then straighten, sand, stain and seal them. They stay reasonably straight if stored correctly and not torqued when pulling out of the target.
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Good advice above. Actually, wood arrows are a lot less problematic than most people who do not use them think. Reasonable care as outlined above should give you some great shooting arrows.