Wooden fletching

[zoomer]

I have seen a picture of wooden fletching (wood strips cut into a "feather" shape) on crossbow bolts. And they are portrayed as an accurate historical reproduction, so it sure works on bolts. Would this type of fletching work on arrows? Thanks.

[Pat B]

I wouldn't want a wood fletching anywhere near my hand.   

[DC]

I'm with Pat on this one but I have wondered how the flight guys use razor blades for fletching.

[dylanholderman]

iv'e seen the same thing and thought about it for arrows too, no reason it wouldn't but Pat B sums up the cons pretty well
though i did come across a reference to a guy shooting them out of a compound with no problems so maybe if you had a large shelf it would be safe.
i think that thin leather is the better alternative fletching material for arrows, from what iv'e read they get attached the same way with a shallow groove cut in the shaft and then gluing the leather in.

[Pat B]

You can make fletching from anything that causes drag. James Parker made fletching from pine needles whorled around the shaft at a "primitive" class at the NC State shoot years ago. James won the class with a sapling he just cut for a bow, twig for an arrow and whorled pine needle fletching.

[Bryce]

bolts where made to fly no where near the hand. feathers where replaced by wood bc often caches of bolts where made by the thousands and stored. wooden fletching replaced feather bc they wouldnt degrade like the feathers would over time.

[Tom Dulaney]

The sioux people used wood shavings for fletching before they imported feathers from other tribes/whites.  By wood shavings I mean the thin, hair like shavings you get from scraping arrow shafts with a transverse scraper. They were attached to arrows the way Pat B described the pine needle fletchings.

[zoomer]

Thanks for replies. Yes, I now see why it is unsuitable for arrows for this sole reason.