Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: toomanyknots on November 21, 2013, 08:42:39 am

Title: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: toomanyknots on November 21, 2013, 08:42:39 am
Can anyone point me the right direction?  :)
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on November 21, 2013, 08:45:57 am
Knots I don't know of any mfg that has clamps that long man. 5.5" feathers creep out the end of my Bitzenburger. For fletching that long? You may have to hand wrap them.
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: toomanyknots on November 21, 2013, 09:22:33 am
Quote from: PEARL DRUMS on November 21, 2013, 08:45:57 am
Knots I don't know of any mfg that has clamps that long man. 5.5" feathers creep out the end of my Bitzenburger. For fletching that long? You may have to hand wrap them.

Morning Pearl. Ya, that's what I been doin. I will super glue the tips of the fletching to start, then coat the bottom of the feather using a toothpick, and slowly position it. After all 3 are done I will wrap it usually. It sucks though gluing em on because I always get a bit of glue smudged on the shaft.
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on November 21, 2013, 09:27:23 am
Try making an extra long clamp with some furnace duct metal or something like that. Even a few pieces of 1/4 luan or paneling might work. Of course they would be straight, but I never knew a helical to make much more difference than extra noise in flight. A board with a "v" groove could help cradle the arrow for accurate placement. I bet you can come up with something you have laying around the house.
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: Cameroo on November 21, 2013, 09:37:27 am
I've used a Bitzenburg to put on 7 1/2 fletching.  It's a bit of a pain though.  I clamp an Olfa knife blade in the front of the clamp along with the feather, just as a guide to keep the front of the feather straight.  The edge of the blade can be positioned to sit up on the edge of the quill to put downward pressure on the part that extends past the clamp.  Once you rotate the shaft, you have to shim it up under the front cradle with a pencil or arrow shaft so that the previously glued feathers will clear the front cradle that the shaft sits in.  You have to be careful to keep the shaft centered at this point, because the cradle would normally do that, and now the shaft is sitting above it.

Like I said, it's a pain, but probably more accurate than I could achieve by hand, just eyeballing it.

I've never seen a feather chopper that long, but I would think that they exist somewhere...

A rotary knife works very well for hand-cutting them. Because there is no drag from the blade, you get a nice clean, straight top edge.
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: Buck67 on November 21, 2013, 09:06:04 pm
I made my extra long fletching clamp from some .019 aluminum from the hardware store that I bent in half and three large binder clamps.  Three Rivers sell some two sided tape called Fletching Tape that really makes fletching easy.  I have done 7" & 5" fletching with mine.  I made a holder for the arrow with a 2 x 6 and two wooden spring type clothespins
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: mullet on November 21, 2013, 09:31:46 pm
Just glue some long pieces of thin plastic to the inside of the jig clamps.
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: tallpine on November 21, 2013, 09:33:36 pm
Look around at the Supermarket and you will find a large clamp for potato chip bags. Its about 8 inches long. Makes an excellent fletching clamp and also keeps your chips fresh when your not fletching arrows.
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: Danzn Bar on November 21, 2013, 09:59:11 pm
Quote from: toomanyknots on November 21, 2013, 09:22:33 am
Quote from: PEARL DRUMS on November 21, 2013, 08:45:57 am
Knots I don't know of any mfg that has clamps that long man. 5.5" feathers creep out the end of my Bitzenburger. For fletching that long? You may have to hand wrap them.

Morning Pearl. Ya, that's what I been doin. I will super glue the tips of the fletching to start, then coat the bottom of the feather using a toothpick, and slowly position it. After all 3 are done I will wrap it usually. It sucks though gluing em on because I always get a bit of glue smudged on the shaft.
[/quote

I think I've seen some of your arrows and a little glue smudged wouldn't hurt them a bit.  If I remember right you make some nice looking arras.
DBar
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: Prarie Bowyer on November 22, 2013, 01:28:17 pm
There is a straight fletch jig called the "big jig" on the market.  If you youtube search it you'll see it.  I made mine out of leftover wood and tempered hard board.  the clamp is a pair of metal office clips and a plast ic ruller cut in 1/2" 

I spent $.75 on it and fletched several dozzen arrows already.
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: Grasshopper Mouse on November 22, 2013, 08:24:00 pm
Somewhere I have seen a jig marketed primarily in England for fletching big war arrows. It is a factory made jig but danged if I can remember who makes it or where I saw it. It's out there somewhere though.

Guy

ps, that was a lot of help, eh?
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: Cameroo on November 22, 2013, 08:36:21 pm
I'm guessing the last two posts are referring to this jig sold by Richard Head.  Looks like it would be fairly easy to make.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pffhKIuuQX8
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: Grasshopper Mouse on November 22, 2013, 11:05:06 pm
Cameroo, you were right. That's the critter.
http://www.longbowandarrow.co.uk/the-big-jig-fletching-jig-104-p.asp

$53 dollars plus shipping, it's not an inexpensive jig but still cheaper than the vaunted Bitzenburger.

Guy
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: WillS on November 23, 2013, 08:20:15 am
I made my own for fletching war arrows with 7.5" fletchings, I just copied the Richard Head jig.  Couple bits of wood and some thin sheet metal with spring clamps attached and you're good to go!
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: Cameroo on November 23, 2013, 10:52:26 am
I'm going to make one like Richard's too.  But I just watched a video with a good idea for a fletching clamp, if you happen to have some PVC pipe laying around, which I do.  I think I'll combine this clamp with Richards jig.  This is an 8 min video but you can skip through it to get the idea for the clamp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ3DOt3ERjA
Title: Re: What fletching jig to buy for 7" to 7 1/2" fletchings?
Post by: Robby101 on November 25, 2013, 08:35:29 am
I modified a Bitzenburger jig by cutting off the cradle, making a spacer out of some scrap aluminum I had, and re-attaching the cradle to my spacer, allowing up to seven inch fletching, not that I ever used them that long, but I could if I wanted. I used a standard clamp, aligning and pinning the tip of the fletch with those pins that have a little knob on them. Sure sped up the process for making English long bow arrows, and believe me, back in the day, I ran through a lot of them. If I saw a shot that looked interesting to me, for whatever reason, I took it, the fate of the arrow be damned, HaH! I'd take a picture of that jig but everything is scattered around in four storage areas and I can't put my hands on it.
Robby