Arrow Building

[MeatEater]

I'm wanting to get started making my own arrows up. This is something I've never really messed with much. What is the best Fletcher to use? Will the 8° Arizona EZ Fletch give me a helical fletch or should I go with something like the Bitzenburger?

[sambo73]

Arizona ez fletch mini right helical.

[Mark G]

Bitz all the way

[bubba1986]

I used the Jo jan multi fletcher and the bitz

[JTeLarkin08]

def bitz

[huntinpool]

blitz so many options with one unit.
Wouldn't use anything else.

[dmaxshawn]

I use a bitz.

[Mike Javi Cooper]

bitz

[bountyhunter]

The Bitzenburger is the only fletching jig I'll ever use and I build lots of arrows. There isn't any other jig that will give you consistant fletching like the bitz. They do cost a little more than the rest, but you get what you pay for in this case.

[trad"Doc"53]

Bitz for me also, when I first started years ago I dodged the Bitz due to price. In the long run after having gone through all the others, I could have bought the Bitz and had money left over! They are also built to last a lifetime so it is a good investment.

[equin]

My only experience with fletching jigs is with an older Bitzenburger that I got used. It works pretty good for my needs. It already came setup for right-wing feathers, so that's all I use. It can only do one shaft and one feather at a time, though, but I've seen others that let you do multiple shafts at a time. Have no idea if those are any better or worse than the Bitz, though.

Will you be making wood arrows, carbons, aluminums or all 3? I only make wood, bamboo and aluminums. For woods, you'll also need tapering tools to taper the ends in order to fit and glue-on the nocks and points. I got one of those small, plastic pencil-sharpener looking things they sell at 3Rivers, and they work really well with wood, but are hard to use with bamboo. They sell one for each diameter shaft (5/16, 11/32 and 23/64). To cut wood, I use a coping saw. If you're going to cut bamboo, best to put some tape around the part you're going to cut to keep it from splintering. Also, with wood it's best to orient the nock perpendicular to the wood grain.

To glue on points with wood, I use the hot-glue stuff. I tried using regular Duco cement for the points, which works well for fletching and nocks, but the points would easily come off. With the hot-glue stuff, the points stay on for the most part. I use a regular hand-torch to melt the glue, and if I need to remove the point, I use the torch to heat up the point and remove it. Obviously, it helps to use pliers to handle the points during that process.

I'm impatient, so I seal woods with the fast-drying polyurethane stuff they sell at Home Depot or Lowes. I also got the alcohol-based, fast-drying wood stains from 3Rivers - those dry REAL fast, like in about 15-20 minutes. I apply both using an old cotton rag or one of those cottony, sponge-type applicators they sell in the paint section. If you google alcohol-based stains, they say to spray it on, but my shafts stained really well by just applying it on with one of those spongy things. After the sealant dries, I then go over the shaft with 000 steel wool. I'm too lazy to re-apply more stain and sealant all over again, but if you want them to look really nice and shiny, then you can do that.

For aluminum, I use one of those small pipe-cutter things that go round and round the aluminum shaft tube til it cuts. It takes some practice, but if you start off with the tube-cutter not too tight, then slowly tighten it just a teeny bit more and more as you keep going around the shaft, it'll cut it as cleanly and straight as possible. I learned that you really have to chamfer the inside of the recently cut end to get the insert to fit. I just use a small pocket knife for that, but I understand there are better, special tools for that purpose.

I use the Bohning fletch tape to attach the feathers to aluminum, and either the blue-cap Gorilla glue, or the Fletch-tite stuff to glue on nocks (with swaged ends) and inserts. I also put a small drop of glue at the front and rear of each feather. I keep the Bohning fletch tape and glues in the fridge. I learned the hard way that if you keep the fletch tape and fletched arrows in an un-airconditioned space in the heat of the summer, the feathers will fall off, the glue will harden and the fletch tape will lose its adhesiveness. I used to apply cap-wraps on aluminum, but once I discovered how hard they are to remove, even with steam, I stopped using them.

I noticed that most suppliers sell feathers cut in the shield or parabolic shapes. I like the shield cut best, but to spice things up I bought two "choppers" that chops whole feather into shapes. One's a banana shape and the other is a "traditional" shape. So that's something else to look into if you want different cut fletchings. Oh, and if you still have enough of the feather left after chopping it, you can keep it for later as a flu-flu.

Hope this helps, and post pics of your arrows when you get done!