my first arrow

[hedgeapple]

I completed me very first arrow last night.  It's bamboo, 2 feather style.  It took me 2 hours to straighten and temper.  Hopefully, I can cut that time in half on my next one. 

It took 3 attempts to get a nock attached.  My first was a deer antler nock.  It was waaay to tight on the string.  When I shot the arrow the arrow flew but the nock broke off from the bamboo.  The nock was still on the string while the insert was in the bamboo.  My second attempt was a eastern red cedar nock.  It split.  So, split a piece of red oak and worked it down.  It's holding up.

The shaft is from a sack of tomatoe stakes my wife had in the greenhouse.  I don't have turkey feather or anything else more romantic.  But, I do have chicken feathers.  hahaha.

The arrow probably flys better than I shoot.  Newby in the art of intuitive shooting.  I was shooting at 10 yards.  The parabox stabalize in half that distance.  The arrow were straight in the foam.

The tip is something I'm sure some of you have created before.  I dreamed it up a couple days ago.  I'm calling it a "bunny button"  It's made from deer antler.

Hopefully, the picture will post.
Dave

[attachment deleted by admin]

[hedgeapple]

close up pictures

Any advice or suggestions are welcome

[attachment deleted by admin]

[ricktrojanowski]

That is a sweet looking arra.  I really like those chicken feathers.  I like seeing something different. Any interest in trading some chicken feathers like that for some goose feathers?

[Pat B]

Nice arrow. I also like the idea of using other types of feathers. As long as the work, why not. Your cane shaft looks like a good one. The long internodes reminds me of Bambusa. Self nocks work well in cane arrows. That's all I use.
The point is interesting too and I bet it will thump Thumper!     Pat

[hedgeapple]

Rick, I bought 25 chicks of mixed breeds back in Sept.  I got tired of eating nasty store bought chicken.  Those feathers were from the last 2 I killed.  The previous ones were too small.  I will be killing about 8 more and I will harvest the feathers.  I can't garrantee them to be the same color since the breeds are different.  I do have a few that color.  But, I'd concider a trade.  PM

Pat, do you glue a plug in the cane before you self nock? 

Thanks guys for the comments.

[Pat B]

I try to place the nock just above a node but also plug the hole with either bamboo skewers or hardwood dowel before I cut the self nock. With the hole plugged you don't have to be at a node though. I also always wrap just below the nock. With a wrap you don't need to add the dowel but I do anyway.

[hedgeapple]

Thanks Pat.  I had read on here about nocking ahead of the node.  But, that wouldn't work for this tomato stake.  Since I'm so new at doing any of this, drilling holes center and cutting a straight slice; I thought it would be easier to replace the nock and to destroy the cane shaft.  haha  Granted I could have made a longer nock or footed the arrow.  But those task envolve even greater skills.

[stickbender]

 
     Excellent Arrow!  The Chicken feathers look great.  Ain't nothing wrong with chicken feathers.  Primitive man, used whatever feather he had at hand.  Some were preferred over others, but when they were not available for whatever reason, they used what was at hand.  You certainly seem to have the art of making arrows well in hand, and I think that is 3/4's of the archery quotient.

                                                                                    Wayne

[hedgeapple]

Thanks Stickbender.  I think there's alot I can improve on with arrow making.  But, it's the journey, not the distination that's important, right.

[Sparrow]

 Nice ! That's a fine looking arrow.  Frank

[Pappy]

Nice arrow,looks like it would knock the stuffing out of something.
   Pappy

[GregB]

Good looking functional arrow...good job!

[hedgeapple]

Thanks Pappy, Fish and GregB.  Unfortunately bunny season is OUT here in the "happy hunting ground" KY.  But when those rascally rabbits come to the garden this spring....

"No Mr. Game Warden, that's not a rabbit.  That's recycled lettuce   

[hawkbow]

great job on the arrow, look forward to your posts of it's first blood Hawk

[madcrow]

Very nice, now go make the rest of the set.  When you decide to match the weight of the shafts and heads, you can glue in pieces of soldering wire, small nails, etc. in the boo behind the point.