I want to start making wood arrows

[BMG]

Where should I start?

My bows are between 58# and 65#.  I have a 27" draw.  Looking for arrows with a good %foc and around 600-650grs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[BMG]

what type of equipment do I need?

[Mike Most]

are you going to make the shafts or buy them and then fletch em up and put a nock and point on them?

[BMG]

buy shafts and then finish them.

[Mike Most]

I have a simple fletching jig, I used to use an arizona eazy fletch when I first started. (3 feathers at a time. I also buy the feathers full length and use a chopper to cut my own, some times you can get two cuts from a single  feather. especially with 4 inch feathers.

[Mike Most]

also you will need a nock/point taper tool. the pencil sharpen er type works pretty good for the cost. I seal my shafts then stain, and finish or paint the crests the  use ferrel tite for putting on the point, (requires heat) and glue the nocks on.

[Arrow4Christ]

I would get a test pack of shafts with quite a few spine ranges included, which I, as well as quite a few other shaft suppliers, can do. I'd probably start with around 65# or 70# in your test pack and go up from there, depending on what bows you're shooting. Douglas Fir would suit your needs very well, as they come in the higher spine ranges whereas cedar and spruce can only be consistently had in spines up to 75# or so.
For bare essentials you're going to start with a quality fletching tool, as well as glue, nocks, and points. If you want to do the point and nock tapers yourself, you'll want a good taper tool. If you have a combination belt/disk sander, I highly recommend a Tim's Taper Tool for nocks and points, or making your own. You can hand straighten your arrows, but I recommend either making a hook straightener or buying a Shaft Tamer. With some practice, you'll be able to make very straight shafts with either of these methods combined with hand straightening. If you want to do finishing yourself, either make a dip tube out of PVC or buy one...use a quality finish..I recommend Spar Urethane to start due to its waterproofing qualities. For stains, I like aniline and Rit dyes.
From there you can get fancier and get a cresting machine and everything, but I think it's a good idea to start simple and work up from there.
Have fun!
Craig

[Hopewell Tom]

I've been thinking of this as well and made a list from 3Rivers of things I THINK I need. As above, but what about a Grain scale, Spin/Spine tester? Also will you buy cut feathers or cut/burn your own?
I have TJ Conrads book, The Traditional Bowhunters Handbook and he goes through the process quite well, I think. Making some of your own tools is good, but my fixed/one-time costs from 3Rivers is almost $1200.00 (full blown do it all stuff) with another $500.00 for 100 shafts, points,nocks and 300 feathers.
Soooo, not cheap, but if I do it for the next 20 years and continue my arrow losing/busting ways, probably an OK deal. Getting good at making your own arrows must be a real gratifying way to go.
I'll start smaller than my initial costs and also get a few dozen real nice ones as advertised here, but it seems a natural progression.

[Ranger B]

You don't have to have the scale unless you want to perfectly match your arrows but that's certainly not a must have. You also don't need a spine tester. You can buy the shafts already spined and matched. A feather burner is expensive also and you can buy precut feathers cheap.

All you truly need is to buy the shafts. You can shop around and get wood shafts from $28 - $32 per dozen.

I recommend you buy feathers by the 100 as they are cheaper but you can buy them by the dozen.

I use a 6 arrow jig but you can buy a one arrow jig...it just takes more time.

You will need stain if you want the arrows a certain color - go to Walmart and get the cheapest stuff they have in the color you want.  If you want to cap dip them or make a crest you will incur more costs but you can make a beautifully solid stained arrow without that if you want to reduce initial costs.

Now you will need some glue - I use Duco for woodies. Buy your points and a taper tool. You can get a nice electric one or a manual one - they both work.

Finally, you have to decide on a finish. I have used gasket lacquer in dip tubes for years but lately have been using a wipe-on poly. Either works well - wipe-on poly is a cheaper way to go because you'll have to buy dip tubes otherwise.

For drying just put up a string and hang clothes pins on it.  After you stain, hang them from the clothes line to dry.

Really, you can get started with this and go from there. I need to make a how to video on this. It really is simple.

[Mudd]

That's a great idea!!! Everyone(but me) should know how to and should build more arrows than they could ever possibly use!!!!

I hope a few of them just know their are some pitiful excuses of arrowsmiths out here...like me. Please forgive me for even mentioning the word arrowsmith and on in the same page/same computer!!

Good Luck and...Learn well "Grasshopper! ...Old man like Mudd need much arrows someday!"..lol

Your Humble Servant
God bless, Mudd

[Killdeer]

It is getting expensive! But I like to put money into tools that I will not have to buy twice, and quality shafts.

If you buy a really good fletching jig, you will not get dissatisfied with the one you have and have to buy another later.

I bought a taper tool, and spent way too much time cussing at it because it failed on ash shafting, so I went to a Woodchuck.

A feather burner lets you make any shape fletch you can dream up.

Wal-Mart, Home Depot and the like have all kinds of paints, stains and finishes. Speaking of cheap paints, check out this web page from a fellow TradGanger whose handle here is Grey Taylor. His early posts give a lot of detail on how he makes his beautiful arrows. Do a search on him here, and you will find more. I have really enjoyed his writing.

   Grey Taylor\\'s web page

Here are arrows that have just been marked with spine weight and arrow number, drying in the kitchen. The shafts are stained with aniline dye and Min-Wax stain. I use gold or silver pens from the craft/art store, or Testor's Paint.

   

For a youngster:
(Click on the thumbnail)

 

Spray paint and Testor's:

 

 

I just bought a crester.
Let the games begin!
Killdeer  

[Steve H.]

Firts off, great hearing about some one stepping up to use arrows with a soul!

I would suggest Surewood Shafts )Doug Fir) or Hildebrande Sitka Spruce as a great shaft material starting point.

I would follow Ranger'a advice except use Minwax Helsman Spar Urethane with a dip tube and gasket. It will dry fairly fast in NM and will make your shafts waterPROOF instead of marginally water resistant.  Use Duco for fletching.

I would get a JoJan 6, a great investment and fast.  You can get by with a "pencil sharpener-style" taper tool, I did for decades BUT I recently got a Groundhog taper tool and should have years ago.

[Pumphouse Flanders]

I too would like to make(stain,fletch)my own wooden arrows.I've done aluminum many times but never wood.I have a Bear recurve that is 50# and I shoot full length arrows.My question is would it be better to get 11/32 or 23/64 shafting?

[jsweka]

Yep,  making wood arrows really isn't all that cheap.  I figure by the time I purchase some quality shafts, field points, knocks, and lacquer, I've got about $54 per dozen.  And this doesn't include all the tools needed.

The upside is that I shoot a lot and if you compare it to the cost for firearm ammo, and the hours of enjoyment I get out of a dozen shafts, I guess it's pretty cheap entertainment.

[Buckwheaties]

I use Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane, brush 3 coats with a foam brush, lightly sand after 2nd coat, they come out really nice and no messing with dipping and waste. 100% waterproof also.

[Steve H.]

PHF:  Either diameter, just so you have the right spine.

BuckWheat:  Try MHSU with a gasket, bet you like it.

[snag]

Somethings are just worth investing in....arrows are just too much fun to make....besides someone has to make them for guys like Mudd!    

[StanM]

Here's a link to a build-a-long I did a while ago.  I don't make the best arrows, but they are functional.

 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=043864

[BMG]

Can hardly wait for my arrow making supplies to get here.

Thanks for all the help I have received so far.