Making arrows for the first time

[Chuchip]

Hello, this is my first post on this board.

I've decided to make some arrows but I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I went and cut down about 12 willow shoots, and I bought some 3/8 poplar dowels at the hardware store that I can use while I wait for the shoots to season. I've read the chapter on arrows in the first volume of the traditional bowyer's bible but it's kinda vague so I'm a little confused. My biggest concern is about spine weight. I've never actually tuned my bow before so the only thing I now about spine weight is what I've read. Is there some way to control what spine my shafts turn out to be or do I simply have to make a whole bunch and then pick out the ones I need?

Also any advice or tips on arrow making to get me started will be greatly appreciated.

[nugget]

first off welcome to PA. Look through old posts in the arrow section. there is a wealth of knowledge there. Spine is hard tyo judge without practice and a spine tester. You can always samd down a shaft to lessen the spine. 3/8 dowells are usuallly spined heavy. 5/16 usually are a lighter spine. If nothing else make some arrows up and shoot them. The ones that fly good feel how stiff the are and try to find more shafts that are the same.
Good Luck and remember you can always make more.

[Tom Leemans]

My personal view. Once you get a bunch of them close to fletching time, shoot them (bare shaft) at a target from 5 yards or so. The ones that go where you want are your hunting arrows. Use the rest for stumping, squirrels, etc. If they don't hit anything, well then they are kindling. Now fletch them! You can sort them according to weight if you want, but I wouldn't worry about spine if they fly good.

[youngbowyer33]

I've only made 1 arrow that flew wonky because it was over or under spined. I don't think spine is really that important in my opinion unless you take part in serious competitions. I just make them, shoot em, and if any don't go near where i want them, i either sand em down a bit them re test, or just don't use them. I think there is a big fuss over spine, when im my opinion in doesn't matter all that much. JMO

[JW_Halverson]

I think there is a big fuss over spine, when im my opinion in doesn't matter all that much. JMO

When you are still learning to draw, anchor, concentrate on the smallest particle of your target, and release so smoothly that you are startled to see the arrow appear in front of you, no...the spine isn't terribly critical.  But once you start to get a rhythm to your shooting then spine really means something to consistency.  The average archer will never acheive any real consistency in shooting until they are shooting matched arrows.  Take a look at Olympic level competitors.  They are far and away better archers than anyone of us will ever hope to be, Byron Ferguson too.  These are the people that can take any bow and any set of arrows, fool around a little with 'em and they can hit whatever they see.  But do they shoot random arrows?  Nuh-uh. 

Read the books by the early 20th century archers like Pope, Young, Hill, etc.  They made up hundreds of arrows, shot 'em all.  But you will note they all mentioned picking out the best shooters for putting aside for hunting.  If you could get a hold of a set of those arrowss, I would be willing to bet they were all close in spine weight and grain weight. 

Hope I don't sound like I am hacking on you, youngbowyer.  Just adding in from my experiences.  And for that matter, I have a bucket fulla mixed arrows and I shoot them in the woods all the time, they are orphans from patched sets shot up and lost.  But when I practice and hunt, I break out matched sets. 

Chuchip?  What draw weight is your bow, what is your draw length, and what style handle do you have? 

[youngbowyer33]

I think there is a big fuss over spine, when im my opinion in doesn't matter all that much. JMO

Hope I don't sound like I am hacking on you, youngbowyer. 

Not at all, as I don't actually know alot about it.

[Chuchip]

Thanks for the advice guys.

Chuchip?  What draw weight is your bow, what is your draw length, and what style handle do you have? 

My bow is 55lbs. @30''. I just measured my draw length and I guess it's about 24 inches ( the last time I measured it when I was 15 it was 25 inches...). As for the handle, its a simple straight, round handle with no arrow rest.

[JW_Halverson]

Ok, if your draw length is 24" and your bow is rated 55# @ 30", your actual draw weight is going to be quite a bit less than the 55#.   I'd hesitate to guestimate.  Any way you can check the actual draw weight at your actual draw length?

[Chuchip]

Hmmm I don't have anything to measure the draw weight but I could probably figure out some way to do it.

EDIT: I'm gonna go buy a fish scale on Monday and then I'll find out what it is.

[aero86]

fish scale or a 2x4 marked every inch, the use that on a bathroom scale will get you close..  thats how i figure mine.

[Chuchip]

Ok, if your draw length is 24" and your bow is rated 55# @ 30", your actual draw weight is going to be quite a bit less than the 55#.   I'd hesitate to guestimate.  Any way you can check the actual draw weight at your actual draw length?

OK I just measured and my draw weight is 41#@ 24".

[JW_Halverson]

Alrighty then, now we got some numbers we can work with.  Sounds like your bow has to "shoot around" a pretty normal kind of handle for a self bow, so that is a zero sum.  The standards for arrow spine were intially worked out for this kind of bow, from what I have read.  If you had an arrow pass cut out of your handle so that the bow was perfectly "center shot" then we could get away with stiffer spines without much problem. 

So that means we only have to work with figuring the spine weight for your draw length.  The spine weight ranges for arrows are based on measuring between 28 inch supports and a weight hanging exactly in the middle.  That means if you cut your 40# spine weight arrows exactly 28" long and mounted 125 grain points then they should fly pretty straight off your bow.  But you shoot 24".  Generally, for every inch you cut down from the 28" you add about 5# of spine weight to the arrow, for every inch above 28 inches that you leave on the arrow you subtract 5# of spine weight.  For now, I would recommend you purchase some arrow shafts from a dealer, get something in the 35-40# spine weight.  Cut the shafts to about 29", fit on the field points and nocks on, say, three shafts.  Shoot 'em bare shafted at a target a few times. If you are right handed, those arrows should have the nock ends "kicking" off your bow to the left.  Shorten and inch and shoot again.  When they stop coming off sideways and fly straight, your arrows are the right length for that spine weight shaft.

Since you have the willow shoots, scrape off the bark, sand 'em smooth, and put your points on the fat end, your nocks on the skinny end and do just like I described above for each of the shafts.  Once you have them cut to the length that they fly fairly straight, add your fletching to finish them out.