I enjoy making my own arrows. Ive been making them for about 35 years. While I enjoy compounds and recurves,, I also make my own longbows and my own broadheads to hunt with. Likewise I make my own cedar arrows. I took a few pictures of the last batch I am working on. This not the ONLY way to make arrows. Its just one way. There is more than one way to skin a cat and while I love cats, I can’t eat a whole one by myself but I digress. We save the wings from the birds we kill so we can make them fly again. I like to use the primary feathers but I also use the secondary feathers if they seem fitting for the purpose. I trim away both ends that are less than useful. Turkeys are dirty, smelly, oily birds so the feathers need a bath in warm soapy water Even though this turkey died once, Its gonna get dyed again. This time red but sometimes green or yellow, etc. I use RIT dye, really hot water and a little vinegar. After a rinse and air drying. Lots of folks use a razor knife to split their feathers and I have done it that way for years but I find a 14 tooth very thin bandsaw blade offers more control and is a bit easier/safer. I fabricated a holder that allows me to grind/sand the base and sides of the feathers. Nothing fancy but it works. Then a trip on the drill press against a sanding drum with a wood spacer slightly larger in Diameter than the drum to allow for consistent spacing.
I don’t chop my feather although that is a perfectly fine method to employ. I tend to burn my feathers either in advance of fletching using a simple clamp I made from office supplies and a red hot wire. Or I burn them after fletching (also using a hot wire) I like to dip and crest my cedars in colors that match the feathers. I have a few fletching jigs that date back pretty far but for a bit more helical I use this newer Bohning jig. Here is another batch. Couple that with a homemade broadhead and it makes for one very satisfying way to pass the time and a way to increase the level of satisfaction and accomplishment when you take game with a homemade bow and homemade arrows.
That is possibly the best DIY post I have ever seen. Great job and thanks for sharing with us. Blessings.........Pastorjim
Great job on those arrows. Those are professional quality. You said that you make your own cedar arrows. Would you mind doing a thread on that?
You the man!!! I've been saving turkey feathers for 20 years hoping some day $I could do this . Many thanks for your tutorial. mike
