DIY Hardwood Footed Arrow Shafts for Traditional Archery
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2018
- Hardwood footed arrow shafts are a lot of work but if you’re looking to add a little extra weight and strength to the front end of wood arrows, it’s a great way to go. This video will take you through the entire process, from grooving the arrow shaft and making the footing splices to gluing everything up and finishing them off. This will require some power tools, mainly a drill press or router table, and a small bandsaw (you could use a hacksaw instead). I also use a belt sander but this part can be done by hand if you don’t have one.
I used my little 9 inch bandsaw to cut my own footing splices but you can get these pre made from 3Rivers if you want to save some time or don’t have the materials. Mine were made from walnut simply because that’s what I had. Walnut is a great choice due to its toughness and dark color. If you’re after looks, you’ll want a dark colored footing to stand out against the light colored shafts. The shafts I used were Sitka Spruce from TrueShaft. I went with these because, for the spine and diameter, they’re pretty light weight which gives me more flexibility in manipulating FOC.
To prep the arrow shaft to receive the footing splice, I used the 4 Point footing jig from 3Rivers which worked great. If you want to save a little cash I also found a DIY version on TradGang that looks like it would works well.
Getting things set up is the most challenging part of the whole process. It’s important to have the router bit perfectly aligned with the jig and at the proper depth. If it’s running too shallow, the shaft won’t fit all the way into the footing and you’ll be left with voids causing a weak joint between footing and shaft. If you’re using a drill press, the easiest way to adjust the depth of the cut was through moving the bit up and down as opposed to the table. You’ll also want to run the press at a pretty high RPM for a smooth cut. During initial setup and practice, use some junk shafts or broken arrows. Expect to mess some up before you get the hang of it. Better to start with junk than ruin your good shafts while learning.
Once you’ve got everything set just right, grooving the shafts goes pretty quickly. You’ll just need to pay close attention to the position of the shaft when you rotate it in the jig. If you’re off just a little it’ll show in the final product. When running the shaft through the router bit, make sure you keep good pressure on it to avoid the jig tilting. And if you’re left with some rough edges after the cut you can clean them up with a file.
As mentioned, I cut my own footing blanks. Start with an piece of hardwood a half inch by half inch by eight inches long. Set your bandsaw fence to a quarter inch and saw down about 5 inches, splitting the blank in half for that length. Back out, rotate the blank and do it again. Now you have a four pronged hardwood footing blank to slip onto the shaft.
Next you’ll need to coat the surfaces with a good wood glue like TiteBond 3. A sliver of wood comes in very handy for getting the glue into the tight spots. Apply a little to the grooves on the shaft as well. Once everything is coated, but before you slip the shaft into the blank, clamp the blank at the base of the cuts to prevent them from splitting. Now slide the shaft in and seat it in the blank. Give it a little tap with a mallet if it’s not getting all the way to the end. If you can’t get it seated without major cracks in the footing blank, you probably didn’t cut the grooves deep enough. You’ll need to tightly wrap a string around the fingers of the footing blank to keep them tight against the shaft until the glue dries.
When everything is dry, you simply (but not so easily) take the excess hardwood down to the original shaft diameter with whatever tools you want. I used a belt sander, rasp, file, and sand paper - in that order. Just be careful not to get down into the shaft and reduce the shaft diameter itself. When you get close to finished diameter, chucking the nock end of the arrow shaft in a drill allows you to spin it while holding the footing in a folded sheet of sand paper. When all the excess hardwood and glue is gone, finish the shaft off like any other. Congrats, you’ve just finished your first four winged hardwood footed shaft! Now do eleven more…
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Could picture myself spending all the time to make some cool footed wood arrows just to send them bad boys right into a rock when they are finished
4 yrs.. geez! I watched a Korean bower vid (making footed shafts) & I honestly like your finished shafts more. I'm flipped, how great they look
Thanks 🙏
Yes man. Just started my first run of English yew hunting bows.
The arrow game is next
This is the first time I've seen anyone do a video like this so I appreciate this very much it was very informative you made it look so easy and I know looks are deceiving
thanks Tim
I've never seen arrows like that . Definitely worth giving a try . I bet those get a lot of looks when someone notices .
I know this is 3yrs old but I would be interested in seeing the arrow tuning process for a footed shaft in particular a tapered shaft
I'm glad you made this video, a couple years ago I wanted to do a four point footed shaft and there was absolutely no UA-cam info on the subject, thanks.
you're welcome Shane
you're welcome Shane
I've never clicked like button so fast in my life. Thanks Clay 💪
haha, thanks
You are truly a brother of the bow! There’s not a lot of us . It’s one of those things where as if you have to ask you wouldn’t understand it’s embedded in our DNA I do believe.
I also did it by eye and it came out just fine. Great video.
Absolutely great!
This is where calipers come in quite useful
I kind of wanna use this technique to make some sticks for my pool table aswell.
