Trick to aligning Woodsman BH's

[KevinK]

I am relatively new to wood arrows and glue on tips. So far I really like them and never had a problem with a final spin on field points or 2-blade ACE BH's. I decided to try some Woodsman heads. They sharpened easily and I was pretty excited until I mounted them and gave them a test spin. Initially I had a wobble of about 1/8". I was able to tame it down to 1/16". I think I am missing something very obvious. Do I need to use a broadhead wrench to mount them? Currently I am just grabbing one blade with a pair of pliers twisting then spinning. If it wobbles press on the low side. But no matter how much I try the best I can get is about 1/16" wobble. The ACE heads I can get perfect really quick. What am I missing? Any BH wrench I have seen is made of plastic so not good for hot melt. I checked my arrows for straightness by spinning without a point and they are fine. Too much, not enough glue?

[Fletcher]

First thing to check is that the taper on the shaft matches the taper on the broadhead.  If the fit is correct the head will mount easily.  If I have a head that is stubborn, I use this tool.  A little extra glue can help.

 

[KevinK]

I have an arrow spinner, similar to your's but I use cabinet latches instead of nails. I used the 3R V2 taper tool and it is fine for the 2 blade Ace. So you just push against the target of the spinner while the glue is hot? I might try that with a piece of metal in front of the wood target.

[Bill Carlsen]

When I was making arrows part time I learned that early on the hand held pencil sharpener type taper tools didn't work very well for  all broadheads. So I mad a guide for my disk sander and simply adjusted it until it worked. I think the secret is concentricity. The taper must be even all around. Some broad heads have ferrules that are more "spacious" than others and can handle minor inconsistencies easily while others are more finicky.

[slowbowjoe]

As Bill said, being sure the taper is true is important. Touch up with a little sanding of any high spots.

One key thing for me was realizing that the point moves as the hot melt cools... when you first press it on, let go of it and you'll see this. So I press and hold, reset, and repeat if necessary. Once I have it secure and spinning true, I hold it in place and run it under some cool water for a minute to set it.

Sometimes excess glue fills and expands at the tip and will unseat the point.

[Charlie Lamb]

A uniform .taper on the shaft is key. If it's not true then do what you can.

With a good shaft taper here's what I do. Put dab of hot melt on the shaft taper. Warm the broadhead ferrule until it melts the hot melt easily.
Rotate the head on the shaft taper two or three complete revolutions while pushing. Check for straightness.

At this point I "bounce" the arrow point first on a solid object. (something it won't stick in...I use my steel vise or concrete) When the arrow actually bounces back it should be on straight. Check it. Cool immediately. Dress the tip if needed.

[Orion]

OK, we've got the taper thing covered.  If it's not that, it might be the way you're sharpening the heads.  Do you file sharpen?  Might end up with the needle point a bit off center.  That will cause a wobble even if the ferrule is well meshed to a true taper.  If you round or tanto the tip, could exacerbate the problem.

[Biathlonman]

I usually heat the glue, dip shaft tip in glue then slide broadhead on.  That usually works but...

When they get fussy and the above doesn't work, I put it tip down on a hard surface and heat the broadhead too and shove down on the shaft hard.  That usually sorts it out.

[KevinK]

It is a pencil sharpener style taper tool so that could be it. Also, this set of arrows, I cut and tapered before staining and finishing (since I knew what length tuned properly). So I used the taper tool to take any excess off. DIdn't help, much. What Orion said makes sense. I did sharpen them before mounting, using a file and flat stones. I glued them to aluminum adapters and then screwed into a piece of aluminum arrow shaft. It isn't long enough to spin, so I didn't check them at that point. Hopefully I didn't ruin this set of broadheads.

[KevinK]

Well I fiddled with 2 of them more yesterday and I got them to spin and shoot well. It did require more time than getting my ACE heads to spin well. Probably my taper. Not sure how I feel about that though, if the additional blade is worth the extra 5-10 minutes per head of my time or getting a fancy taper tool I don't have the space for?

[slowbowjoe]

Before you get frustrated... I get excellent tapers with the little blue pencil sharpener taper tool. Even on Doug Fir, and hardwood footings.
Key tips: Be certain your arrow is perfectly straight before you taper. Ease the arrow in as you taper, a little at a time, with light pressure. And replace it as soon as you sense it's dulling. (I guess I get at least 2 or 3 dozen good tapers pretty easily).
Finally, if a taper still doesn't spin true before installing the point, it's pretty easy to take down the high spot with some very light sanding.