I am getting the itch to try some wood arrows and would like to build them myself but about all I know about wood arrows is that you need to straighten them, seal, crown and crest, fletch and shoot them. Is this the process? Are there any how-to's or build alongs that you know of for the process. Any help would be great.
Lots of build alongs on this site. Look in the archives. Also, several good books. Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Volume III, Traditional Bowhunters Handbook, etc.
you can skip the crown and crest if you want. give mike from the nocking point a call (sponser)
He will get you all set up>>>>>I would Go with a single bitz fletcher if I were to do it again..when you get everything together just ask away...
Basically, in a nutshell, from wood shafts:
1. Lightly sand with 220 to get rid of any sap still left on the wood.
2. Rub down with acetone to remove whats left and clean debris off
3. Taper nock end
4. Cut to length (add the length of the taper, usually 1")
5. Taper point end
6. Stain
7. Crown dip
8. Crest
9. Clear
10. Glue on points/nocks
11. Fletch
12. Shoot
You should be straightening/checking for straightness throughout the whole process. Again this is the process in a nutshell. VERY basic.
Be sure to straighten the arrows before you cut the tapers.