Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: make-n-break on March 12, 2016, 10:44:26 am
-
Happy Saturday everyone. I was turning some Douglas fir shafts this morning and thought I'd put together a little something showing my super simple router jig. This will be lengthy because I don't know how to put text in between my pictures from my phone so some will be posted individually to better explain.
First I grab some Douglas fir from the lumber yard with the tightest, straightest grain I can find. It costs about $2.30 for a board big enough for a couple dozen shafts.
Then I use my super-cheap-but-never-disappointing Performax table saw to rip it into 36" long 3/8 square stock. It's important to rip your stock 36" long and you'll see why later.
Here's a simple pic of the whole router setup. I'll elaborate momentarily.
-
It's just a scrap piece of lumber with a slot cut out for the plunge router. Then, the first two pieces of angle iron have 1/2 inch holes (3/8 stock fits perfectly in a 1/2 hole) and will guide your stock into the blade.
The second two pieces have holes that are the desired diameter of your shaft. These are the output guides. I like 11/32 but also have interchangeable output guides of 5/16 and 23/64.
The line that runs down the center of the board makes it easy to square up all 4 holes with one another since they're different sizes. Notice the line crosses directly through the center of each hole.
That's why my guides don't Have to be pretty or symmetrical from left to right. ***however, they do have to be drilled in the the exact same height (vertically centered) on the angle iron****... Left to right doesn't matter because the line helps you line them up no matter where they are.
The angle iron is thin enough that you don't have to be absolutely perfect about squaring up the individual jigs 90 degrees to the board. I make square lines for each guide and then eyeball each one *focusing mostly on making sure the line splits the holes down the center*
I should also note that I attach all the jigs before cutting the slot for the router. It makes it easier to see your square line.
-
Next I screw it into my work bench. I like this method because I can attach or detach whenever I like. Then I clamp the router *tightly to the jig.
Please note that some safety guards will have to be removed for this jig to work. I do not encourage anyone to operate their equipment without the safety guards in place. This is simply a demonstration, and not a recommendation, of my method. I personally feel safe with this setup because the clamps and guides keep your fingers away from the nasty bits. Please exercise caution and extreme focus.
-
It's going to take some fine tuning to get it set up right, so be sure to rip some junky square stock to run through while you tune it so you don't waste your good stuff. I keep the right clamp tight and loosen the left one to adjust the router. Moving the router body forward and backward will actually adjust the blades position in the holes slightly left and right during the rotation.
Look through the holes to see how the router is placed. I rotate the blade so I can see its widest cutting edge, and I use line-of-sight to move the cutting edge juuuust outside my 11/32 output hole. I'll explain why in a moment.
Then I put the 3/8 stock into a 1/4 to 3/8 socket adapter attaced to a drill and turn on the router with a clamp. I use a clamp because your free hand will be needed to stabilize the shaft later on.
-
Start spinning the square stock through the 1/2 holes and into the router bit. This is where the fine tuning comes into play. If you're blade is set even just a little too close, it will still make it through the output guides, but your shaft will come out looking all crazy, rough, and wavy. If it's set too far out, the square stock won't go through the output holes effectively and will build up excessive heat.
You want it to cut just baaaaarely larger than your output hole... And I'll elaborate further with pictures
-
I hope you can see the pictures clearly enough. When the shaft is just barely larger than the output hole, the sharp edges of the output hole actually cut that last tiny layer of rough stuff off (because the router doesn't turn a smooth circle) and by the time that first guide hole has done its job, you're left with almost a perfectly smooth shaft. Then it travels through the second guide hole which refines it a little more and you're left with a shaft that really doesn't even need sanding.
If you look closely on the front face of the first output hole you can see the remains of tiny wood chips and dust that were cut off by the sharp edge. You can also see that the shaft is very slightly smaller and much more refined after leaving the first output hole.
This is where your free hand comes into play. Once it gets about 8-12" past that second guide hole, it can get a little wobbly so you'll use your free hand to stabilize it. You can also feel free to put as many guide holes as you want so you don't have to use your hand to stabilize the shaft, but I just use two. It requires less set up.
-
This picture shows why it's important to start with 36" stock. The first 2 inches get pretty mangled as they set the pace for the output guide hole, and the last 4" on the drill end are left unrefined because it doesn't make it all the way though the system. That leaves you with 30" of ready-to-rock shaft... or 31" if you don't mind cleaning up that little rough area between the square stock and the refined shaft.
30" is perfect for me because I shoot 30" shafts. If you shoot longer shafts you can begin with 37"...38"...39" stock.
