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ArrowsBy Rob McNeur
The English didn't tend to use Cedar for war arrow shafts as much as things like oak etc., as they needed a very heavy and strong timber that would stand the strains of being fired from 100+ lb. warbows and impacting steel plate without shattering. Of course, this wasn't a problem with hunting bows/arrows, which could be made of lighter timbers. Basically, I choose a 4x2 stick with as straight a grain following the cut of the wood as possible. Saw the length of timber to about 3" longer than the arrows you want i.e. if you are making 28" shafts, saw the wood to about 31". This allows a little free wood on both ends. Because I want the grain running exactly the length of the arrow blanks, rather than across it at an angle, I use a sharp, heavy knife, ax etc., and split the length down one side, following the grain, until you have that side exactly following the grain and hopefully straight. If you are lucky enough to get a length of wood where the grain exactly follows the line of the sawn timber, then this is unnecessary, but usually the saw cut will run off at some slight angle from the grain. Plane out any mounds or hollows on that edge. This doesn't have to be exact, just fairly close. Then I use that as my straight edge to mark the batch of arrows from.
My first batch of arrows was made to be 7/16 diameter, but they were badly overspined for a 40# bow, my current batch is 5/16. I am currently still experimenting to find the exact required diameter to get the spining close to what I need. This will be dependent on the individual timber stock used. Over here, our timber grows faster than the same species in the US or UK (or so I've been reliably told) and hence the grain is slightly coarser and slightly weaker, therefore I started out a bit thicker shafts than normally recommended. \par To cut the blanks, I prefer to saw them. Some books and fletchers recommend just splitting them, I found sawing to be easier and more accurate although probably slower. Mark the length of timber in slices of 1/2" (for 5/16 arrows) or about 5/8" (for 7/16 arrows):length of 4x2 |--------------------------------------------------| |--------------------------------------------------| |--------------------------------------------------| 4" |--------------------------------------------------| |--------------------------------------------------|Each line will give multiple arrow blanks. I saw each line, giving multiple slices, each 1/2" x 2" wide (or 5/8" x 2" for 7/16 shafts). Again, mark the 2" width to the same size and again saw the lengths. This should produce multiple 1/2" x 1/2" square blanks, all with the grain running completely along in line with the cut blanks. \par For measuring the shafts as I work them down I have a 3' length of 3x1 wood to act as a shaft 'template' which has a corner cut out, a hole in one side, and a groove chiseled down the length of it.
| ------------------------------------------------| |-| | |===================================================| | O | |---------------------------------------------------|The corner cut out is 11/32" x 11/32" (i.e. fractionally larger than the required size of 5/16") and is used to measure the width of the blank as it is planed down to the required size. The drilled hole is 5/16" and is used to slide the shaft through as it is sanded to size and shape, allowing you to locate areas which are fractionally larger than the rest, to get a uniform diameter. The groove is straight and cut in a 'V' shape, (just chiseled out) used to rest the arrow blank in while planing off it's edges and stop it turning or rolling.
Once I have all the sawn blanks, I work on one at a time until each one is down to smooth dowels. Basically, one edge is planed straight and smooth, pausing regularly to sight along it and ensure that there are no mounds or hollows. I use a 4" long, about 3/4" wide, plane which fits in the palm of one hand, allowing the other to grip the wood. Once one side is dead straight, turn the blank and repeat the process on the other 3 sides, pausing periodically to slide the planed blank along the cut out corner in the template to ensure that it's dimensions have not got too thin. Continue planing until you have a smooth square cross-section which exactly fits the template all the way along it's length, i.e. it is now exactly 11/32 square. At this point, lay the blank with one edge in the groove and carefully plane off the opposite edge \par Rotate the blank 180 degrees and repeat the process . Then rotate the blank 90 degrees and again take off one edge, rotate 180 degrees and take off the last corner. You should now have the blank planed down to a cross section which is an octagon in shape with 8 equal sides.
At this point, start again turning and planing off the remaining edges until you have effectively 16 sides, although at this point the shaft is getting very close to round. Using medium/fine sandpaper, wrap the sandpaper around the shaft and slide it up and down to smooth off the remaining edges and tidy up the last of the shaft. Try and slide it through the hole drilled in the template. (If it doesn't fit, don't force it, otherwise you can scour, break, bend, etc. your shaft.) Anywhere that jams should be marked, the shaft removed and the sanding continued around that area and then tried again. Slowly the shaft will be sanded down, testing for size and sanded again until it slides smoothly through the template hole, just touching on all sides along it's full length giving a smooth shaft of a constant diameter.
I find that what usually happens (with my shafts) is that the 1/2" of wood at either end finishes up slightly narrower than I require (from the planing/sanding process), which is why I allow for an extra 2-3" of length on the shafts for adjustment. I cut back one end a fraction to the even diameter shaft and cut my nock in. If I really mess the nock up, I still have just enough spare shaft to allow me to saw the nock off and recut it. Once the completed nock is cut in, I saw the other end of the shaft off to fit my required length.
