Making Arrows

[oldhippy]

  Those of you that know me know that I love me some hill cane. I've been shooting primitive for the last 10 years and have made my own arrows for that time. It was POC the first year then river cane, dogwood, sourwood shoots over the next 2 years, then I found my first patch of hill cane. Things changed for me at that moment, I had found the perfect arrow shafting.
   Over the past week I have straightened 3 and a half dozen. As I sit doing the last 3 or 4 I started thinking about how much time I have in an arrow from start to finish. If I add it all total it is pretty close to 10 or 12 hours per arrow. I was just wondering how long do you guys take making an arrow start to finish?

   Steve

[Pat B]

Steve, I easily put 3 to 4 hours in each cane or hardwood shoot arrow. I never really timed myself but I know it is a long process.

[EricWard]

Steve you ole rat You need to find you an old hippy to find cut, dry and spine your hillcane like i do I just fletched four arrows no points and it took forever.

[oldhippy]

  Eric I know that you are as slow as steam comming off of cold poo. I'm surprised that you haven't broken all of the cane I traded you. Considering the spring water that you drink.

 Your oldhippy buddy Steve

[EricWard]

well Steve some of my arrows look like candycanes with feathers hanging from the ends but i was thinking my crooked bows and arrows might compensate for my shooting

[oldhippy]

  Candy canes with feathers? When did you get that good making arrows? Little buddy I want to thank you for that fine piece of osage. It will be hard to keep my hands off for the next couple of years. You may be a varmint but you are OK. I guess you know us old hippies like varmints. Don't know why but we do. Next time you come up I'll show you how to make arrows again.

   Steve

[sadiejane]

Steve, I easily put 3 to 4 hours in each cane or hardwood shoot arrow. I never really timed myself but I know it is a long process.

would reckon this is a time akin to what i put into each arrow. less time for cane as i dont have to plane it down to the diameter i want.
use only wild turkey or goose or other found full feathers. for me, the time to process feathers adds lots to arrow making time. course i havent been making arrows for 10 yrs, only about 2 yrs. i swear it takes me a good piece of a day to get 36 feathers ready for a dozen arrows.
nevertheless i do it and enjoy it. and like how it feels to be using equipment i made. esp when it all works good

[bowtarist]

I'd say 3 to 5 hours per arrow is a pretty conservative estimate.  W/ shoots you have to get them straight and debarked and nocked and so forth.  W/ POC, it cuts the time down to a lot less, though.  That doesn't include making the points whether they are stone or duplex or what ever that isn't store bought.  Tappering and gluing points on cuts the time down considerably.  Cutting nocks and sanding takes a  lot more time then tappering and using plastic nocks.  Using contemporary arrow materials I'd say and hour or so per arrow.  Primitive arrows take a lot longer, 3 to 5 hours easy.  That's for me.  dpgratz

[cracker]

I'm just getting into the arrow thing I just straightened a bunch of rivercane I do it while I'm sitting watching T.V. Ron

[oldhippy]

 One of my old buds wanted me to make him an arrow. Two days later I gave him a genuine Old Hippy made arrow. He asked what he owed me and I told him 40 dollars. The first words out of his mouth were, " Why so much?"  I told him that I had to get the flint to make the point, then knap it, then harvest the right cane, straighten it while it is drying, straighten and temper with heat, cut to length, cut nocks and mounting slot for the point, collect rosin and pepare the mastic, center the point, get sinew, process sinew, get hide glue ready, get feathers, split feathers, grind feathers, get feathers as close as possible to 120 degrees, then wrap fletching and point with hide glue soaked sinew. No joke I have at least 10 or 12 hours in each arrow. I told my friend
d this and told him that if he figured all of my time in, I was working for less than 4 dollars per hour. But I still love it.

   Oldhippy Steve   I

[JW_Halverson]

It takes me about 40 hours of work to make a dozen arrows....starting with pre-made arrow shafts!!!  And people wonder why I am so picky what I shoot arrows at!

[EricWard]

he old hippy i cut into that bundle of cane this wkn and it was straight and consistant thanks buddy

[Dictionary]

Jeez........I am surprised at anyone spending more than like 2 hours on an arrow on account of you lose so many of them, err i have lost some of my quick made ones.

[bowsandroses]

I too take forever to build an arrow and love working shoot shafts. But all said and done watching the spirit of my craft fly PRICELESS! Building my own arrows around fifteen years and still no good at it.

[Stringman]

I'm with ya Old hippy! I was sittin at a bowhunter banquet this weekend behind a table of primtive goods I've been working on and having the same thoughts. I had a set of three matched primtivr cane arrows and when people would ask I wasnt sure what to tell them. Eventually I settled on 35 a piece but I felt like that was border line too high. After thinkin it thru I had exactly the same thought as you - 10 to 12 hrs. Problem is,  if you have never worked with primitive material and tools you have no concept of the added time it takes to turn out a finished product. I'm not tootin any horn, but after learnin the techniques, I'm certainly happier with hand made equipment than I ever was as a modern bow hunter. "More challenging" is just a huge understatement!