New Bow and Arrows

[Josh Wilson]

I purchased this bow from Ebay just before Christmas. It's a hickory, English style bow, and draws 50# at 28". The arrows I made using shafts and fletchings from 3 Rivers Archery, and the points I bought off of Ebay as well. They are a lathed (rather than forged) bodkin type of point. I think they came out well for my first arrows. I cant wait to get out and shoot!

[Gùnthaar]

Nice Job on the arrows! I am a bit of an novice fletcher myself. I have made several self nocks and would like to get a better look at yours, could you post a close up? Great job on the fletching, it looks very neat and not to tight!

[Patrick]

I just rediscovered the joy of archery this past summer. I made little longbows for my kids (pulling about 15 pounds - linen backed oak) and got out my old recurve. Now I'm wanting to get into fletching. Arrows cost some serious money.

Wonderful sport, though. Wonderful.

Oh, and I have to say I find your fletching a bit inspirational. First effort? If so, fantastic.

Thanks for posting that!

-Patrick

[FrauHirsch1]

Nice!

[Josh Wilson]

Thanks guys!

Yes, it's my first effort. I bought an oak dowel rod at the hardware store and made a mock arrow up before I attempted to do anything with my cedar shafts. (3 Rivers has a sale on them now, btw. I used 11/32.) I cut the taper on the end for the arrow point, and coated them with 50/50 Minwax Polycrylic and water, let them dry, and then went over them with fine steel wool. Then I glued on the points and cut the nocks. To make the nock, I took a hack saw blade, and cut it in half. Then I made a handle for it, and set the 2 blades side by side in the handle with the teeth going the same direction on each blade. This gives me a wider cutting kerf. I measured and drew a line on the handle, and cut the nocks with my home made saw, until the end of the arrow comes to the line I measured.



The hacksaw blade is fine enough toothed that it didn't rough up my shafts too much, and being double thick, allowed my small file to fit easily into the cut to finish the knock. Then I sanded the outside of the nock round. I fletched the arrows with a jo-jan arrow fletcher, and used the fletching tape, because it stuck instantaneous to the shaft, instead of having to wait 20 minutes for each feather to dry. I then put a spot of super glue onto the shaft below the fletching, stuck the end of my string to it to hold it in place, and just wrapped up and over the string end, and up past the fletchings, finising it off with a couple of hitches. The wrapping around the nock itself, I did as if I were whipping the end of a rope. I then painted over the wrappings with some Elmer's clear drying glue, and called them done.



I was able to get out to the range this afternoon before work, and fire them off. I haven't really shot a bow in 17 or 18 years. It took me a little while to hit the target, but with Dad coaching me, I was able to hit the paper plate consistently from about 15 yards. Now that I think I have my form semi-down, I'll try from farther away next time.



Sorry to have written a novel. Thanks again for your kind words.

[Edmund_Penyngton]

Very impressive, Josh. I like the way the arrows look. Plain, simple, and functional. I'm working on a set of my own, but mine are a bit more modern in style than these. I figure once I get the hang of modern construction methods I'll start trying to make my arrows more period.

On the self-nocks though, did you have the string material in place before you cut the groove? Or did you add that later and just use the close up as an illustration? Also, what is that stringy material? Sinew? Serving Thread? ...

I am inspired, but curious at the same time... ^_^

[Josh Wilson]

Hey Edmund, I cut the nocks before I added the twine. I just grabbed a finished arrow and held it up to demonstrate my nock cutting tool, and show the mark on the side of the handle. The string that I used is some heavy duty linen thread. It came from a forgotten 18th C living history vendor a looooooong time ago. If you check some living history vendors Im sure you can come up with something similar. It is much thicker than regular sewing thread. This would be good for sewing leather with.

[Ingelri]

Is that one of the $50 longbows being built by a guy down here in Villa Rica, GA? If so, can you provide a review on the quality and performance?

Thanks.

[Josh Wilson]

Is that one of the $50 longbows being built by a guy down here in Villa Rica, GA? If so, can you provide a review on the quality and performance?

Thanks.

Yes it is, actually.

My bow has taken some set in it from string follow, but this doesnt seem to affect the perfomance any. In fact, I actually almost lost an arrow the other day, because it went through a straw bale, (weakened) piece of rubber mat and into the hillside, took me forever to find it (I was shooting the bodkin points, pictured above). It pulls 50 pounds at 28". By the time I get it drawn back, Ive got it closer to 55 or 57 pounds or so. It doesn't stack, and it pulls and releases pretty smoothly. If you get one, I'd reccomend getting the string served, though. Overall, Im very pleased with it, and would deffinitely reccomend it, especially at that price.

[Brann mac Finnchad]

The string that I used is some heavy duty linen thread. It came from a forgotten 18th C living history vendor a looooooong time ago. If you check some living history vendors Im sure you can come up with something similar. It is much thicker than regular sewing thread. This would be good for sewing leather with.

It wasn't Wm. Booth, draper was it?

How the blazes do you put URLs in the post?

[Josh Wilson]

It may have been, but who knows...Im not even sure if I bought it, or if someone gave it to me. I think Burnley and Trowbridge carry it too.