I generally wrap my fletching and that wrap goes up to just below the nock. This really does a great job of protecting these nocks and they are just as strong as any other nock on the market. I have a video for how I wrap the fletching and protect the nock here on youtube.
I have tried many different types of saws over the years and have come to believe that the double bladed hack saw is the best for this job. There are many reasons for this the two main ones are, it is the perfect width and the fine teeth do not damage the structure of the shaft grain.
I've done the drill thing and even tried doing it with a dremel tool but keep going back to that small rat-tail file. Thanks for the suggest though, I'm always looking for ways to get better and faster.
Very good video! I make my nocks almost like that, but first drill a hole whith the diameter of the string and then cut with a small hacksaw - it's faster :)
We use very much the same process. :@) I am impressed that emery boards work for you. I found that their flexibility meant I messed up the looks of my nocs so I prefer a rigid metal hobby file. I have been using a Dremel and a lot of concentration. I work to get a slight v in my noc canyon. If I take too much off at the deepest part I use epoxy to tighten it up. On my last two dozen five were a bit loose. If I can find a second blade for my hand saw I plan to use that like you do. I expect it is far less stressful than a Dremel. I also like that it is more like they did in the Tudor era as I am part of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms) .
I tried using power tools but they tend to weaken the grains causing the nock to fail quicker. I tried a more rigid file for shaping but like the flexibility of the of the emery boards to give me the shape I want. I also wanted to make mine as traditional as possible so that is another reason I stopped using power tools of any type.
The Standard seems to be Port Orford Cedar -- which can be purchased from a lot of places, which you can easily find if you type it in an internet search, I am sure :)
Yikes! This is why finished arrows cost so much. According to your video that is 0:08:00 per nock (8 minutes). So a dozen arrows will take 01:30:00 just to make nocks (hour and a half). Now you need to spend another 0:02:00 per arrow to wrap the nock area in sinew or B50 Dacron to prevent splits. That brings it up to 2:00:00 per dozen arrows just for string nocks! (You can taper and glue plastic nocks on a dozen arrows in 10 minutes.)
That is so true on how much time it takes. However even using plastic nocks, the time taken to correctly build a dozen hours is days and that is not getting fancy. If you start cresting the shafts and splicing feathers then you are looking a much more time. It takes time just to select a set of wood shafts that match to get a good dozen for a set.
Wanted to follow up on my comment to let you know that I used your technique to make half-dozen arrows. I don't just make semi-negative posts without exploring the topic a bit. Being lazy I used a band saw to make the first cut. Drilling the bottom of the nock was fast with no vise or drill press needed. I took a lot of time to polish the inside of the nock to reduce abrasion of my serving. I used cloth-backed rouge strips. I wrapped the shaft below the nock with B-50 Dacron running the first wrap across the bottom of the nock for more split-proofing. The arrows snap on just like a plastic nock and hold very tightly. If I do it again I will fire harden the nock after cutting and before polishing. Or I may dip it in a wood-hardener like the MinWax product. I wrapped the ends of my fletching so that I can shoot these off of my knuckle with my Korean bow. Cheers!
I've done some with a band saw and drill and went back to the method in the video. Now it might have just been me, but the ones I did with the band saw and drill just didn't seem to last as long. I hope you have better luck than I did with yours.
that's not to say Cedar is the only wood -- there are other woods good for arrow making as well; I've heard the medieval English used oak for their arrows, etc
Very well done. A good video and even better arrows. I notice from the comments section that you are always looking for different ways of doing this so if you have the time please see my video.Its not as good as yours but i am sure you will understand the method.All the best. alfaromeoash
I generally wrap my fletching and that wrap goes up to just below the nock. This really does a great job of protecting these nocks and they are just as strong as any other nock on the market. I have a video for how I wrap the fletching and protect the nock here on youtube.
@Sharpielotr123 Yes it was "two emery boards". I'm glad the video helped you and let me know if you have any other questions.
This is excellent! I am about to start making arrows and this was incredibly helpful, thanks!
Glad it helped!!
@GTRF4N Thanks and yes it does work really well if you are not going to stain the nock area.
I have tried many different types of saws over the years and have come to believe that the double bladed hack saw is the best for this job. There are many reasons for this the two main ones are, it is the perfect width and the fine teeth do not damage the structure of the shaft grain.
