Good day today, I've been making up the 3/8" arrows for the big bow. The shafts are poplar (...well the bloke says he sells a lot of 'em ;) )I had that usual dilemma when you are making several things the same, do you make a jig to aid production or do you do each one by hand?
Well it's an ill wind that blows no one some good, and having broken my spokeshave the other day, it meant I had a spare blade.
Now the points for the 3/8 shafts are about 11/32 internal diameter so I had to reduce the ends of the shafts to take the points. I made a sort of pencil sharpener type thingy using a block of Oak and the spokeshave blade which does the job nicely, mind it took a fair time to get it right.
The other problem was fletching them as my fletching jig won't take such fat shafts.
It didn't take long to make a new base from some MDF, on which I could use my existing feather holding clip which I made many many years ago out of sheet Ali'.
The new fat arrows weigh 620grains compared with 491grains for the ones I shoot from my 75# bow.
It didn't take long to make a new base from some MDF, on which I could use my existing feather holding clip which I made many many years ago out of sheet Ali'.
The new fat arrows weigh 620grains compared with 491grains for the ones I shoot from my 75# bow.
In the morning one of the guys from the club came over with two lengths of Yew, he does landscape gardening and suchlike and had recently trimmed an old Yew tree.
He's after a longbow from it for next year and liked the idea that he knew the tree the bow came from rather than having an anonymous laminate bow.
One piece was excellent, good and straight with one clear face for easily 7'. The other face was knotty, so I'll only aim to get the one bow. The second was a bit scrappy, but maybe there's a primitive, or a crossbow prod in there. Anyhow it was nice to feel that I'll be making him a bow with his own wood.
I'll run the Yew through the bandsaw tomorrow, seal the ends, write his name and the date on it and stash it away on my shelves.
He's after a longbow from it for next year and liked the idea that he knew the tree the bow came from rather than having an anonymous laminate bow.
One piece was excellent, good and straight with one clear face for easily 7'. The other face was knotty, so I'll only aim to get the one bow. The second was a bit scrappy, but maybe there's a primitive, or a crossbow prod in there. Anyhow it was nice to feel that I'll be making him a bow with his own wood.
I'll run the Yew through the bandsaw tomorrow, seal the ends, write his name and the date on it and stash it away on my shelves.
Meanwhile I've been working up towards shooting the 90# bow, I still can't quite get back to full draw, but I'm a tad inhibited shooting into my garage, there's not much room to wave around such a big bow. I recon once I'm out in the fresh air on Sunday with a big open field in front of me I'll be able to open my chest heave it back and let fly.
I've shot the new fat arrow into my backstop and to pull it out took both hands on it with my knee against the backstop!
I've shot the new fat arrow into my backstop and to pull it out took both hands on it with my knee against the backstop!
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