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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: larry on January 27, 2007, 06:39:00 PM

Title: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: larry on January 27, 2007, 06:39:00 PM
I've used my miter saw with a 80 tooth finish blade, but still one frays now and again. picked up one of those mini saws at harbor freight, but the steel blade dulled after cutting two arrows. What's the best saw?
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Wild Willie on January 27, 2007, 06:43:00 PM
I use a apple archery arrow cut off saw.It never leaves a splenter or a fray.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Van/TX on January 27, 2007, 06:52:00 PM
I've cut a few with a carbide blade (used to cut ceramic tile) on a hack saw.  Not the best but if you keep it slow it works ok...Van
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Mark in SC on January 27, 2007, 06:55:00 PM
I spin the shaft in my cresting machine and cut them with a dremel tool with a cutoff disk.  Wear a dust mask!
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Crooked Stic on January 27, 2007, 06:55:00 PM
I think the high speed abrasive wheels may work ok ?
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: **oneshot** on January 27, 2007, 06:58:00 PM
Dremmel mounted on my homemade arrow cutting jig.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Ray on January 27, 2007, 07:46:00 PM
I find that a 5 point per inch rip saw used very very fast works wonderfully.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: nanook712 on January 27, 2007, 07:50:00 PM
Dremmel cut off wheel used on a roto zip mounted, it on a board, has a plastic hood attached to a vac. not bad for make do.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Red Dwarf on January 27, 2007, 08:00:00 PM
Toothless diamond blade in my chop saw seems to work pretty well.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Swanny in MD on January 27, 2007, 08:24:00 PM
Grinder wheel.  Use the corner of the wheel to take a 1/8" off longer than needed, and square it off with the wheel edge by spinning it in my hand held against my hip.  

Done hundreds this way.  Gets a perfectly square cut too.  Sometimes use the air cut-off tool as well.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: southpawshooter on January 27, 2007, 08:37:00 PM
Apple Archery arrow cutoff saw.  Once you have one you will quickly realize how indispensable they really are.  The cost is quickly justified when, for example, bareshafting an arrow.  The saw uses an abrasive cutting wheel and will cut wood, aluminum, and carbon.

   Apple Archery Saw (http://www.lancasterarchery.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=846&osCsid=a7490c9e6de541eb7919544fb8ed7291)
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: James Wrenn on January 27, 2007, 08:45:00 PM
I used the little harborfreight saw but use the abrasive blades for it.You can buy the blades on ebay.It will work fine then.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Dalebow on January 27, 2007, 09:42:00 PM
I bought a harborfrieght also and got the abrasive wheels and they work great and 1/3 of an apple saw cost:-)
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Otto on January 27, 2007, 09:47:00 PM
Ditto for the Harbor Freight "el cheapo" saw.  Works great on carbon and alum.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: BigRonHuntAlot on January 27, 2007, 10:23:00 PM
Another Apple Archery Fan. If you have shooting partners that live close you can split the cost if needed.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: LV2HUNT on January 28, 2007, 08:18:00 AM
Yep, Harbor Freight with the blade that came with it works just fine on alum or carbon.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Voodoofire1 on January 28, 2007, 08:29:00 AM
Dremel with a fiber wheel works great for me!
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: MikeC on January 28, 2007, 08:52:00 AM
I use a fine tooth hacksaw blade.  I wrap about half of it with electrical tape to form a handle.  Put a wrap of masking tape around the shaft where the cut is to be made keeps it from fraying.  After the cut I use a mill-bastard file to clean it up and make sure it's square, easy and cheap.  I've done dozens this way.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Pete W on January 28, 2007, 09:23:00 AM
I can't stand it!!
 Has any one considered why all carbom makers recomend a high speed thin abrasive cut off wheel?
 They don't sell them, so the reason must be that it is the best way to cut carbon shafts without ruining them .  Things like hack saws , thick blades,and grinding wheels shred the inside of the shaft.

If you have a bench grinder get a ZIP disc to use for cutting. Discs of 3/64 and thinner come with arbour sizes to fit any grinder/saw from 1/4" to 3/4".

I have plans to make a saw on my site from a sewing machine motor for free.  This is what is on the Apple saw. Take off the motor and read the lable. "Singer". You can get the Apple disc and the arbour to mount it on your sewing machine motor from any archery shop or make your own coupling.
 Dremmel tools, die grinders all can be clamped down and used with a cutting disc.

