Lancashire Archery Coaching Clinic
LAA Coaches are holding their Annual Coaching Clinic at Assheton on the 24th March 2012
Course costs £15 Per Person for a full day.
‘Assheton Member Notices’ Info
Arrow Making Course
This course is scheduled to run on Saturday 3rd March if there are enough members wanting to do it.
For more information, please see Ian Cottam at the club
Information on arrow making is available below:-
MAKING WOODEN ARROWS
To make your own Arrows & shoot them from a Bow that you have also made is probably one the greatest delights in Archery.
We are fortunate at AB that we run courses to teach members the skills that are required to build Bows and Arrows.
Why pay £75/100 for a set of arrows, when, if you apply our skills correctly you can make arrows that will FLY TRUE. Fancy arrows that don’t fly well are worse than useless.
It is our intention to assist you in building your own arrows. This is not to say that our way is either the best or only method.
The method we use will allow you to make arrows that are accurately spined & weighted & will fly true. We would suggest that, unless you shoot many competitions, that you make arrows in sets of EIGHT. This way you can make 2 sets of arrows for different conditions. e.g. 4” fletchings for short distance, 2½” for long distance.
Before we start there are a number of items that you need to ensure that your arrows will be well made & fly true.
1) Grain scales.(to ensure that all your arrows are the same weight)
2) Spine Jig. ( to ensure that your arrows are the same spine)
3) Taper Cutter. ( to cut the tapers for the Nocks & Points)
4) Fletchings ( Type, length, colour)
5) Fletching Jigs ( many different types)
6) Points ( Type & weight)
7) Nocks ( type & weight)
8) Glue ( Fletching & Point)
9) Decals ( very Individual)
10) Crestings ( many different Colours)
11) Sandpaper (120, 250 & 320 grit)
12) Varnish ( Rustins is very hard finish & easy to apply )
13) Sharp Knives, Side Cutters, Scissors, a small Guillotine & Latex gloves
14) Shafts (between 8 & 12)
15) Feather Burner
16) Shaft cutting jig.
17) Cresting Jig
18) Sanding Sealer.
19) An arrow holding block.( a 3”x2” wood block with 12 holes in it)
20) Arrow speed Chronograph.
Whilst all the equipment is necessary, the Spine Jig, Shaft cutter, Cresting Jig, Feather burner, Chronograph are expensive to buy & you may borrow these to avoid the expense of buying.
Grain Scales
SHAFT WEIGHT. This is measured in Grains.
Begin by weighing all shafts & select between 15 & 18 that weigh within 5 to 10 grains of each other. The closer the weight the better the arrows will be.
SPINING is the amount that a shaft bends under an 880gram or 2lb load.
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We then spine our shafts to obtain a set of shafts that are within ONE spine of each other. The more accurate the better.
ACCURACY does have a down side. The higher grade of Arrows that you choose to make the more expensive it will be in both time, effort & the number of shafts that you need to check to obtain a matched set.
WEIGHING & SPINING is the most time consuming element of arrow building but if you don’t get it right your arrows will not have been worth the trouble making.
If you can find someone who will supply arrows that are already spined & weighted this will save you a huge amount of bother.
WE NOW HAVE OUR SHAFTS Initially leave the shafts at full length but then cut the NOCK taper on all the shafts. At this stage we fit the NOCKS (tightly) BUT DO NOT GLUE THEM ON.
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Wooden Block. This allows you to store all your arrows vertically whilst you work on them. |
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Taper Cutter. This will accurately cut the tapers for both the Point & the Nock. |
CRESTING COLOUR, select your colour cut your crestings to size, cut the crestings so that when an arrow is nocked you can immediately check your BRACING HEIGHT & then stick them in position.( they are self-adhesive)
Select all your cock feathers & flight feathers.
Using the side cutters trim the TAIL of all the feathers, then trim the front of ONE FEATHER to length and use this feather to trim all the remaining feathers to the SAME LENGTH.
Select a shaft & your cock feather, decide how far down the shaft you want this to be (I suggest between ½” & 1”). Insert your shaft into the FLETCHING JIG & glue the fletching in place. I use SUPERGLUE (but considerable care is needed).
Complete all the remaining shafts.
Check & remove the NOCKS then glue them into position using FLETCHING glue (NPV) ensuring the correct alignment is obtained. (Now you know why we don’t glue them initially)
Now select your other fletchings & glue in position, again using SUPERGLUE. You will notice that all coloured arrows have a WHITE BASE LINE. Use permanent markers to colour this white line, the same colour as the fletchings. This is a good final touch.
At this stage you can BURN the feathers to any shape or size that you want, This is a very sticky skill to learn. However these of you who want to go along this line. We will teach you.
When all your Fletchings are complete, TOP & TAIL THEM. This means putting a DAB of NPV glue on the front & back tips of all the feathers.
DECALS are numbered 1 to 12 with your Initials & the AB Club Crest on.
We can now put the decals on. They are water based. You cut to around the outline & then soak in water for about 45 secs. until the decal slides. They are then carefully slid onto the shaft below the cock feather. Carefully remove any bubbles & excess water & leave to dry for about 30 minutes.
SHAFT LENGTH
The shaft length is your draw length plus at least 1 ½”. Remember that you always shorten your arrows but you can only lengthen them by making them into footed arrows. (Yet another skill that is worth attempting. Instruction is available)
Cut your arrows to size using the SHAFT cutting jig, and then cut the point tapers.
Clean your points in a degreasing agent; cleanliness is vital to ensure that the POINTS adhere properly to the shafts. Using a TWO PART EPOXY RESIN to glue the points on; allow to dry for 20 minutes.
FINISHING
Sandpaper your shafts using the 120 grit paper, clean off, sand with the 250, clean & then the 320 grit. Clean off & thoroughly COAT the shafts with Sanding sealer. By now your shafts will be very smooth.
VARNISHING
Always wear Latex Gloves. A BRUSH is preferable to apply the Varnish which is Rustins two part. This is a very hard & high gloss varnish.
Lightly apply a coat varnish, allow to dry (20 minutes) lightly sand with USED 320 grit. Varnish again, allow to dry, sand again. Now give your shafts the THIRD & final coat of varnish, allow to dry. Using buffing cream applied with a cloth & buff all your arrows. Your ARROWS should now be HIGHLY polished & very smooth.
TESTING YOUR ARROWS.
F.O.C . Forward of centre (what is this & why we check it?) This is basically the balance point of the arrow. This should be between 8% &10% beyond the centre of the arrow, towards the point For most purposes this is about 1.4”
For a set to be truly matched the F.O.C. should be the same for all of your Arrows.
Shoot all your arrows through a speed chronograph at 10 yards. Ideally they should all register the same speed. Any speed over 100mph is good for Wooden arrows
Try all your arrows from 20 yards. They should all fly true.
Peter Carr
Beginners Course
The next 6 Weeks beginners course will commence on Tuesday 21st February 2012 and will be run by Coach Steve Morris and Steve’s team of Coaching staff, beginners MUST attend every week to qualify for the Certificate at completion. This Course costs £50 in total and entitles you to join any club in the UK including ours, subject to the clubs availability etc.
Week1: Basic Safety & How to shoot
Week2: Recurve Bow 10 Yards
Week3: Recurve Bow 20 Yards
Week4: Compound Bow
Week5: Longbow
Week6: Competition
