TreeBlaskted Oak

Arrow Making Tutorial

  1. Shafts
  2. Feathers
  3. Nocks & Points
  4. Tools
  5. Shaft Preperation
  6. Lacquering
  7. Nocking
  8. Fletching
  9. Tipping

Medieval Arrows

Gallery

Intro

Welcome to my arrow making tutorial. I will go through step by step how I make arrows. This is, of course, not the only way and it is possibly not the best way, but it is how I do it so far. Check back to see if I have made any changed or learned anything new. Since I do mostly SCA target shooting the arrows described here will have wooden shafts, feather fletching, and plastic nocks. For some construction tips on making more medieval style arrows please visit the Medieval Arrow section. I hope you will find this tutorial useful and if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions feel free to contact me.

Safety

Archery is a relatively safe sport, but there are inherent risks, particularly associated with your equipment. SCA rules require that the bow and a few arrows are inspected by trained marshals. That leaves many arrows in your quiver that do not get officially checked. As a fletcher, it is your number one priority to make sure that any arrow you make is safe for the person who will be using it. You must ensure that you use a shaft with no cracks or other structural flaws, and make sure that the finished arrow is not too short. As an archer, it is your job to check your own arrows. If you hit anything that is particularly dense or if your arrow seemed to behave oddly check to make sure that it is not damaged. Check for cracks or very deep scrapes especially near the nock end. A flaw in the arrow can cause it to explode before leaving the bow and this can lead to very serious injuries.

 

Copyright © 2008-2010 Naomi Hampson.