Using things like hack saws on  carbon arrows is like using an AXE on wood shafts.

I am all for saving money , but for heavens sake it is not an expensive proposition to do it right.
  The unfortunate thing about the net is the bad advice that is given. I have received a hard drive full of Email asking why carbon arrows are getting the insert pushed up inside or pulling out. There are 2 causes, the glue is no good, or the inside wrap is loosened from poor cutting and lost it's bond to the outer wrap.

When you do cut a carbon shaft with the right disc, set it up so that the disc just goes thru the wall and rotate the shaft to complete the cut.
 Making a straight thru cut damages the inside layer of the shaft. You may not see the damage, or you may see fibers that are fraying from the inside. Frequently this results in an insert being pushed up on a hard impact, or the insert pulling out with carbon fibers still attached to it. In other words it delaminates.
 Here are the gluse that I have had failures with. We read every day someone says they use these with no trouble. We also read that they fail!!
 Archery pro shops love glues that fail, great for sales, and they can say " wow your bow is powerfull" "better get more expensive shafts for that baby"
 They also like to glue them up and say go shoot, so they don't have to store them while they glue cures.
These fail, some right away, others last a few momths before the glue gets brittle.
 hot melts
 crazy glue
 CA glues thick & thin
 loctite black and  clear in every type, thick and thin.
 5 min, 10 min, and 1 hour epoxy
 ferrel tite

The glues I have found that do work and last are 24 hour slow cure  flexible or impact resistant epoxy.
 I use the Epoxy from Golf Works called "Shafting Epoxy". Any golf pro shop has it for attaching golf club heads to carbon shafts.


Pete
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: CJ5 on January 28, 2007, 09:47:00 AM
I use an Apple.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: LP Kelley on January 28, 2007, 11:41:00 AM
Thank you Pete Ward!!
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: wapiti on January 28, 2007, 11:52:00 AM
Wow Pete thanks for sharing. I found the same thing with the glues. I use JB weld and have bnot had a failure yet. To ruin an arrow now I have to shoot it into a rock. I have a piece of 3/4" plywood right behind my target in case of a miss or a glancing shot. Super glues, hot melts etc always came loose and often rammed the insert into the shaft. Not any more. Slow cure epoxies are used in the furniture industry on many high end custom piese for a reason. They work.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Swanny in MD on January 28, 2007, 01:03:00 PM
"Things like hack saws , thick blades,and grinding wheels shred the inside of the shaft."

Regarding the grinding wheel....it's simply not the case.  Never had issues with the inside deterioration with light pressure on the spin.  Like I said...I've done hundreds.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Jason R. Wesbrock on January 28, 2007, 02:32:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by **oneshot**:
Dremmel mounted on my homemade arrow cutting jig.
Same here.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Deadeye on January 28, 2007, 03:07:00 PM
I also use a dremmel
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Shakes.602 on January 28, 2007, 03:38:00 PM
Yeah,What they said!! And a Diamond Cutter Blade!! No Muss No Fuss
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: stringplucker613 on January 28, 2007, 03:49:00 PM
$35 for a new sewing machine motor, and a little machining time to fabricate an arbor, and wa-la, generic, apple cutoff saw, with an attachment for the shop vac.....
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: 9 Mile Archer on January 28, 2007, 04:00:00 PM
anyone try the cabelas, it's a fraction of the cost of the apple with vac attachment and it looks pretty good?
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Otto on January 28, 2007, 04:36:00 PM
I'm going to start using an axe.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Swanny in MD on January 28, 2007, 06:08:00 PM
Nice, Otto.  I've cut them with a utility knive...rolling them back and forth on the countertop.  Time consuming though.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: MikeC on January 31, 2007, 02:32:00 PM
Pete...I never had a problem with the hacksaw blade.  I do rotate the shaft as I cut.  Never had a problem and recommand anyone who does not cut many shafts to give it a try.
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: Pete W on January 31, 2007, 03:09:00 PM
Mike:
 That is very bad advice you are giving out for cutting carbon arrows .
 What do you recomend they do when they ruin the shafts?
Title: Re: What are you guys useing to cut your carbon arrows?
Post by: BMOELLER on January 31, 2007, 03:31:00 PM
Harbor Freight Mini cutoff saw.  $25