Compressing Shafts

[SELFBOW19953]

I've got a bunch of 3/8" ramin dowels.  I've been thinking about compressing them to 23/64".  Has anyone had any luck compressing wood?

[owlbait]

I once saw a device that a local archer made that looked like a tapered nut or collet(?) that he drove down the shaft and it compressed the shaft to a smaller diameter. Must not of been too successful because he talked about putting it into production at some point.(It never happened) Good luck Phil.

[ChuckC]

ramin is a hard wood I believe,  which are less amenable to compression.   Sand them down a bit. Only 1/64th" separates 3/8 from 23/64th. Most of those shafts (I got a BUNCH too) are way too heavy spined as they are.

Or,  just taper the rears of the shafts.

Or, try them as is.  I bought mine for making skwerl shafts, and they fly ok.   Heavy dudes for sure.  Heck  aluminums come in 23, 24, and 25/64 diameters and they all work.

I believe 3 Rivers has / had jigs for compressing shafts and also for cutting shafts down in diameter, but not certain they were for 3/8" shafts.  I tried with their compression block and did not have good results.
ChuckC

[2treks]

Phil, An old TBM article showed how to do it.
Drill a series of holes in a thick steel plate and chuck up the shaft in a drill motor and run it thru one the down a size and so on. Never did it but I know of some that did with decent results I think. Just don't take to big a bite.
if I can locate the article i will post it up.

CTT

[SELFBOW19953]

A while back, I bought a device from 3 Rivers (I think).  You heat it up, too hot to touch, chuck the shaft in a drill and spin it through the hot steel.  Mine is 23/64, so I tried making one in 3/8 and and half a 64th smaller.  The 38 worked okay, but many shafts were less than 3/8, but bigger than the other hole. I twisted a number of shafts in half, so decided to try asking for help.  I have shot the 3/8 shafts some, and no one will believe me I'm sure, but heavy spined shafts- +/-100 lb-actually shoot quite well out of my 55-60 lb bows.

I remember that article, Chuck, but i couldn't get mine to work very well.

[ChuckC]

there is another possibility.  The Renfro's put together a video / CD regarding making footed shafts.  Gary made a device for turning the footed portions of the shafts using a router.  Looks really neat and I wonder if that can be used to turn most of the arrow ?

I tried using a doweling cutter (drill operated) and found that I did not get very good results using the 3/8" stock.

ChuckC

[Roadkill]

I made one years ago to form the point.  I also made a compression block tolock in the shaft in a drill press vice.   Then i would slowly compress the point swage.   Try drilling a hole down the center of the shaft to get your hand in it

[SELFBOW19953]

ChuckC,

I will have to take another look at that video to see if I can figure it out.  

Thanks.