That was simply awesome video on footed shafts
Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it
That is some kind of cool 👍
I've always wanted to try that just haven't taken the time
Very cool
thanks
Nice job Clay - I made some a while ago after buying a DVD produced by Gary Renfro - I had a spare old router and made up a specific router table for it which worked brilliantly - I think that they look great - your method for finishing them is simpler than Gary's as he'd made up a router table and a sliding drawer like system with an electric drill in to spin the shaft and push it backwards and forwards past the router - adjust it sideways a bit closer to the router and push it past again until you get to the desired diameter - okay if you make loads but for the occasional set it was a lot of work albeit very precise.There isn't much information on here about footed shafts so good to see your video - keep up the good work - regards - Dale
Thanks Dale
That's sweet looking
thats cool ! thanks clay
Years ago I made a jig out of stainless steel. works great.
Thanks going to make one or 2 or 3..
freakin love it thanks, you made it look easy
haha, but still lots of work.
haha, but still lots of work.
pretty nice..
man these look like purple heart but nice job Clay !!
It looks like my pool stick. Only mini lol!
Dowl maker would make that last bit easier I believe.
I bet you’re right
Hey Clay, thanks for the video. How does footing affect the spine weight? I imagine the harder wood and laminated section would stiffen the arrow, but the added weight would weaken the spine. Do they cancel each other out? I ask because I have a set of shafts that I purchased before I intended to foot them. Do I need to start with stiffer shafts than I originally intended? Thanks!
They might weaken the dynamic spine a little but I don’t think it would be much. You should be able to correct any minor spine issues with tip weight.
Very nice! But apart from aesthetics and fun during building these, do you consider the time and effort worth the practical benefits? Do the arrow become noticeably more durable?
For species like Sitka Spruce, it makes a difference in durability. For species like Doug Fir, probably not so much.
Have you tried using a lathe to bring the foot down to round ?
Very cool looking shafts. Is increasing the FOC the only reason to go to that effort? Thanks for the video. I didn't even know this was a thing let alone how to do it.
For lighter weight shafts like spruce, it also helps strengthen the front end.
Do you make your own shafts from a 2x4? And if so how?
Do you make any attempt to orient the wings to the grain direction of the shaft, ie perpendicular/parallel or at 45°?
I've never paid it any attention.
Oh my goodness tooooo much work! Hahaha
Yeeeeesssss!
How big router drill diameter you use?
You think its possible to make a self bow out of a pecan sapling...whats recommended bow length for a 30 inch draw?
Don't know what Clay would say, but multiply your draw length by 2, then add 4 inches for the handle. 64 inch bow, but that might need some backing unless it's carefully made due to how short it's gonna be- so now add 8 inches to both tips...which will add up to a simple 80 inch bow. Simple, but should hold up to 30 inch draws without a backing...though you might want to reflex those tips to remedy some set.
Thats a long ass bow im 6'3
Plan on shooting a couple of does next month ill probably try backing it this my first bow so im going to take my time
@@bdbhtx6327 It's kinda overkill in terms of length, but the purpose is to give you more to work with...so if you mess up, there is wiggle room to shorten your bow if necessary.
As Gabriel mentions, longer is generally better for a beginner. As you improve in your bow making skill, you can start pushing the limits of the material you're working with. For instance, I recently made a 60 inch osage recurve for someone with a 32 inch draw.
the other wood is pine?
How do you choose the correct piece of wood?
thanks
The shafts are Sitka spruce. The footing material just needs to be straight grain, tough, and heavy.
What's that broadhead showing in the finished arrow picture!?
It’s an old DeadHead
What the glue are you used
i love hardwood footed shafts but they are so expensive.
That’s because they are a hell of a lot of work!
Sir, u sell the jig?
3 rivers sells it
Can i see the driil?
how do you start the tuning process with a footed shaft? seems like it would be more complicated to find your tip weight.
You would need to know about what length your final arrows will end up so you don't end up cutting all your footing off in the tuning process.
Make make a at lateral make a at little and flintknap the point that must be ok 90 ft tall and it must be made out of river river cane and treat the fletching should also be flashing should also be turkey feathers and and ok I have to make the throne stick
What's up?? There is adio but no video????
what's the point though?
Sharp. Very sharp point.
It adds a bit of weight to the front of the shaft as well as appearance.
@@Volstandigkeit neat
Strength.
Helps push the FOC on the arrow, something wood arrows tend to have more trouble with over carbon arrows.
Also, it is cool. That's the point!
Why? That's a lot of work for... for what? What have you gained? What am I missing?
It increases strength in the front end and increases FOC as well.
@@clayhayeshunter I've seen several of your you tube videos that talk about FOC but nothing that explains what FOC is. Please explain.
... what exactly is unhealthy about a fat restaurant Burger other than the bread?
If you didn't talk so much the video would have been 7 minutes.
Thank you for the incredibly helpful insight.