Here's the updated version. I've made the V grooved rail into the front of a fletching tool box 36" x 7.5" x 3.5"
with 3/4" poplar from Lowe's. The bottom extends 2" on either end like a flange for clamping to table. The rubber tired wheel is made from wood and an O-ring with 2 brass washers and a 1/4" wood axle. The wheel is 1/8 th" thick and about 3/4" wide fit into a slot on the 1/2" oak dowel. The wood wheel started out bigger so I put a 1/4" bolt threw the center and chucked it up in my drill and sanded the dia. Poor mans lathe!!! down to around 5/8", then
put a small triangle file to the center for a groove, then widened it with a small round file that would fit the 1/8"
O-ring tire. Then thinned the sides till I got it to 1/8" thick. In hind sight it would have been easier to make a bigger wheel if I used a bigger dowel like 3/4". I think the wood rim could be wrapped with waxed linen thread
instead of O-ring for a more trad look. I found that the mallet weight is not needed and Iv'e cut off the long
front guide so front of the box doesn't need to hang over edge of table. The body of the fletching tool is 8.5"
long x 3/4" thick and 2 3/4" wide poplar. The side guides are 3.5" wide x 1/2" thick poplar. I put an adjustable arrow stop that squeezes rail with 1/4" bolt and wing nut. I put a floating point stop on the front
of squeeze clamp for those wood arrows that are not perfectly straight. There is 8" x 1 1/2" cut out of V track
for fletch clearance with 3/4" left of V track left for a bearing surface to strap nock end of arrow down. 7.5" feathers can be fletched on 5/16" to half inch arrow shafts The crank wheel is a toy wood wheel 1 1/2" with 3/8" hole and finishing nail glued across the end. I'll add a rope handle on the tool box for ease of carrying and box dividers to separate arrows, points, excetra. I found that
keeping the thread tension fairly light works the best when using tool.
