Unless you buy your arrow shafts pre-prepared, making your own arrows can be a long and difficult process; although the end results can be incredibly satisfying.
There are mainly three parts in an arrow- the pile or head, the shaft and the nock.
Make the Shaft first
To make the shaft the first thing you need to find the most appropriate wood (see my article of the different types of wood available). Choose your sapling for the arrow from the straighter and thicker ones.
Seasoning the sapling
Fresh timber has a very high quantity of moisture and hence is not usable as it is, so you need to season them. Bundle your saplings and place the bundle outdoors. Keep them off the ground and try to allow air to circulate. The more air that gets at the wood, the faster it will dry. Place the wood pile in a sunny area to season it the quickest. Untie the bundle after a few weeks and peel off the bark carefully. When finished, tie them again and dry under the sun until they are ready.
If like me you don't regularly have access to sunny weather, try and find somewhere warm indoors.
Size them up
When the saplings are ready, it's time to size them up. Usually arrows are 28 to 30 inches in length and 5/16 inches in diameter, although this depends on your draw length and bow poundage. Add a few extra inches to the length so that any errors can be covered up later on.
Straighten the shaft
Your arrows need to be straight and the straightness depends on the shaft. Heat is used initially to straighten arrow shafts and also for periodic maintenance. Fill your everyday kettle or steam iron with tap water. Pass the length of the arrow back and forth through the steam for five to 10 seconds, until the wood has softened. Locate bends on the sapling and carefully straighten the arrow. Check for straightness by placing the tip of the arrow in your palm and spinning the arrow. A smooth spin indicates straightness and any jerk will need more working. Once you are convinced that the shafts are straightened, let them rest for two weeks. If bends still appear you have to repeat the heating process again.
Fitting the Nock
After straightening the arrow the next step should be cutting nocks on one end of the shaft. Make one end of an arrow shaft into a cone shape, which slips into the plastic nock (you can pick these up online or from most archery stores). You can use a saw tooth or a hacksaw, and use sand paper to sand the end into a cone shape so that the plastic nock can slide on.
Fletching
Fletchings are necessary to stabilise your arrows in flight. The larger the fletchings you use the faster your arrows will stabilise, but the more arrow speed you will lose. Consider what distance you will be shooting, and the poundage of your bow. Select three feathers, either natural or man-made feathers. Your fletchings don't want to be longer than about five inches long, and should be attached with fletching glue or wood contact cement. To make sure you position the arrows correctly, use a fletching jig. You can trim feathers to uniform shape with a sharp pair of large scissors. The lighter the arrowhead the smaller the feathers can be.
Insert the arrowheads
The next step is to insert the arrowhead. A variety of tips are available, so consider what you will be using the arrow for. Don't use a hunting tip for target archery for example.
Cresting
Cresting an arrow makes it easy to differentiate between certain arrows. Use a waterproof paint and decorate the arrow accordingly.
That's it! A lot of work, but the results can be very worthwhile.
Rob Drummond writes for traditional-archery.co.uk, publishing regular tips and advice on all aspects of traditional archery, from equipment, competition to technique. Visit http://www.traditional-archery.co.uk to get Rob's best five traditional archery articles emailed to you for free.
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