Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: okie64 on April 11, 2014, 08:48:42 am
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Just curious as to what and how some of you guys are tapering your arrows. Ive been using a small block plane to taper the nock end of my arrows and then sanding them smooth. I usually go a few passes over the back 6 inches and then a few passes over the back 9 inches and then a few over the back 12 inches. I thought I remembered someone posting a picture of a jig they had set up for this reason but I couldnt find it in the search.
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Here is the jig I made for tapering the rear 9" of arrows. I usually taper from 11/32" to 5/16".
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/Taperingtoolimproved002.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/PatBNC/media/Taperingtoolimproved002.jpg.html)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/Taperingtoolimprovedagain004.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/PatBNC/media/Taperingtoolimprovedagain004.jpg.html)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/Taperingtoolimprovedagain001.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/PatBNC/media/Taperingtoolimprovedagain001.jpg.html)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/Taperingtoolimprovedagain003.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/PatBNC/media/Taperingtoolimprovedagain003.jpg.html)
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I use my drill and some sand paper. I put the shaft in the drill, and hold the sandpaper in my hand. Then I sand it to the shape I want. It works fast and seems to do a good enough job.
I try to have one arrow that shoots really well and copy the weight, foc, and spine if i can although spine is usually close if weight, shape and foc are the same.
This is what I do with shoot shafts. If I have dowels, which I haven't in years, I just leave them parallel.
Patrick
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I chuck the dowel shaft in an electric drill and slowly work it back and forth until it hits the stop. done this wih poplar and ash shafting.
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Thanks for the input fellas. Im pretty sure thats the jig I remember seeing a pic of on here before. Ive been using poplar shafting for the last couple of years and Im lovin it, it is surprisingly tough and very easy to work with. Never tried ash but I would think it would make some great arrows too.
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Ash does make good arrows but I have to keep straightening them. Poplar is the bomb. ;)
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Poplar is great arrow wood...But Have You Tried Ramin??? You will never use another wood again!!!!
I also use a small block plane and sand paper..Have made in excess of 400 arrows so far this year by this method...And yes...My hands are killing Me!!!!! But it works well.
I like the Jig Pat...Looks more efficient than My method.
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No havent tried ramin yet but ive heard it was good stuff. I like hickory a lot too for the toughness but they usually turn out a bit heavy for my liking. Apparently the word is out on poplar making great arrows. I used to be able to sort through the bin at lowes and find a couple dozen good straight grained shafts but the last few times ive gone looking for them its pretty slim pickins.
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Used to use Poplar alot also. Made some Ramin arrows and now only use Poplar on a limited basis. Ramin is light, Strong, and spines decent...And it is not on many peoples radar for arrows so is readily available. Have a load coming in next month. May post some for trade..
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i made one very similar Pat's, but it's fully adjustable to taper the entire length of the arrow. I was having trouble getting arrows to spine properly for my 30# recurve by just barrel tapering and sanding, so I tapered the whole shaft from 5/16 at the nock to 11/32 at the point. Came up with four spruce shafts that shoot dead center at 15 yards when bare shafting. still haven't fletched them though, so maybe it isn't such a great idea. I should probably add that this will be my first complete set of arrows, so I'm hardly an expert. I'll post pics tomorrow.
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I have one about like Pat's,it tappers 6 inches nominally, I have found if you tapper the 6 inches it won't change the spine at all but for every inch more it will change a small amount,so If I have a stiff shaft I can tapper a little more and check,I keep doing this until I get the all right where i want them. :) i don't do a lot of them but the ones I have done do seem to fly really good by being tappered.
Pappy
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Thanks for the info fellas. I now have a jig made up about like Pats and have been playing around with some shafts using different taper rates to see what kind of flight I get. I tapered a few 3/8 shafts from 11/32 at the nock out to 12" and it changed the spine about 5lbs. Im having a lotta fun playin around with these arras at the moment. :)
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Playing with arrows is all ways fun
Keep it up
Guy
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I really appreciate you showing everybody your tapering jig Pat B. I'm building one soon.
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I think I made it from one piece of 1x6 red oak board fro Lowe's. The sand paper is from a 120 grit sanding belt and attached with double sided carpet tape from ACE Hardware.
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I like your tapering jig pat. Also good to know other people really like poplar for arrows. It grows rampantly here, more poplar than I would ever know what to do with. Might have to saw a couple big straight grained ones down, turn it into lumber, and have enough arrow wood for the foreseeable future.
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Got a jig fixed up about like Pats and heres a set of arrows I made with it. They are poplar tapering from 23/64" at the point down to 5/16" at the nocks. They shot great from my old faithful osage bow. Im a little rusty on my shooting but I still shot a decent group from 20 yards.
(http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee503/Jamey_Burkhart/null_zpscdfcf07d.jpg)
(http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee503/Jamey_Burkhart/null_zpsc95b0682.jpg)
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When you chuck the arrow up in the drill how do you keep the chuck from bu%^^ring up the arrow? Mine always seem to loosen while I'm sanding and I end up with chuck marks on the shaft.
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I left the arrows a couple of inches too long that way I could cut off the chucked up ends, and yes they were pretty gouged up from the drill. After i ran the shafts in the jig I left them in the drill and proceeded to sand them with 180, 220 and then steel wool. It was much easier than hand sanding, although I got the steel wool hung up on 2 different shafts and it twisted them until they snapped. I was holding the steel wool around them a little too tight I guess, lesson learned.