This photo also shows the different layers of refinement. The square stock is inside the drill chuck, the rounded square is what it looks like as it travels through the 1/2" holes, the rough 11/32+ is what it looks like as it passes the router blades, and the smooth 11/32 shaft is what it looks like after the first guide hole has done its shaving.
-
And finally, some Douglas fir shafts in different stages of completion. All you need for this setup is a router, a board, a couple dollars worth of small angle iron, some wood screws and some shaft lumber. Everything except the router can be had for $10-15 and that includes your first couple dozen shafts.
You don't actually need the table saw because 3/8 square stock of several different species can be found at almost any lumber retailer. Depending on species they're about $0.80 to $1.30 each. Just make sure to sort through the pile and take only the straightest grained stock.
I hope this helps somebody out! Have a good weekend everyone.
-
Good write-up! Is router bit a straight cutter?
-
Yep! It's a Double Flute Straight Bit.
-
Wow, that's pretty cool. Very well put together demo as well.
-
Really awesome pictures and write-up. very helpful. are you a teacher by trade?, because that was the most well-put-together lesson plan I've seen on making arrow shafts in a while.
-
This was excellent Make-N-Break! I don't yet have a router, but this gives me a good excuse to get myself one! :) ...but now I'm wondering if I couldn't set up a similar deal using my dado blades on my table saw in place of the router. Hmmmmm... They might not be quite so clean of a cut as the router bit, but might be worth a try since the jig looks pretty inexpensive to mock-up.
I was also going to ask, would a piece of PVC pipe on the catch end of the process help so that the newly cut shaft was less inclined to whip around as it was pushed through the jig?
OneBow
-
Eric - there's vids on YouTube making dowels using table saw setup.
-
Nice work.
Thanks for your time.
-
Great setup, I used just one steel plate and cut down the square dowels slightly over 11/32" , it does work but just have to be keep the wobble down to a minimum. >:D Actually when the shaft is turned I finish with sand paper to exactly 11/32" that way any imperfections are dealt with.
-
I appreciate the kind words gents.
Thanks cavemanRob. Im not a teacher, but glad you liked the write up!
Onebow, I'm sure it could work with a table saw but I would have to do some serious head scratching to figure out the setup. I'd check those YouTube vids Knoll mentioned. I actually considered the pvc pipe idea but it seemed like a hassle to set up. Also, pvc with that small of an inside diameter does not hold its shape well.. It bends like a noodle. Looked at copper pipe too but the inside of those pipes are never smooth or uniform. I don't mind holding it with my free hand once it gets about 8-10 inches past the last guide. If I was to ever fix it I'd just add 4 or 5 more 11/32 output guides.
Bow101 that sounds like a nice simple setup to spin it through a single guide. I can see where wobble would become a problem between keeping the drill end from wobbling when you get started and keeping the shaft end stable once it's past a ways. Cool that it works though.
-
Years ago I made a router shaft machine that turned really good shafts. My problem was getting spine matched shafts. I may have spines from the 40s to the 80s out of the same board. I quit using my shaft machine because of this problem. I was buying fir boards from Lowe's, with the wide spine variation it wasn't cost effective to make my own shafts.
-
Sweeet.Your in the arrow shaft makin busuness.Nice rig.
-
Cool shaft maker. I like stuff made with stuff on hand.
Those square ends can be shaped into a nice blunt. I did it on a set of walnut shafts Ken75 sent me a few years ago.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/primitive%20archer/BWandsourwoodarrowsfor2011elkhunt003.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/PatBNC/media/primitive%20archer/BWandsourwoodarrowsfor2011elkhunt003.jpg.html)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/primitive%20archer/BWandsourwoodarrowsfor2011elkhunt001.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/PatBNC/media/primitive%20archer/BWandsourwoodarrowsfor2011elkhunt001.jpg.html)
-
Nice Pat! I have always meant to make some rabbit blunts out of those square ends. Yours gives me inspiration to make a few.
-
I added a sinew wrap about 1" above the end. Don't know if it needed it but I did it anyway.
-
I did this for a few years but finding good enough stock in large enough boards to make it worthwhile were the problems for me. I'm very picky about boards for arrows! Big boards of quality wood give you more shafts that match up. although you always get those weak and stiff shafts....but the stiff shafts can make good flight arrows :)
If you use a staff bead cutter you will reduce the initial 'chatter' significantly. A 1/2 inch diameter pvc pipe works very well after the last hole so you don't have to stop the shaft whipping about. I made my jig adjustable left to right so it's easy to set the cutter at the right depth of cut. I used two length of threaded rod and a set of nuts to lock in place. I still have this jig somewhere and will dig it out to photograph to show you my mods.
-
Nothing better to do on a day with freezing rain and an empty house than whip up Version 2.0 of the DIY Lumber Shaft Maker.
