i am grinding challenged--- I have a hard time getting the quill even and true.  I have pealed the membrane on a couple feathers just to try it, but it seemed to produce a flimsy feather.  Has anyone here pealed and fletched w them?  How do they perform and hold up?

I know a guy that does it that way and the glue will hold them in place . But honestly I've not done it myself .

As you've found by doing this you now have a very thin base to glue to the shaft. They are a pain to work with. But it can be done and they hold up just fine. I have made flu-flus this way.

Maybe try a straight fletching clamp and 220 sand paper.  If you take your time with the razor knife, there shouldn't be a ton of grinding or in this case sanding......but start slow until you get the feel.   It's not hard.

I've done it successfully, but the thinness makes them hard to control in the jig.

fwiw, here's how i make fletchings ...

Topic: From Raw Feather to Completed Arrow Fletch

I have never considered peeling them. Thin bases equal hard to work with, along with a very short life span.

When I got an almost never ending supplier of turkey feathers I made a homemade jig. After that jig I improved the jig until I finally paid for the Great Northern grinding jig. The GH jig is the ticket if you're going to grind a bunch of feathers.

Good luck, and let us know what you end up doing.  

Thank you all for the help.  I've been putting them in straight clamp and use a drum sander followed by a belt sander.  They are getting better, but no where near as nice as Rob's.  Will keep at it and save the pealing for the potatoes.

I split them with "Craftsman Handi Cut " cutters. Put them in a bitz straight clamp and sand them with a palm sander. It takes a 3 min to get a feather ready to glue. I have several turkey hunting friends who help supply my feathers.