I've done the drill thing and even tried doing it with a dremel tool but keep going back to that small rat-tail file. Thanks for the suggest though, I'm always looking for ways to get better and faster.
@TheHarleyhillbilly You are welcome and I hope it helped.
@TheHarleyhillbilly You are very welcome
You are correct, PO Cedar, Sitka Spurce and Douglas Fir are my favorites but there are many other types of wood that can be used in making arrows.
@kennygtexas You are very welcome, hope it helps.
how do you attach two hack saw blades together?
Very good video! I make my nocks almost like that, but first drill a hole whith the diameter of the string and then cut with a small hacksaw - it's faster :)
@kennygtexas Your welcome, glad it helped
Thank you for taking the time to make this video!
We use very much the same process. :@) I am impressed that emery boards work for you. I found that their flexibility meant I messed up the looks of my nocs so I prefer a rigid metal hobby file. I have been using a Dremel and a lot of concentration. I work to get a slight v in my noc canyon. If I take too much off at the deepest part I use epoxy to tighten it up. On my last two dozen five were a bit loose. If I can find a second blade for my hand saw I plan to use that like you do. I expect it is far less stressful than a Dremel. I also like that it is more like they did in the Tudor era as I am part of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms) .
I tried using power tools but they tend to weaken the grains causing the nock to fail quicker. I tried a more rigid file for shaping but like the flexibility of the of the emery boards to give me the shape I want. I also wanted to make mine as traditional as possible so that is another reason I stopped using power tools of any type.
The Standard seems to be Port Orford Cedar -- which can be purchased from a lot of places, which you can easily find if you type it in an internet search, I am sure :)
Hey i was wondering where do you get y0our shafts from?? do you make them or buy them??
Me too. Looking for new videos of yours.
Yikes! This is why finished arrows cost so much.
According to your video that is 0:08:00 per nock (8 minutes). So a dozen arrows will take 01:30:00 just to make nocks (hour and a half). Now you need to spend another 0:02:00 per arrow to wrap the nock area in sinew or B50 Dacron to prevent splits. That brings it up to 2:00:00 per dozen arrows just for string nocks! (You can taper and glue plastic nocks on a dozen arrows in 10 minutes.)
That is so true on how much time it takes. However even using plastic nocks, the time taken to correctly build a dozen hours is days and that is not getting fancy. If you start cresting the shafts and splicing feathers then you are looking a much more time. It takes time just to select a set of wood shafts that match to get a good dozen for a set.
Wanted to follow up on my comment to let you know that I used your technique to make half-dozen arrows. I don't just make semi-negative posts without exploring the topic a bit.
Being lazy I used a band saw to make the first cut. Drilling the bottom of the nock was fast with no vise or drill press needed.
I took a lot of time to polish the inside of the nock to reduce abrasion of my serving. I used cloth-backed rouge strips.
I wrapped the shaft below the nock with B-50 Dacron running the first wrap across the bottom of the nock for more split-proofing.
The arrows snap on just like a plastic nock and hold very tightly.
If I do it again I will fire harden the nock after cutting and before polishing. Or I may dip it in a wood-hardener like the MinWax product.
I wrapped the ends of my fletching so that I can shoot these off of my knuckle with my Korean bow.
Cheers!
I've done some with a band saw and drill and went back to the method in the video. Now it might have just been me, but the ones I did with the band saw and drill just didn't seem to last as long. I hope you have better luck than I did with yours.
Hi what size round file do you use to make the string groove at the bottom?
TIA
Syd
1/8 inch round file
A tile saw is good also.
that's not to say Cedar is the only wood -- there are other woods good for arrow making as well; I've heard the medieval English used oak for their arrows, etc
What size rat tail file was that? Thanks!
+pastorjosh44 It is a 1/8 inch file.
@jonneyj I buy my shafts, much easier if you can find a trusted supplier.
You are very welcome!!
Very well done. A good video and even better arrows. I notice from the comments section that you are always looking for different ways of doing this so if you have the time please see my video.Its not as good as yours but i am sure you will understand the method.All the best.
alfaromeoash
Nice.
Thanks!!
Great vid....thanks so much.
Thanks, glad the video helped.
@paddelnisse Thanks!
Thank you so much sir.
Thanks guys!!!
Nice videos
Thanks!!!!!
thank you sir
Thanks!!
@mada45100 Thanks you!!!!
Nice