Building My Own Arrows vs Buying Them

I think that whatever the start-up costs, you will A) make that up over time and B) you are financing a love affair that will last forever. Priceless.

[AkDan]

U MIGHT make it up over time, but not likely.  To be honest its not likely u ever will or ever will even come close!

Good brushes are not cheap.
Good crestors are hard to come by these days.
Feathers have skyrocketed over the last 25 years.
Shafts are rediculously over priced for what youre getting.
Not to mention buying 100 rc poc shafts will be greatly picked over, maybe 2dz matching spine and weight which means ordering more.......i have a life time stash i need to get rid of!

Be prepared to long hours behind spine testors, grain scales, tapering jigs (nock, point, and shaft tapering jigs.  setup, storage, tweaking and tweaking some more)!  Or buying extra jigs for each diameter shaft (smart!!!)

Next comes the ever and rapidly changing paint industry!   Its a love hate affair!  Youll hate it more than love it lol!

Finding a good quality no burn sealer is also a pain.  They exist (epoxy) but are not cheap and extremely time consuming.  Most burn, some burn extremely bad! Different target mediums will show different levels of burn!  To say yours doesnt, id bet 95% do to some degree and have proved to a great degree many can and do over the years!  Many are acceptable, some are the cause for bent shafts  due to the wrenching it takes to free them

You build wood arrows for one reason, you love doing it period!!!  Anything else is just kidding yourself, or your buddy!

Words of advice from a lifetime of building, selling, and giving shafts away over 25 years!

[MikeStaten]

I like fletching my own because you know all of your arrows are consistent.  If you go to a shop to have some arrows refletched they may or may not exactly match your other arrows.

[Bill Turner]

If you have the time and enjoy that sort of thing build your own.You'll save a little money and get a lot out of the experience.    

[arrow flynn]

Every once in a while ill make up a doz.However the easiest way to go is aluminum super strait easy to tune.In ca only wood is allowed in 3d shoots.

[Crested Finger]

Originally posted by OregonTom:
I really love building wood arrows,  it's not a hassle at all for me. I like trying out feathers from different birds on my arrows too.

anyone have luck with crow feathers?

[Petrichor]

Just started doing mine own.  About 100 to 120 bucks up front to get everything I wanted and thought I needed to fletch 16 cedar arrows(including the 16 shafts and feathers and all). After this the per dozen cost is going to be very low about 27$ a dozen per my math if I keep buying the prefinished very cheap shafts from the footed shaft which are awesome.

[Gordon Jabben]

Saxton Pope said something to the effect "Everyone needs to make their own archery equipment because it will be in constant need of repair".

[monterey]

Originally posted by Crested Finger:
 

Originally posted by OregonTom:
I really love building wood arrows,  it's not a hassle at all for me. I like trying out feathers from different birds on my arrows too.

anyone have luck with crow feathers? [/b]

I'm waiting for crow season and plan on trying them. Not my color for hunting, but just for fun.

[Jakeemt]

I found the quill to be much to small and thing for arrow making.

[goobersan]

This is a great tutorial for making your own shafts.
 

[The Whittler]

Doing your own arrows has it's good and bad. The good you get to pick what color feathers, nock, wraps or paint, and can change one feather anytime and it will line up exactly.

The bad is when you get done that doz. you start thinking about what your going to do with the next doz. :-)

I guess there is no bad side.

[toddster]

"Make up the price", I don't believe so.  I have been building arrows for well over 30 years.  I have built and helped for a repitable online trad company for over 2 years.  The main thing is this, "will you enjoy it".  After time mine got to be a business and I hated it.  Then after a break came back to making my own and enjoyed it.  As long as you have fun and have the time, it is awesome.  Like others have said nothing like having more of your DNA in the hunt and/or sport.  Enjoy.

[Zradix]

SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE THE WILL.
Sounds like you've found the way.
Now you just have to get to doin it..lol

Sure it's easier to buy them done.
If nothing else it's very nice to have the tools to tune the arrows you have...whether you made them or not.

Making your own arrows can be very rewarding and fun or it can be a royal pita ...or anywhere in between, depending on your personal taste.

The people that make arrows aren't getting rich from it.
There isn't a whole lot of $$$ to be saved really...if you value your time more than $7/hr..lol

All that being said..I haven't bought a premade arrow in quite a few years and have zero plans to. I enjoy making, tuning, and tinkering with em.

[rraming]

I think if you are building wood shafts you would have to do it yourself. If you are only shooting carbon, depending on where you are buying them, the costs of fletcher, saw, glue etc. would take a while to recoup. If you are going to develop a problem like most of us here, buy it all and have some fun! I would watch the classifieds

[highlow]

The reasons I build my own carbon and aluminum have been fairly well covered by the previous posters to this thread. I will add this though. You say your recent stumping adventures have taken their toll on your arrow supply. If they're carbon, you might want to look in to footing them. A whole 'nother facet to arrow building and can be an excellent way to slow down the arrow damage with a corresponding increase in your wallet contents. Have fun.

[COMPOUNDLESS IN CONCRETE]

Since I shoot aluminum arrows, my setup for building my own arrows is very simple.  A used Jojan fletching jig off fleabay that I got for $30, one of those small tubing cutters(don't use it anymore now that I'm shooting full length shafts), fletching tape, a can of white primer and a can of non florescent blaze orange spray paint for the back 8" of the arrow.

[stagetek]

My dad and I have been building our own arrows since the late '60's. Can't say how much money I've saved over the years. And, it really doesn't matter. I enjoy doing it, and it gives me great pleasure to shoot and hunt with them.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Welcome to Trad Gang.  I enjoy building my own arrows.  If you want to stay away from cresting right now, you can buy arrow wraps from Onestringer he is a  sponsor here and has a  lot of great options.

I was told by a wise man here on TG to only make 6 at a time.  This way I could make arrows for myself more often.

I started plain Jane and became more fancy over time, but have come back to a happy medium.

Good luck and ask questions if you have them.  By doing it yourself, its the best way to learn.

[JRY309]

I have always built my own arrows,first started with wood.I bought some ash shafts,borrowed my buddy's pencil taper,stained and sealed with a polyurethane sprayed can a white crown and fletched.Just always preferred to do my own arrows!