Started building some arrows

[battman]

Putting together some cedar arrows and thought I had them pretty straight until I started paintin em up.Most of them were pretty good but some had a little wobble to them.

[lpcjon2]

Its hard to get cedars that are straight, you can straighten them a few ways.
#1 is with a screwdriver, Guru shows this in the How to Section on the main page.

#2 is if its a slight bend just roll it on a flat surface and identify the arc in the bend. The put your thumb on the highest point of the arc and bend it slightly to remove the bend.

#3 You can face two chairs back to back(about 18-24" apart) and find the arc and use a shower curtain hook with some weight on it(lead fishing weights,ect) and hang the hook on the arc and after some time it will straighten out.

Hope this helps.Tim

[battman]

Thanks I was bending them by hand but need to work on a cople some more.

[$bowhunter$]

ive never done this with cedar but i had to do it with the hickorys im working on. turn on your stove and rotate the bend over it until it becomes hot (but not to hot to where it burns) then take an oven mit and push the bend down until its strait.


steven

[battman]

May try that.Just how straight do they need to be?I think they're pretty good but not sure.

[$bowhunter$]

try to get them as strait as humanly possible.

[Larry m]

I straighten mine like jon does with #1. Initially I use the screw driver on the raw shaft. I restraighten over several days prior to the taper, finish, crest, and assembly of the arrow. Then I hand straighten frequently while shooting and the life of the arrow. Woods are FUN and with a little effort can be made very straight. Quality of the shaft has a lot to do with it!

[Bjorn]

Larry is right straightness and quality go hand in hand. I have a pile of old cedar from years ago and get new doug fir shafts from Surewood. Don't seem to spend much time straightening. Just get the best you can find.

[dnovo]

I just look down the shaft and flex it in my hands to straighten. A little bit of practice and you learn how much pressure to use.
I straighten every shaft prior to each step of staining, finishing, fletching, etc. Doing this usually results in arrows that stay straight.

[battman]

Yeah that whole pressure thing got me.I started with 12 and now have 10.

[Killdeer]

LOL, Battman! Me too, even with ash shafting!  
Killdeer

[ron w]

 Been there....it's gentle pressure!!!

[Mudd]

My experience that has anything to do with arrows other than shooting them usually ends up for the worse.

I have broken more arrows than I care to admit under the assumption that I could straighten them...lol

I HATE working on arrows!!

God bless,Mudd

PS: That goes for building them as well.

[mike g]

Nuthing prettyer than woodies....
Butt, I got tired of always messing with them....
So I use Legacy alum...Allways the same....

[wolfhunter4life]

I am trying to build my own cedar arrows from 3 rivers. Been buying the pre finished shafting and it's not very straight. After I Ace roll em I crack the laquer off and it's giving me fits. Any tips on finishing my own? I see they sell an oil based stain a one step finishing product. Anyone have any tips?

[m midd]

The roller compresses the wood and will crack a laquered arrow wa you already know. I spin and hand straighten mine after they are laquered.