looking for dowel rod arrow tutorial

[woodsman1031]

Hello,

  I have searched this forum looking for a dowel rod arrow building tutorial. I am sure one exists, but I have been unable to locate it. Would someone please point me in the right direction?


Thanks
Tommy

[TRACY]

Didn't find a picture build along but type in "wooden dowel" or "Arrows from Dowels" and you'll get some directions from various posts.

Tracy

[JackCrafty]

Three Rivers Archery has videos on youtube (just do a search for "Three Rivers Archery").  The videos are not quite "primitive" but they cover the basics of making arrows from dowels, among other things.

Here's one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kBd5A843o8

If you're wondering how to pick "good" arrow dowels from a pile of commercial dowels.....if you can follow a line of grain from one end to the other, it's good.  That's what I do.  Of course, you don't need to be that picky, just be careful the grain does not run out too bad.  It's a matter of experience and personal preference.

[woodsman1031]

Jackcrafty,

I have heard about weighing them. Is the dowels being the same weight more important than the spine?

Tommy

[JackCrafty]

Yes, I think weight is more important than spine.  However, the wider the bow's handle, the greater the importance of spine.

In the old days, before spine testers, arrows were always matched by weight.

[Kegan]

Yes, I think weight is more important than spine.  However, the wider the bow's handle, the greater the importance of spine.

In the old days, before spine testers, arrows were always matched by weight.

I think spine is more important.

I make almost all of my arrows from birch dowels I order from a crafts place in Texas. After culling the really bad grain or super-limber ones, I try to spine them up into a batch (be that matching or scraping the center). The weight varies about 50 or so grains, but still shoot the same out to 50+ yards.

Making arrows from dowesl is the sma eas making them from ordered cedar or spruce. Unless you want to taper them to improve flight. Other than that, it's just fletching, nocking, and finishing.

[scattershot]

I would add that they make great srrows, but be sure to flex them before you make arrows out of them. Some of them have weak spots that you need to discover before you shoot them! In my experience, the 5/16" dowels run in the mid forties, and the 3/8"ers are around 80 and up, as a very general rule.

Good luck!

[woodsman1031]

Thanks everyone!

[Kegan]

I've also discorvered that drilling 23/64" and 11/32" holes in a piece of angle iron or whatever, and then "drilling" the dowel through with a power drill will drop those 3/8" dowels down to "normal" shaft size to help spining and what not. They're also easy to taper with a small handle plane, jsut watch the grain.

[cummins]

I've also discorvered that drilling 23/64" and 11/32" holes in a piece of angle iron or whatever, and then "drilling" the dowel through with a power drill will drop those 3/8" dowels down to "normal" shaft size to help spining and what not. They're also easy to taper with a small handle plane, jsut watch the grain.

I like that tip Mahalo Ron

[Kegan]

I've also discorvered that drilling 23/64" and 11/32" holes in a piece of angle iron or whatever, and then "drilling" the dowel through with a power drill will drop those 3/8" dowels down to "normal" shaft size to help spining and what not. They're also easy to taper with a small handle plane, jsut watch the grain.

I like that tip Mahalo Ron

Glad it could help .

[woodsman1031]

OK guys just fro grins I made somewhat of an arrow from a 5/16 poplar dowel. I bought this thing six months ago planning on trying this. I did not know anything about spine when I bought it. It was straight though.

  I sawed in a knock and rounded out the base of the slot for the string to set in. I roughed it out with a saw blade and then finished it with a needle file. I was able to get a great fit just like it was a plastic nock! Man that was easier to actually do than it was to worry that I couldnt do it!  I probably had it done in less than 10 minutes!

I flexed the dowel. It was SUPER flemsy. I knew that it was worthless but I learned alot by putting that nock slot in it.

I sharpened the other end in a pencil sharpener and shot it just to try it out
The tail left to the left fast and missed the target. I shot it again and it hit the target with the tail hard to the left. It was definately too weak but it was fun

I am going to get some more dowels this weekend and I know a little bit more about what to look for. I am going to try other species and sizes as well. Once I find exactly what works best for this bow I am going to get more dowels and make myself a  1/2 dozen arrows on the cheap . That was alot of fun for the price of an .89 cent dowel.

can anyone reccomend a fletching jig?

Tommy

[JW_Halverson]

I've got a contact at the local Lowes store that lets me know when they get in a new box of 5/16th poplar dowels.  When they arrive, I show up at the store that evening and go thru every single shaft in the box and pull out the straightest shafts with the least grain run out.  I've been using these 48" shafts for kids arrows for several years now and have had fairly good success.  I even weight matched a set of 6 and made a set of arrows for myself.  Originally planned for a 27" draw on a 40# bow, they turned out to be too stiff at 31 inches long and I had to bump them up to a sinew backed 50# osage barn burner.  They are a good 75 grains heavier than my 23/64th sitka spruce target set and I plan on using them for bunnies this winter since I won't cry so hard if they get lost or break. 

Since you don't have a lot of experience with fletching arrows, I think you may want to try the Arizona Easy Fletcher since it sets all three feathers at once.  Just make sure that you get the right size, I got *ahem* shafted at the local archery shop when I was sold the small diameter fletcher for carbon arrows instead of the larger size for wood shafts.  (Thanks Al at Black Hills Archery for making this right with me, shows why you have so much return business.  Oh, and Al...sell more trad gear!)

[woodsman1031]

OK,

  Again, just for grins I started fooling around with the same dowel. I was reading last night and I just realized that I had not cut the dowel to the correct length. I cut about 4 1/4 inches off of the tip and re-sharpened it in the electric pencil sharpener    I tried it and it shot ALOT better. I then used some duct tape and put some 3 3/4" long fletching on it. It shot even better then. I started looking down it and I noticed that it was a little crooked. It would not roll on a flat surface so I found where it was sitting "high" and would not roll so I bent it a little the opposite direction. After a little bit of trial and error it would roll. I then shot this arrow repeatedly at my target around 20 times at 10 to 12 yards (this is my trad limit for now). I couldnt believe it! :oI was getting 4 out of 5 good vital shots on the target. It is a "buckmasters" wally world special and the vitals are super small. They actually would have all been heart or lung shots

  I didnt actually have my fletching exactly opposite of each other. It was not perfect at all I am trying to get some pictures posted for yall to see. I did notice that if I nocked it just like you see it in the picture it shot straight. If I nocked it the opposite direction it shot left.

  I know that it will shoot differently, and penetrate deeper with a field tip or trade point, but I would not hesitate to shoot a deer with this arrow with a trade point.

 This "ghetto" arrow shoots better from this bow than my 2213s I am actually going to get to shoot my bow more if I can make myself a set of arrows from these inexpensive dowels. I am always paranoid I am going to loose my 2213s

  I feel like I have just found my next hobby

Tommy

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[woodsman1031]

Here is a side view

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