Same exact concept as before, but with premium materials rather than scraps. Went to the hardware store and got all this stuff for the following prices:
Oak board for the base: $8
1" by 3 foot angle iron: $6
3/8" inside diameter by 3 foot aluminum pipe: $6
Total $20
The goal was to try to make Onebow's stabilizer pipe idea work. Went with a 3/8 inside diameter aluminum pipe. The only changes to this design from the last are the addition of two more pieces of angle iron with 1/2 holes that hold the 3/8 pipe(1/2 outside diameter).
Another slight tweak was that the angle iron was moved closer together so that I only get 3 inches of waste all together. I can now turn 32" of clean shaft out of 36" stock without any extra sanding (I cut the first inch off cuz it get buggered by the router, and the last 3" that don't make it through the refinement hole).
The little box contraption in the center is nothing more than a vibration dampener. There is a shim under the pipe, and braces on the side and top. The top piece is actually slightly clamping the pipe down. The dampener places a tight hold on the center 12" of pipe.
I originally tried it without the vibration dampener and there is just too much wobble from the shaft spinning in 30" of unsupported aluminum pipe. The dampener fixed the bad vibes and there are 11 oak shafts sitting next to it from the first run. I foresee this jig lasting a lifetime.
-
I agree Mike. I'm very selective of my boards. I sort through many piles and take only the best one. I will still end up with a board every now and then that just can't make a quality shaft. Sometimes I'll have a solid run of a couple dozen that turn out very close in spine and weight and the next run I'll have a similar looking board that doesn't make a single shaft that's servicable for my bows. At a cost of $3-4 for a Douglas fir board that makes one to two dozen shafts, I'm accepting of the occasional waste :).
I also live on a farm with piles of old barn wood. Once in a while I'll stumble across a real nice board and and I've actually got a half dozen barn wood shafts (unknown species) that are some of my best flyers!
-
Nothing like a Rockstar to get some motivation, nice jig. Oak arrow shafts, what do those weight?
-
Aaron, my father is borrowing my grain scale for reloading so I can't weight them at the moment. I'll post the weight after I go down his way for Easter. These particular shafts are 21/64 diameter and considerably heavier than the 11/32 Douglas Fir I turned the other day. I'm going to ballpark them somewhere between 500-600 grains. They feel very dense in the hand compared to softwood shafts. I like 'em. They're durable and they stay straight. Still got a couple surviving that are two year old stumpers.
-
Nice looking jig and shafts! Might steal your idea if you don't mind.
-
Go ahead! It's for the benefit of the community bud!
-
Version 2.0 is lookin' mighty professional! Better be prepared to take orders at MoJam. ;)
-
I've been using a router setup for many years. I suggest a couple of simplifications and changes. For those who just want to try it, you can run the squares through oak blocks with the progression of holes in them.; Much faster to make up a trial run.
Next, turn the whole shebang so that the shafts are parallel to your bench. Then, you can run the shaft in as far as practical with your drill, stop to remove the adapter from the chuck, and put the drill on the finished end of the shaft and pull it on through. I have been doing that for years. That way you don't have to cut a 36" stick to get 30 inches usable.
And, I can't see any reason to cut a slot for the router. All you need is a hole for the bit to stick up through.
I made steel bushings in various sizes to fit in an aluminum block so I can change to a different shaft size easily. I also mounted a dial indicator so I can move the block the exact amount needed to switch from one size to another. (I don't move the router, just the blocks.
My steel blocks burnish the milled shaft so that no sanding is needed, unless to make a finish stick better or a stain penetrate.
Here's a picture. (My setup mounts to my bench with one bolt and wingnut--changed the mount after these photos.)
Jim Davis
-
Alternative approaches are good thing! Thanks for taking time to post.
-
Nice setup asharrow! I'd say the biggest difference (other than cosmetics) between our designs is that your router is fixed and your jig is adjustable. In my case the jig is fixed and the router adjustable. That's the reason for the slot; so the router can be rotated to get the proper cutting diameter since the jig is fixed to the table. Beadman recently posted another nice router design that was fixed router, adjustable jig.
-
That and the orientation that allows pulling the nearly finished shaft on through.
-
Ok, my little hole drilled into a piece of flat bar steel is going into the trash. I think I have everything I need laying around the house for one of these. I'll see what I can come up with in the next couple of days. Thanks for posting Break!
Patrick
-
Don't trash what ya got until ya got what you're gonna get!
-
Don't trash what ya got until ya got what you're gonna get!
Unless that's the only way to find the motivation haha. I will stick with my little steel bar until a router finds itself in my work space, not that I adhere to the if it ain't broke don't fix it philosophy