First arrows, medieval style

[Ringeck85]

Hi all, these are dowel arrows made on a budget with no clamps or fletching jig. 


The nocks need to be reinforced (I have more red thread and some artificial sinew, could use either to wrap around them), but other than that I hope these shoot ok.  I did file the nocks to be too wide for my current longbow, so I will see if I can get a slightly thicker string on my next bow.

Used:
3/8" red oak dowels from Lowes
Dyed turkey feathers from Michael's (what I could find, I know it's probably blasphemy to you guys to use non-natural feathers)
11/32" 125 gr. field points
Red polyester outdoor sewing thread (couldn't find silk thread yet)
fabric glue for the points (will see if that's strong enough, if not will get some epoxy)
superglue to help with the fletching (but the feathers are not entirely glued down, started with glue on the tips and then hand wrapped)

Closer look at the fletching (yes, I know the fletches are HUGE I got a little carried away haha):


And the points:


So all in all, not bad for first arrows I think
Next time I'll file the nocks narrower, make the fletches a bit more consistent (and with less pith on the quill part, as these are a bit too thick), and use a tougher glue on the points.  And of course, I will try to use more primitive materials, but these are what I could find for now.

Whatcha guys think?

[stringstretcher]

Not bad at all.  Now go shoot them and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

[JW_Halverson]

Who cares if you bought the feathers at Michael's?  If those feathers came off a bird they are NATURAL!

You built these arrows the hard way, extra points for you.

[Adam]

Looking good to me!

[Frawg]

Fine looking arrows
Matt

[Trapper Rob]

Nice arrows

[DuBois]

Look like some shooters to me, but what do I know. I'm still workin on my first set. :embarassed:
Hats off to you man!

[Scowler]

Don't sweat where you got your materials.  They are still all wood arrows with real feathers.  Job well done!

[Ringeck85]

Thank you guys you're right I shouldn't care too much where i get things. This is about learning skills.

I shot the arrows a bit today, and found that they shoot fairly straight and spin really nice i'm shooting a bamboo backed hickory longbow, 55# at 27", and i noticed some things. Because these arrows undoubtedly have a heavier spine than the bow weight, they lose speed and power at anything of decent range. So i'll have to upgrade to a heavier bow to see if they shoot better. This could also be due to my skill level; i'm still shooting at about 10-15 yards or so, and have trouble with accuracy farther than that. It also might be the size of the feathers too but i doubt that matters as much?

My original arrows i shot with this bow were supposedly 60-65# at 30" or so which would work for 55# at 27" ok. They  are 11/32" diameter, and have 5" fletching. I've needed to repair most of them, replacing field points or rebinding the fletches. I found it interesting that my new arrows were easier to shoot with; i suppose a slightly heavier arrow makes it easier to draw back? The mass assisting with the draw. Anyone experience this with heavier arrows?

The nocks i made were a bit too wide for the bow string i have on my longbow, so i will file the nocks a bit more so they fit just a bit more snugly (so i don't have to worry about the arrow falling off the string during the draw). The good thing though is that it releases cleanly, which is harder to do when te bowstring is too snug in the nock (my other arrows have this problem).

I tried a couple longer range shots to see how far the arrows would go. A bit disappointed that they only went maybe 50 or 60 yards. I suspect it might be a combination of the bow being lighter, and the arrowheads not being heavy enough. Not to mention the angle of the shot and how well the arrow was shot by me, i know that matters too. Next time i make arrows of this diameter i will try to taper the nock side of the arrow shaft more and use heavier points so it will hit harder and farther.

Anyway, I learned a lot from these four and i'm looking forward to making more!

[Scowler]

I would not think heavier spined would have any affect on the cast of the arrows.  Unless you consider that many heavily spined arrows are also heavier in weight (depending upon the arrow material of course).  Heavy total arrow weight and the size of the fletchings could.  In general, arrows spined heavier than what the archer is drawing will tend to cast arrows away fron the bow, unless the bow has a deep shelf (centershot).  Heavier or lighter points can affect spine (heavier point-weakens spine).  Heavier arrows are great for penetration, and for shooting at shorter distances it should not matter.  I've found that the faster the arrow travels the more critical your shooting form has to be, so slower, heavier arrows (so long as they are properly spined for the bow) can be better for beginner archers.