Trad Gang

I usually make arrows out at my in-laws' farm and have a shop full of machines and tools at my disposal, however here at home things are rather limited space-wise. Out there we have a small  dedicated grinder with a vertical belt and wheel on the side with a jig clamped to the table that holds the arrow square while pushing it into the sanding wheel face. I do this After cutting it to length with a mini band saw. Without this machine, I am loathe to try and square the arrow by hand/eye. I have a ton of arrows to make for my heavier BW......

Does anyone have a trick to getting this done simply by hand?

i use a  tubing cutter and then remove the burr
on the inside with a cartridge reamer

I've thought about the tubing cutter route....and I do deburr it with a countersink bit (forgot to add that).

I have been doing it by eye with a flat file, but I think I'm going to get a hand-held Lee case trimmer. It has a nice cutter on the end of a pilot shaft, that with the correct size, should fit nicely inside the shaft and cut a nice, square end.

There is a device called a ASD arrow squaring device. It is about the size of a small flashlight it has a groove that you lay the shaft in and a cutter on the end. You rotate the shaft in the groove and the cutter squares the end.
They are sold in most archery shops. I think 3-Rivers sells them or Cabelas.

John

I was wondering if anyone has actually used one (ASD that is).  Chuck, is this what you mean?

http://www.leeprecision.com/html/catalog/casecon.html

Yup. I just have the cutter with the case length gage and base for my 257 Roberts. I'm shooting 2016's, so I think a 280/7mm would probably work for me. I should only have to get the case length gage to try it.

So make sure your case gauge is compatible with the shaft I.D., then slip it down into the shaft and give it a few turns? Afterwards, de-burr and away you go.....nice cheap solution too, it seems. So a 2217 corresponds to about a 7mm as well?

I use the ASD on carbons. It works really well on the carbons to square BOTH ends of the shaft. Flip the cutter end around to true alum. shafts.Best way to true shafts that I've used yet.

I guess my math was a bit off. I picked up a .280 gage (used), and it is a bit big for my 2016's. I'll have to try the .280 on 2117's and 2219's. The .257 is a little wobbly, but it will work. What I don't know is how long the cutter will last.

I use the ASD also, usually a necessity on carbons, though the few aluminums I do I use a small pipe cutter, so the edges are usually close to square and don't require as much trueing as carbons.

So, the piping cutter won't crush aluminum?

I use the G5 ASD too. It's costly but it works well. I've learned that it's the contact  faces  of the RPS insert & broadhead adapter as well as the squarness of the shaft, that govern how true the broadhead can be.

An $8.95 tubing cutter and the end is already squared.  And you apply the force gradually as you cut....not all at one time.    :saywhat:    

Been using the same 7 dollar tubing cutter for years. Makes a good square cut. I use the tang end of a flat mill file to lightly de-burr the inside of the shaft.

Tubing cutter and a metal fine inverted and use tapperd metal handle and de-burr inside the file one or twice on the end lightly. They always have been squared for me.

I do the same as Cheapshot. I still square the end, though. The cutter kind of depresses the aluminum a bit, so I like to have a fully square end.

Here is link to the squaring device talked up above.

http://www.cabelas.com/spod-1/0026140.shtml

Same as Cheapshot here too  :) ...Van

Tubing cutter, debur with the tang of a file.

Eric

I use a Rigid tubing cutter. I deburr the inside bevel with the fold-out deburr piece and hit the outside edge with fine sandpaper. Works like a charm.

I'm gonna pick up a sharp high quality one and try that. In fact I think I have one somewhere in my tool chest I've never used.