Greetings from Aldric, Lord of the House of Summerisle, archer, fletcher, occasional bard, with an undying appreciation and gratitude for saucy wenches and fine spirits. Ok, even not so fine spirits in a pinch. I am aka Baby Eater on the battlefield but I digress. I learned to shoot the longbow long before I ever wielded a sword.
It occurred me long ago that the only way to have a dependable supply of functional, traditional arrows at a reasonable cost was to learn to make them myself. My traditional arrows are hand-craefted from Port Orford cedar shafts (unless otherwise specified) and sealed with a non-glossy penetrating wood sealer which is closer to a traditional finish then the shiny gasket lacquer or polyurethane that is commonly used on wood arrows these days. All arrows are fletched with real feathers and come with 125 grain steel field points unless otherwise requested. They are also hand spined in-house by me, as is the grain matching when applicable.
“……. because shafts be not made so much to be sold, but chiefly to be used.” Toxophilus By Roger Ascham, 1545
Options Available:
• Shaft Diameter – 5/16″ diameter is lighter and faster but breaks easier. 11/32″ is heavier and slower but sturdier. Heavier shafts available by special order.
• Shaft Spine – Static Spine is the stiffness of the arrow and its resistance to bending. To determine static spine, the arrow is supported between two points and a force is applied to the center of those two points, usually through a weight. The amount of displacement at the center point (how far the arrow bends) determines the static spine. Dynamic Spine is how much the arrow bends when it is shot from a bow. This depends upon the stiffness (Static Spine) of the shaft, string force, fletching, nock weights, etc.). Static Spine gets you in the ball park and Dynamic Spine is determined by shooting test arrows of various spines at a test target.
• Shaft Grain Matching – arrows that are matched in grain weight at + or – 10 (20 grain variance). Grain weighing puts your shafts physical weight within a closer match of each other to help keep your arrow flight consistent within a set.
• Nocks – plastic nocks are available in various colours. Self nocks and self nocks with hardwood inserts are also available. Self nocks must not be forced onto a larger diameter bow string then they were intended for or damage may occur. They are also more prone to damage from other arrows when sharing a target with other archers.
• Points – steel field points are standard unless otherwise requested. There are cheap blunt arrow points on the market that tend to bounce off some targets and seem to break easily so I don’t use them. Bodkins are available as special order but we disallow their use at our shoots because they punch through the safety nets too easily. Arrows are also available without points so you can add your own broad heads for hunting.
• Fletching Shape – a matter of preference. I typically use Traditional, Pope and Young, and Shield unless otherwise requested.
• Fletching Size – the longer the fletching the further the arrow will fly but the more drag there is. Shield cuts come in 2.75″, 3″, 4″ and 5″. Traditional and Pope & Young cuts are 5″
• Fletching Colours – pre cut fletching colors include most common solid colours and barred (striped). Custom chopped colours from whole feathers are also available in Traditional, Shield and Pope & Young.
• # of Fletches – three fletches at 120 degrees to each other is the most common or four fletches at 90 degrees.
• Left or Right Wing Fletching – unless otherwise requested all arrows are fletched left wing. Right wing available only as special order.
• Straight or Helical Fletching – helical fletching puts a twist in the fletching as it is fixed to the shaft. As a result the arrow spirals as it travels through the air which gives it greater stability over distance. Is it period? Rodger Asham describes how an arrow should be fletched so it spirals in flight in his archery book Toxophilus published in 1545 which suggests that period fletchers did know the benefits of helical fletching.
• Cresting – simple, decorative rings painted on the shaft to personalize the arrows.
Arrow Services include:
• Static Spine Test of wood shafts.
• Replace point.
• Replace nock.
• Replace one fletch.
• Refletch complete arrow.
• Hand straightening of wood shafts.
• Install String Nock on bowstring.
• Bow Dynamic Spine Test – test for the correct arrow spine for your individual bow and check for proper placement of the String Nocking Point.
Caring For Your Wood Arrows:
Wood arrows should be stored in a vertical position so that the forces of gravity are parallel to the length of the shaft. Storing your arrows in a quiver is not recommended.
To straighten wood arrows on the range, see this useful YouTube video from the folks at 3Rivers Archery: Shaft Straightening.
To straighten a bent shaft permanently use steam from a tea kettle or small pot of boiling water on the shaft and let cool after straightening. Another trick is to use a spoon to rub out the high spots when the arrow is placed on a flat surface. If you aren’t in a hurry arrows can be straightened by gravity from storing the bent shaft horizontally with the bend sticking up. If all else fails commercially made devices for straightening arrows can be purchased online.
Thank you for visiting. See you on the range. Safe shooting!