I am thinking of buying one of these from 3 Rivers. Anyone have any comments good or bad about this tool for arrow building?
Bob.
Didn't work real well for me. Need to keep the plane blade extremely sharp. Some woods are easier to plane than others. Doug fir, for example, tends to catch and rip out. There are plans in the how to section to make a taper jig that uses a hand held drill to snd the taper. Works better for me.
I've probably tapered 75 ash shafts and each time I get better at it. It's a matter of practice like anything else. Keeping the blade sharp with a couple passes on a ceramic stone is key(single bevel sharpening). You will catch an edge from time to time gouging the shaft. I'm certain that the ash is more difficult though I haven't worked with softwoods. I probably do 60 passes for each shaft turning incrementally. Sanding finishes the process. It's not a perfect science but it's now part of my process.
I just made one out of a couple pieces of alumimun angle with sandpaper glued to it. I used a cordless drill to turn the shaft. Works great and cost about $15. Look in the how-to and build-a-long.
there is one in the classifieds
I use a Stanley Hobby Plane from the hardware store for about 10 bucks. Does the same thing.
Mark the arrow with a sharpie or pen @3" then 6" and finally at 9" from the nock end of a nock tapered shaft. Make a circle ring around the shaft.
Set the plane to take extremely paper thin shavings. Start at the 3" mark and make one pass to the rear, turn the shaft a hair, or just under a 1/16", and make another cut, continue till you make passes all the way around to where the 1st cut started. Then go to the 6" mark and repeat, then finally to the 9" mark and proceed to make the cuts all the way back over the the 6 and 3" marks to the nock end. This will make a 11/32" shaft tail tapered to 5/16"
One you get the hang of it you will be glad you did not dump a 100bucks on the same plane with a arm and holder, much like the arm and holder you already own.... your arm. Only way I've ever done it.
I'm with Orion on this one. I didn't seem to have any luck with this tool on Douglas fir. Your mileage may vary...
Bob-
This was Rob D. idea. I've used it for about 12 years, works great.
Darren
http://www.21stcenturylongbow.com/Shaft_tapering_jig.htm
I purchased one from three rivers a little over a year ago and it was a learning experience. At first I struggled with it but after some trial and error I like it and now get a good taper and I also shoot d.fir so after some work I have good results.
Darren,
Thanks for the link, this looks interesting! I think I can make this!
Bob.
I just made last week one using the link Darren sent you, works great. I used 2 10" mill files instead of sandpaper though, I get about a 9 " taper. If I had to do it again I would use 12" files. SAM
i saw a guy taper them by hand without a taper plane jig like swampthing sez. tapering weakins the shaft it will lose its strightness quicker and it doesnt do anything for accuracy.for accuracy a shaft needs t be staight within 5 thousands.i guess some people shoot better w atapered arrow. but ask dave wallace why he doesnt use tapers.
I've made a jig (two pieces of aluminum angle iron with sandpaper on the insides. place the nock at the one end and adjust jig to tighten around it and then put your shaft in the other end and tighten to it's diameter.)to sandpaper taper with drill and that worked fine (get the speed up before pushing into the taper jig).
I've also used a hand taper plane as described by Howard Hill in Hunting the Hard Way. The one thing I did besides having a sharp blade on the hand plane was to stain the shaft prior to starting tapers, that way you can see exactly where the last swipe left off. It takes time to do this, but on some long winter evenings, it was nice to do a few.
Now with the guys with fancy jigs out there, I just purchase tapered shafting.