I do mine, got a pile again this spring. I had built a jig but the great northern jig works better than my crude clamp lol...I did notice some were slightly off..the bases were canted just a touch it seemed. it doesnt seem to be enough to notice it when fletched. The top shelf in the fridge is solid feathers....I think I need a vacation from the vacation ha!
Easy to deal with the mess...clamp your shop vac to your drill press and you're done. Cant help ya on the stink. Burning feathers is one thing...grinding them, gag ya LOL!