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If you have a belt sander here is a simple jig will will taper an arrow I seconds. Takes a few test holes to get it right, chuck the shaft up in a drill and lower it on the belt. I have a 36 grit belt on my sander and found it is way to course,120 would be about right.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/Archery%20%20pics/9inchtaperjigwithshaft.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ekrewson/media/Archery%20%20pics/9inchtaperjigwithshaft.jpg.html)
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Eric, that's pretty cool. Do you have a hole in the cross piece that is the depth gauge?
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Yes, there is a hole the tapered nock end sits in that will determine the amount of taper at the nock. It is a bit of a pain to set up but once set you can taper a bunch of arrows very quickly.
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PatB, I am looking to make a tapering jig. How does yours work and what are all the holes for? Are the sides tapered in to the stop peg?
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The holes along the bottom are to allow the saw dust to drop out. The taper angle is adjustable and tapers to the stop.
I chuck the shaft in my electric drill and gradually work it back and forth progressing towards the stop. I used it on poplar shafts and had to work slowly. If I tried to force it, it would twist the shaft.
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I found that the drill chuck had a tendency to split the arrows if they got jammed.
So ... got hold of a top hat screw on point , chucked that in the drill, then ran the shaft
into the point , voila :)
Roger
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I got inspired by PatB's rig to make some when he posted it in another thread a good while back. THANKS Pat!
Pics of the old (top) and new (bottom) versions of arrow tapering jigs with a sanding block between them which is used with the old and new rigs.
(http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u439/cdpbrewer/Taperingrig-detail.jpg)
The sanding block has a ~1/4” radius groove in it that’s covered with 1/8” thick sticky back hobby foam. The arrow in the pic is 0.305” diameter (just under 5/16”) tapered over 9” to 1/4”.
The board uppermost in the pic is what I tediously used for tapering shafts with a thumb plane until making the rig on the bottom. The board has a two 1/2” deep “V” grooves for holding the arrow shaft. The lower groove has an aluminum shaft stop at the left end and is marked at 3”, 6”, 9” and 12” from that end. To use it for a 9” taper:
1. Lightly pencil mark a line around the shaft at the above marks.
2. Starting at the 3” mark, plane off all of the 3” pencil mark- i.e. take a swipe, rotate shaft a bit and repeat until all the 3” pencil mark is planed off. Be consistent in the rotating and planing.
3. Repeat step 2 for the 6” and 9” marks.
4. Check nock for desired diameter. If off much, remark shaft at the 9” mark and plane again from there.
5. Use the sanding block with P180 grit, A weight (i.e. thin) sand paper to round off the shaft. Sand while rotating the shaft and, if needed reduce it to the desired nock diameter. Be consistent in the rotating and sanding.
Total time per shaft about 15 minutes once one has a bit of experience but it quickly becomes very boring work when doing a dozen or more shafts. It’s also aggravating when one raises a splinter with the plane! Worse yet on a footed arrow! >:(
The new rig is made from two 12” long pieces 1-1/2” x 1/8” steel angles bolted to a piece of nice 3/4” plywood with 1/4” carriage bolts. The bolt holes in the lower piece of angle are slotted to allow for adjustment of the taper and nock end diameter. P150 sandpaper is affixed to the angles with double sided tape. Many holes are drilled in the plywood base to allow the dust to fall out when the the rig is clamped in a vise. The drill bit pictured at one end of the rig is used to set the nock diameter and, with the clamp (not too tight!) acts as a stop. Other bits of varying diameters are used at the other end to set the taper. Works really well. After the rig is used, the taper is sanded on the board affair with the sanding block and P180 paper. Final sanding is done on the rig with P280 sandpaper then freehand with a grey Scotch-brite.
Tips: Angle iron is not necessarily straight or at an exactly 90 deg angle- check before buying and cutting. Strengthen bolt holes and area under carriage bolt heads in the wood base with a soaking of thin CA glue. A high drill speed isn’t needed for spinning the shaft in the rig- around 500 rpm works well for me. Rather than use the drill’s trigger to set its speed, I lock it on high and use a separate speed control box wired which is connected to a foot switch. Straighten the shaft before tapering (DUH!). I usually use a 3/4” long piece of Tygon tubing over the point end of the shaft to keep from boogering up the end. If the rest of the shaft is already finish sanded, I attach the point and then use the tubing over it. That also tests the point’s attachment to the shaft. Downside is a 1/2 drill is needed. I gotta try uklongbow’s top hat point trick tho’ since it seems very elegant
Finally, here’s my first stab at one that didn’t work out:
(http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u439/cdpbrewer/Taperingrig-oldannotated.jpg)
The cut-apart 1” x 42” sanding belt requires glueing to the 17.5” long wood pieces- otherwise the belt moved up and down as the shaft was spun and the shaft jumped around in- and often out of- the rig. Glueing would have defeated the intended ease of replacing the sanding belt or changing to a finer grit. When I got around to glueing the belt in, the two maple wood pieces had warped a bit so I abandoned the rig and made the new one with the steel angles. Looking at this again, maybe a piece of clear plexiglass over the slot would keep the belt from moving up and down…
I also fooled around a bit with using two files in a jury-rigged jig like those above but never got it to work well- couldn't keep the shaft between them and the finish was poor.
c.d.
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Nice arrows Okie