Making your own arrows

Watch Ryder

Been a bit busy the past few days churning out arrows. So I’ve decided to make a basic guide.

The first thing I do is ordered up some pre-cut and rounded arrow shafts that suit the bow you’ve got.
Ebay is where I get my supply's.


Note: If you have a timber supplier nearby and your own electric band-saw you could try making your own shafts for arrow-making. This is advanced stuff though and for another guide.
For this guide I've assumed you've got a pre-cut and shaped arrow shaft.


Having the correct ‘spine’ or stiffness counts here. If you don’t get the right ‘match’ your arrow will veer off to the left or right.
The more powerful your bow, the more ‘spine’ or rigidity it needs.


Once you’ve got a bundle of arrow shafts (buying in bulk is cheaper) check each one for straightness, if it’s badly bent try and straighten it (sometimes steaming can help with this).


Nocks

Next step is making the nock, where you notch an arrow.
You can do this the fancy, easy way, or the old-fashioned way.
The former is where you stick on an external plastic nock. To do that you should taper the last half-inch of the shaft to accommodate a plastic-nock.


The old-fashioned way is to make your own nock out of the wood itself. This my way of doing it as you don’t require purchase a nock. It also means there’s no nock piece to ‘fall-out’ during the course of the arrows life being shot etc.


The grain of the arrow is important, you must go at a right-angle to the grain. That is to say cutting across it.
A vice for this part is real boon. One guy online doesn’t use one (no access) so he just uses his knee’s and his free hand to steady it!


Now, using a hacksaw or equiv. Make a notch that’s about a ¼ of an inch deep or so.
Basically deep enough to get an arrow string into.
A hacksaw is good (what I use and one I made as a teenager at school!). Also a padsaw is fine, possibly a bit more easier to work with for notch-making.


Now widen the thin notch with a file set. I use two tools for widening it.
A small, slender file and a strange coping saw with a circular file-blade in it. It’s a strange little thing
but it is well-versed for this kind of work.
You can make your own shape for the nock edges. Or just leave it rough-cut.
I try and make a ‘bell’ pattern so that the string goes into the notch with a mere smigen of resistence. That way an arrow will stay nocked even on ‘stand-by’
But not so tight that it could throw the arrow awary once it’s released from an arrow.
You’ll want to reinforce the nock with binding, so use Somax thread or similar to wrap around underneath the nock. About ½ inch should be ok.


For warbow rated longbows you may want to reinforce the nock with a horn insert...


Arrow Lore: The Fletching / Arrowsmith guru’s use horn inserts for the nock....


Once your nock is complete you can weather-proof it.
I use Danish Oil for this. But any wood-stain should do the trick.
After it dries (3 – 6 hours) you ought to reinforce the nock with strong thread.
Not only will it strengthen the area, but it make’s the arrow have an area you can take a purchase on a bit better.


Arrowheads


Next stage is adding on your arrowhead.
The arrowhead is a class all on it’s own. You can add an array of heads to arrows. Bone, flint, obsidian, metal etc.
Securing it to the shaft can be done in a variety of ways.
One item you will need is a fairly decent glue.
Super glue works, araldite does to.
I haven’t tried locktite and others though.
As long as one surface is porous a bonding glue should work fine.
IF you don’t have a strong glue then making a binding around the arrowhead can reinforce a weak ‘join’.
Normally this is essential if you are ‘hafting’ an arrowhead (with bone, flint etc). Pinning is another way.


Archers Lore: In times of war some archers arrows would have a weakish glue on their arrowheads.
That way an enemy could not remove an arrowhead by pulling out the shaft...

For my arrowheads I’ve got some semi-armour-piercing ones known as Modkin’s.

These are some of the most affordable one’s available outside of forging your own.


These one’s are at 3/8’s diameter (which is about 12mm or so).
The shafts I ordered already came tapered one end which allows easier insertion.
If your shaft’s aren’t taperd then either a careful eye and a file is needed OR a bench grinder (much easier).


Add glue onto the arrow, I have it tight in the vice for this bit.
Then insert the arrowhead and screw it on tight.


Curing time vary’s but after a couple of hours you can start thinking about getting the fletchings done...


Fletchings

You’ll need a fletchers jig to easily fletch the arrow shaft.
Or you can mark 3 x 120 degree points on it and glue it manually. In days of yore they’d bind arrow-fletchings onto the shafts, possibly glueing them as well if they had time.
I used basic superglue, then for some I bind them as well.
You will want to reinforce the ‘throat’ of the fletchings once they are glued in place.
That way you can reuse them without the likelihood of the fletchings coming off at the narrowest point. This is also where the air-resistence meets them so it’s a good idea doing this.
I use a spot of superglue to stick the thread then wind it up over the fletchings. Then another spot of glue to hold it in place.
After that I PVA over the thread and also the nock thread as well.


Finishing touches.


Adding fancy decals and ‘ring’ patterns are what some do.
I don’t bother with faffy things like that though, I prefer to ‘proof’ test my arrows with a clout-shoot. That way I can check they pass Watch Ryders 200 Yard requirement of shots on target [FONT=Wingdings, serif][/FONT]

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Here are some arrows I built for myself and one of my boys. Love spending a weekend making a set up.

Enjoyed your post Watch Ryder- very good.

Watch Ryder

Thanks Booom!
May I say those are nice looking arrows mate!