Simple DIY router jig for lumber shafts **Version 2.0 pics added**

[bow101]

Great setup, I used just one steel plate and cut down the square dowels slightly over 11/32" , it does work but just have to be keep the wobble down to a minimum.    Actually when the shaft is turned I finish with sand paper to exactly 11/32"  that way any imperfections are dealt with.

[make-n-break]

I appreciate the kind words gents.

Thanks cavemanRob. Im not a teacher, but glad you liked the write up!

Onebow, I'm sure it could work with a table saw but I would have to do some serious head scratching to figure out the setup. I'd check those YouTube vids Knoll mentioned. I actually considered the pvc pipe idea but it seemed like a hassle to set up. Also, pvc with that small of an inside diameter does not hold its shape well.. It bends like a noodle. Looked at copper pipe too but the inside of those pipes are never smooth or uniform. I don't mind holding it with my free hand once it gets about 8-10 inches past the last guide. If I was to ever fix it I'd just add 4 or 5 more 11/32 output guides.

Bow101 that sounds like a nice simple setup to spin it through a single guide. I can see where wobble would become a problem between keeping the drill end from wobbling when you get started and keeping the shaft end stable once it's past a ways. Cool that it works though.

[Eric Krewson]

Years ago I made a router shaft machine that turned really good shafts. My problem was getting spine matched shafts. I may have spines from the 40s to the 80s out of the same board. I quit using my shaft machine because of this problem. I was buying fir boards from Lowe's, with the wide spine variation it wasn't cost effective to make my own shafts.

[BowEd]

Sweeet.Your in the arrow shaft makin busuness.Nice rig.

[Pat B]

Cool shaft maker. I like stuff made with stuff on hand.
Those square ends can be shaped into a nice blunt. I did it on a set of walnut shafts Ken75 sent me a few years ago.

[make-n-break]

Nice Pat! I have always meant to make some rabbit blunts out of those square ends. Yours gives me  inspiration to make a few.

[Pat B]

I added a sinew wrap about 1" above the end. Don't know if it needed it but I did it anyway.

[mikekeswick]

I did this for a few years but finding good enough stock in large enough boards to make it worthwhile were the problems for me. I'm very picky about boards for arrows! Big boards of quality wood give you more shafts that match up. although you always get those weak and stiff shafts....but the stiff shafts can make good flight arrows
If you use a staff bead cutter you will reduce the initial 'chatter' significantly. A 1/2 inch diameter pvc pipe works very well after the last hole so you don't have to stop the shaft whipping about. I made my jig adjustable left to right so it's easy to set the cutter at the right depth of cut. I used two length of threaded rod and a set of nuts to lock in place. I still have this jig somewhere and will dig it out to photograph to show you my mods.

[make-n-break]

Nothing better to do on a day with freezing rain and an empty house than whip up Version 2.0 of the DIY Lumber Shaft Maker.

Same exact concept as before, but with premium materials rather than scraps. Went to the hardware store and got all this stuff for the following prices:

Oak board for the base: $8
1" by 3 foot angle iron: $6
3/8" inside diameter by 3 foot aluminum pipe: $6

Total $20

The goal was to try to make Onebow's stabilizer pipe idea work. Went with a 3/8 inside diameter aluminum pipe. The only changes to this design from the last are the addition of two more pieces of angle iron with 1/2 holes that hold the 3/8 pipe(1/2 outside diameter).

Another slight tweak was that the angle iron was moved closer together so that I only get 3 inches of waste all together. I can now turn 32" of clean shaft out of 36" stock without any extra sanding (I cut the first inch off cuz it get buggered by the router, and the last 3" that don't make it through the refinement hole).

The little box contraption in the center is nothing more than a vibration dampener. There is a shim under the pipe, and braces on the side and top. The top piece is actually slightly clamping the pipe down. The dampener places a tight hold on the center 12" of pipe.

I originally tried it without the vibration dampener and there is just too much wobble from the shaft spinning in 30" of unsupported aluminum pipe. The dampener fixed the bad vibes and there are 11 oak shafts sitting next to it from the first run. I foresee this jig lasting a lifetime.

[make-n-break]

I agree Mike. I'm very selective of my boards. I sort through many piles and take only the best one. I will still end up with a board every now and then that just can't make a quality shaft. Sometimes I'll have a solid run of a couple dozen that turn out very close in spine and weight and the next run I'll have a similar looking board that doesn't make a single shaft that's servicable for my bows. At a cost of $3-4 for a Douglas fir board that makes one to two dozen shafts, I'm accepting of the occasional waste .

I also live on a farm with piles of old barn wood. Once in a while I'll stumble across a real nice board and and I've actually got a half dozen barn wood shafts (unknown species) that are some of my best flyers!

[Aaron H]

Nothing like a Rockstar to get some motivation, nice jig.  Oak arrow shafts, what do those weight?

[make-n-break]

Aaron, my father is borrowing my grain scale for reloading so I can't weight them at the moment. I'll post the weight after I go down his way for Easter. These particular shafts are 21/64 diameter and considerably heavier than the 11/32 Douglas Fir I turned the other day. I'm going to ballpark them somewhere between 500-600 grains. They feel very dense in the hand compared to softwood shafts. I like 'em. They're durable and they stay straight. Still got a couple surviving that are two year old stumpers.

[Scottski]

Nice looking jig and shafts! Might steal your idea if you don't mind.

[make-n-break]

Go ahead! It's for the benefit of the community bud!

[Knoll]

Version 2.0 is lookin' mighty professional! Better be prepared to take orders at MoJam.