Horn nock inserts

[doggonemess]

This build-along is AWESOME! 

I've been looking for a nice, well documented build-along for horn nock inserts, and this fits the bill. I'd recommend this as a sticky topic for sure. It's going in my big book of bow-making lore.

By the way, the first belt sander image is funny - it looks like you're about to launch the arrow at high velocity. If I wasn't so busy I'd do a little Monty Python-esque animation in Flash just for fun.

[JW_Halverson]

Thanks, ADB.  Very instructive, very much to the point. 

You make wonderfully beautiful arrows, thanks for sharing your tips and tricks.

[HoBow]

Thanks adb!  This is a great tutorial! 

[Squirrelslayer]

i would like to see this done with antler if anyone would like to give it a go that would be cool

[kevinsmith5]

I'm assuming you could also do this with hard wood insert. Something like Ipe or cocobolo?

[doggonemess]

I'm assuming you could also do this with hard wood insert. Something like Ipe or cocobolo?

I never thought of that before - it opens up a whole lot of interesting possibilities. Purple Heart, for instance. I assume though that you would want the lightest material due to balance issues. Would bone work?

[kevinsmith5]

I dont know how it would effect balance, but would that tony if an insert make a big difference? I would think you could do a footed arrow with the same wood used for insert and foot?

[WillS]

One of the guys I shoot with has used maple and ebony for inserts.  The maple was from a luthier and very high grade quilted so once polished and finished it looked stunning.  I've tried with leather as well, but using horn seems to give me the best results. 

I was flicking through Pip Bickerstaffe's "The heritage of the longbow" recently and he outlined a horn nock insert that was wedge shaped, the wide end of the wedge at the nock end, tapering to a point 2 inches long.  Apparently that was far more traditional, but I've not seen it mentioned anywhere else.

[kevinsmith5]

2 inches??
That would be a heck of a groove to cut...

[WillS]

As far as I know, the standard EWBS arrows all require a 2inch nock insert.  That's what I've been doing anyway!  It's not too bad for a straight flat piece of horn, but doing it with a wedge shape must be pretty finicky, and I can imagine losing quite a few arrows trying it.

[adb]

I'm assuming you could also do this with hard wood insert. Something like Ipe or cocobolo?

Yes, no problem. I've done it with padauk, purpleheart, cocbolo, ebony and bloodwood. Works great, looks good, and is easier than horn.

The green & white arrows have purpleheart inserts, and the red & black have cocobolo.

 I normally cut my inserts 1.5" deep on arrows for target weight bows, and the standard 2" deep for warbow weight. The difference in weight between the insert material and the wood you remove to insert it is negligible. No balance issues. It's much less than the weight of a plastic nock.

[CraigMBeckett]

I was flicking through Pip Bickerstaffe's "The heritage of the longbow" recently and he outlined a horn nock insert that was wedge shaped, the wide end of the wedge at the nock end, tapering to a point 2 inches long.  Apparently that was far more traditional, but I've not seen it mentioned anywhere else.

Be careful of quoting Pip he a lot of things he says are questionable. However the term traditional is that applied to Georgan / Victorian target ELBs not medieval style warbows and arrows. As with everything else to do with War Bows we only have limited information (generally documentary) to go on and wedge shaped reinforcing is not mentioned. While that does not mean it did not exist but only that it is not mentioned and none of the Tudor arrows found on the Mary Rose are reported to have been reinforced by wedge shaped inserts. As using wedge shaped reinforcement is both more difficult and expensive (using more horn as it does and requiring more work) but offers no performance improvements, it is highly unlikely that the crown would have paid for such arrows for use by their troops.

Craig.

[kevinsmith5]

Good.
I've been racking my brains trying to figure out how on earth someone using medieval tools could ever be able to rapidly produce those wedge nocks me coming up dry. One wonders if the massive numbers of arrows used in set battles would even have had reinforcements at all. They were essentially single use weapons that might well only be unpacked the momnwt they were to be shot. Would the single use nocks really require durability added by a horn insert? Or would this be a feature only to be found in target and hunting arrows?

[adb]

The horn insert in the nock was to reinforce it so it wouldn't split under the massive pressure exerted by heavy draw weight bows used for war.

[gianluca100]

I wrap my selfnocks tightly with linen string and put some glue on the wrapping. Up to 80 pounds I never had the slightest trouble with arrow splitting.
I don't know if this system would also work with 100+ pound warbows. Anybody tested this?

ciao,
gian-luca