I've got a couple of questions about building wood arrows.
1) Do you guys use the hand tools to put your nock and broadhead taper on the arrows, or do you use a sander in your shop with a holding jig?
2) Do you seal your arrows before, or after you taper the ends for nocks and broadheads?
I use the Tru Taper tool for my tapers and I seal the shafts after tapering.
I use a disk sander belt sander combo with one of those taper blocks sold by 3r, it has the point taper on one side and the nock taper on the other.
I seal mine before I taper the ends, they eventually get sealed with glue or ferreltite.
Mike
First thing is straighten the shaft........
I use a taper tool also and I have sealed then both before and after the taper.Tapering after i feel is better.
Do yourself a favor and go to the "How To" forum on the main forums page and they have good info on this stuff.
When I make wood arrows I use my Woodchuck for my point and nock tapers,but you can use a hand taper tool.I use a hook tool for straighting the arrow shafts.I'll put on my nock taper,then straighten it and then seal it after.Then I'll grind the point end for a point or broadhead,after I cut to length.I don't seal under the point,the point and glue cover that portion right up to the finish on the shaft,but I seal the nock end when I seal the shaft.
I only have the hand taper and I seal after tapering. I don't taper the nock since I cut in My nocks. I do all sealing just before fletching..
I use a disk sander and block. Nock tapers first, then finish. I cut to length and taper for points when they are done.
A handy little item, remember those knurling tools that you use on aluminum arrow nock swedges? They are real nice for cleaning up the nock tapers on wood arrows too.
Eric
I used a hand tool for tapers but did not like the result so I broke down and bought a Woodchuck which does a much better job.
Sealing after tapering works better for me.
1) The pencil sharpener types work OK with some woods like POC, but not so well with Fir and the hardwoods. I've never tried them with Sitka Spruce. The metal Bearpaw has good reports. A disk sander with a V-guide works very well. Good true tapers are important to good arrow flight. I do all of my nock and point tapers on disk sanders.
2) Either way works fine. My nock tapers are sealed before the nocks are installed and I glue them over the finish. They don't come off. Point tapers are normally ground after the finish and the points glued to bare wood. I have glued lots of points to polyu finished tapers without point loss issues, but I feel the bond to bare wood is stronger.
I'm a low-tech guy with very limited space. Funny, because I used to repair power tools and could build myself a power taper tool if I wanted to. But do I want sawdust powder all over the house? No. Having birds is messy enough. :) Basically, I live in a very nice townhouse that borders national forest (I pick mushrooms in my "backyard") but we don't have a garage.
I use the Tru Center taper tool. I've had it for years. It was passed on to me by a guy that bought a Woodchuck. It works great for me. I'll admit ash shafts are challenging, LOL!
I use a brush to seal my shafts. I use one of those "sponge" brushes and I cut a groove in it to ride along the shaft and I just paint on the sealer. I lean the shafts up against the firewood pile on the front porch to dry. I've been doing this for years. (Though for a couple years, I was leaning the sealed shafts along the wall of our lanai when we lived in Hawaii.) This has always worked for me and provides activity for snowed in days in winter. I seal the shafts after I do the tapers. This is necessary.
I also crest totally by hand. Paint very simple crests by hand with red ochre and black paint. Primitive crests, but my own mark.
Whatever you do, have fun doing it and make your arrows your own.
:archer2: