by Guy Taylor
photos by Zel Harper
from start to finish.
Originally, the series was being posted only to a Yahoo! group for SCA
archery. I realize that not everyone is interested in SCA archery and that
not everyone wants to sign onto a Yahoo! email list (I don't think it is the
equivalent of selling your soul to the devil but if you think it is I'm ok
with that). A very lovely Lady I know has volunteered to put this site
together and to update it with the daily Build Along information as it is
posted to the Yahoo! group.
Until the Build Along is finished there will be a post per day consisting of
one or more pictures, a relatively simple caption for the pictures, and a
more involved text explaining what's going on in each step of building the
arrows.
If anyone has any questions about anything as we go, or afterwards, I
encourage you to write to me. I'll do my best to answer questions or give
advice. I'm perfectly comfortable with admitting what I don't know as well
as realizing that there can be many ways to skin a rabbit and still come up
with a good meal.
Enough blather... let's build some cool arrows!
There are quite a few good shaft suppliers out there, and just as many that
aren't so good. One popular supplier near me flat out lies about how their
shafts are sorted and graded. I choose to purchase my shafts elsewhere even
though this means a longer wait for materials and a higher price to get them.
When choosing shafts you'll want to first think about what spine will be
necessary for the archer/bow combination you're making the arrows for.
Spine is a measure of the flex rate of the shaft and it must be properly
matched to the particular archer and bow in order to give good performance
and, in some cases, to be safe. Choosing the right spine is a subject I won't cover here as it can get a little involved. Most good shaft suppliers will be happy to advise you on what to get once they know some details about you and your equipment. Just keep in mind that spine requirements aren't always easy to determine and it may take a couple or more tries to get the
right one. Shafts are usually sold in groups like 50-55#. Some companies
grade them tighter but I'm not very convinced it's necessary. Perhaps an exceptional archer can tell the difference in two shafts 3# apart in spine but the balance of us can't.
Spine can be measured in two ways. The best is when a caring individual looks at the shaft and places it on the spine tool in the proper manner in relation to the wood's grain orientation. Hand spining gives the most accurate results and costs the most since it takes the time of a skilled person. You can tell a hand spined shaft by the spine weight written on the
end of the shaft.
In machine spining the shaft is placed in the machine in whatever way it happens to fall.
Since grain orientation is going to make a difference in the flex of the shaft, machine spining isn't a very accurate measurement of the shaft's true spine.
Arrow shafts may also be graded by weight. Weighing shafts is done by hand, generally with a digital scale. The weight is given in grains (7000 grains per pound) and will be written on the end of the shaft right next to the hand spined figure.
If all your ammunition is the same weight, or nearly so, your shots will be
that much more uniform, hence the advantage of getting weight sorted shafts.
Shafts of the same spine can have a huge difference in actual weight.
Personally I think it's well worth it to pay the extra for weight sorted shafts.
There are a number of woods available for pre-made arrow shafts. Port Orford Cedar is probably the most common but lodgepole pine (called chundoo by some people), poplar,
Sitka spruce, ash, ramin, are just a few that arealso available. Each wood has its owncharacteristics and its own adherents. Some woods will be heavier in weight for a given shaft, others will be stronger. Some may be both. For SCA folks I usually use cedar.
It's what most people expect and I don't have to try to explain the aptness of another material. For those shooting heavier bows I'll frequently use lodgepole pine, as it's a mite stronger than cedar. Shaft diameter is partly a case of what spine you need. The normal diameters for arrows shafts are 5/16", 11/32", and 23/64". Typically, the heavier the spine, the thicker the shaft will need to be. But since wood has a lot of variance there is a bit of crossover. For instance, for a 40-45# shaft you'll be able to find both 5/16 and 11/32 shafts in that spine group. For SCA target archery some people may like a smaller diameter shaft and it's usually lighter weight to give their arrows a flatter trajectory. Others may like a larger diameter to possibly catch a scoring ring that would otherwise have been missed.
vendors. I also get quite a few of my supplies from Sticks and Feathers
Arrowsmithing and occasionally use shops like Raptor Archery and Kustom King.
I rather like Sticks and Feathers the best both for his prices and quality
goods but also because he's a one man shop and I really like being able to
talk to the president of the company when I make an order.
The shafts we'll be using in the Build Along came from Valley Traditional;
they are hand spined and weight matched Port Orford Cedar, 11/32" diam., 45-50#.
Wood is a changeable material. It's not manmade and there are a few quirks
that we have to work with for the honor of using this gift from Nature.
Wood shafts aren't necessarily straight and once straightened they may not
stay straight. This is no problem if you know what to do.
Many shaft suppliers have a shaft straightening service at extra cost. Use
this if you wish but you can learn to do it just as well.
Simple bending of the shaft is the easiest method. Sight down the shaft
from one end to the other and see where it curves. Place the palm of your
hand on the outside of the curve and gently bend the shaft the other way.
Hold for a few seconds and then see what the results are. Repeat as
necessary. Bend too far and the shaft will break, pretty much startling the
Cheerios out of you. Be careful, go slow, you'll get a feel for what you're
doing. This is an excellent method for arrows that have been coated with
finish and can be done as you get ready for a day's shooting.
In compression straightening you'll use a hard round object like a
screwdriver shaft to rub the wood along the outside of the bend. This
compresses the wood fibers there and takes the bend out of the shaft. This
method is a little more difficult to master but is longer lasting. Do this
only on raw, unfinished shafts. If done on coated shafts you could mar or
even crack the finish.
Heat straightening works really well on natural shoot shafts and bamboo.
It's also useful on pre-made shafts like we're working with here. For a heat
source you can use an alcohol burner, Sterno, range top burner, electric
heat gun, or any other controllable heat source that doesn't give off soot.
I like Sterno since it's easily portable and I can take it to events to work
on bamboo arrows.
Gently heat the shaft over the heat source in the area you wish to
straighten. When the shaft is warm enough you'll feel the change in its
elasticity (practice with some scrap shafts to get the right heat range).
Bend the shaft gently in your hands to remove the errant bend and repeat as
necessary. If you're working on more than one area of the shaft it's a good
idea to let the shaft cool down before re-heating and doing another spot.
The wood stays soft while it's warm and it is very easy to mess up an
already finished area that is still warm.
Please use common sense with this method and don't burn your arrows shafts or your home.
actually needed straightening so I grabbed another from my stock for the picture.
Of course, after bending it for the photo I had to straighten it by going the other way.
O, the sacrifices we make for art!
