Anybody into footing shafts?

[BowEd]

Purple heart in front of DF.

[Don W]

I've footed a few. I make my own shafts and typically use poplar. I do break quite a few so this technique is good for fixing them. I have a few arrows with two and three fixes.

[bjrogg]

I haven’t tried it yet Ed.

Do you do it for a higher forward of center weight? Or because they look great?

Bjrogg

[Allyn T]

I think it looks awesome and want to try it one day

[Pat B]

I've never footed an arrow but they sure do look nice. I think footed arrows were created as a repair for broken arrows but they also add weight, durability and beauty to today's arrows. I have a couple that Art Butner(artcher1) gave me with footed nocks also.

[BowEd]

These were made from perfectly good DF's.Usually 60 to 70 grains can be added up front.
Used osage before too.I've only done a few dozen or so in my lifetime.
I've insert reinforced the nocks on self nocks many times before with horn.Even then I wrap them on 50# bows.


I've slammed these[accidentally of course] into steel before with no breakage.Just a mushroomed field tip.
Would'nt reccommend doing it on purpose though.

[Hawkdancer]

Interesting!  I will have to try that.  Just have to sort through my purple heart.
Hawkdancer

[WhistlingBadger]

Nice.  I've never tried it either.  Might be next on my list after I learn to sinew back, recurve, and build shoot shafts.

[bownarra]

You can't beat a good footed arrow. I've made quite a few for people. They are worth the effort and make excellent arrows.
To get rid of the flats at the end of the 'feet' reduce to a slightly smaller diameter. The flats will turn to sharp points then. Osage is my favourite footing wood - it is much more durable than a lot of woods and footing with it really shows this. P/heart looks great but won't stand up unless the grain is perfect.
A friend of mine came up with a few jigs to allow cutting of footings with a router. His jigs are perfection! The footings are finished off the jig, ready to glue together. 3 and 4 footed.
Try a hand cut 4 footed splice Ed. They are fun!

[BowEd]

I agree osage is good stuff to use,and that your purple heart needs to have good straight grain.
A 4 way footed arrow I hav'nt tried yet.A jig would be the way to go with that procedure.They do look great.
I figured with the 2 way footing I got my extra weight up front and that's good enough.

[Pat B]

I have made quite a few reinforced self nocks with hardwood, piano ivory, bone and rawhide. I got the idea of the rawhide reinforcements from Glenn St Charles in his book, "Billets to Bows". I sinew wrap all self nocks whether they are reinforced or not.

[TimBo]

I made a few hickory footed douglas fir arrows some years ago and have managed to break or lose all but one of them, so it's probably time for some new ones.  Hickory makes for a very tough, durable footing material as you can imagine (that was never the part that broke!) and does add some FOC weight.  Maybe I will try osage too. 

[BowEd]

Yep there's many options out there and I've tried many of them.All depends whether you want to take the time to do them.
Shafts that are shot a lot with self nock horn inserts maintain the best.
I don't like to shoot loose fitting self nocks.Heating and pinching plain self nocks do get them to snap on the serving again.
I don't like them to snap on really tight though.Just enough that a tap from my finger will dislodge them but still stay on the string through out the draw.

[Pat B]

and I prefer a loose nock.

[BowEd]

I've seen some people dry fire because of that.Not a pleasant outcome for the bow or the arrow or the shooter.