Who builds arrows?

[Supranatural]

I'm pretty new and originally I had Lancaster build my arrows but I knew I'd want to do my own and experiment around. Gradually got a fletching jig, arrow saw and tons of vanes, wraps, etc and I find it relaxing and fun to build arrows...kind of like tying flies (I'm a hardcore saltwater fly fisherman). Very easy to do and fun to experiment around with setups/arrows.

 

[Shadowcaster]

I agree with everyone here. Learn to build your own arrows. I'm in the same boat, literally one shop nearby, and I cant consider it a pro shop. I have a great relationship with the owner, but his nephew largely handles the archery aspect. Brought a dozen arrows and he charged $12 to cut them. The owner charged me $5 a month prior. And, the bastard didnt cut one, and I didnt count, went to assemble the next day and I was one short. So I had to drive another hour and a half there and back to retrieve one damn arrow. Sorry, rant over. Anyways, I got anal with this build and all dozen were within a grain of eachother. I dont think I'd get that consistency from 90% of pro shops.

 

[Archerichards]

Agreed with this. I had a dozen shafts cut yesterday, from which I will build maybe my eighth or tenth dozen arrows. I just dont think you can really understand this sport fully until you are designing and building your own arrows. It expands your personal accountability for the outcome of every shot, and heightens your personal satisfaction with the entire process. Not sure its a money saver, though I am sure you can build much higher quality (ie, more consistent flight) arrows than you can buy on the open market.

 

[Cmor_15]

If you like tinkering with thing this is one of the best to tinker with! There are lots of combinations that a person can try and shrink groups.

If you just want to simply put some arrows together it doesn't get any easier than the Arizona easy fletch.
https://www.ezfletch.com/

Then there is the bitzenburger jig it is a little more money but more precise.

Home - Bitzenburger

Manufacturers of Precision Fletching Equipment Designed by experienced archers so you can make your own perfect arrows. EXPLORE! Check Out Our Jigs Unparalleled quality, simplicity, and precision sets this fletching tool in a class by itself. Our products are used by professional archers...

www.bitzenburger.com

And then the third option would be the last chance archery vane master pro. This to me is the ultimate jig because you can do 4 or 5 different degrees of offset and left or right helical. Basically it will do anything you could need in fetching arrows!

Vane Master PRO — Last Chance Archery, LLC

The Vane Master PRO is an innovative tool made to give you perfection in fletching arrow to arrow and designed to accommodate every arrow size with little to no adjustment. Fletch your arrows at a 0-5º helical, left or right, with the ability to hold vanes up to 4" in length. This jig can fletc

lastchancearchery.com

 

[Newtosavage]

couple of conversations going in in parallel here - 1) building arrows and 2) selecting arrows.

These are very different things.

Building arrows is so easy that I've trained a BUNCH of kids to do it over the years. I started building my own when I was 15 and still use the Bizenberger jig that I bought back then with my 1st paycheck from K-Mart. LOL

Selecting arrows on the other hand, is a bit of an art combined with a working knowledge of physics.

There are good resources out there to help in both areas, but selecting the right arrow spine for a given model and a given bow and a given archer can be tricky even for the most experienced techs because we all shoot the bow differently.

 

[Cmor_15]

couple of conversations going in in parallel here - 1) building arrows and 2) selecting arrows.

These are very different things.

Building arrows is so easy that I've trained a BUNCH of kids to do it over the years. I started building my own when I was 15 and still use the Bizenberger jig that I bought back then with my 1st paycheck from K-Mart. LOL

Selecting arrows on the other hand, is a bit of an art combined with a working knowledge of physics.

There are good resources out there to help in both areas, but selecting the right arrow spine for a given model and a given bow and a given archer can be tricky even for the most experienced techs because we all shoot the bow differently.

I agree! It can be difficult to choose the perfect arrow. I believe alot of the perfect arrow is a combination of personal preference tho. Choosing the right diameter for you. It could be 4mm or 5mm or 6mm shaft choosing the proper spine and length. Price is also a big consideration.

 

[Newtosavage]

I agree! It can be difficult to choose the perfect arrow. I believe alot of the perfect arrow is a combination of personal preference tho. Choosing the right diameter for you. It could be 4mm or 5mm or 6mm shaft choosing the proper spine and length. Price is also a big consideration.

Those are the easy decisions. What takes experience is choosing the right spine and components once those decisions are made. Spine selection is usually where people struggle.