New Bow! (and arrow question)

[Jon]

OK, I hope this was the right section to post it in.

I have finally bought a traditional bow!
It's a six foot ( ) hickory longbow with a leather grip and a flemish string. It weighs in at 35lbs at 28 inches. Don't know what maker.
I will post pics of it in about a months time, when I will actually get it! Haven't tried it out yet but hear it shoots very smooth and has a fast cast. I must admit it isn't the most amazing or nicest looking longbow out there, but it's what I can afford right now.

I plan to make my own arrows for it, as I only have modern ones at the moment. I have made arrows in the past, but they have never been that accurate. I'm better at it now though, and hopefully they will come out better this time round. I've heard fletching jigs help a whole lot but are they essential. Also what points should the arrows have on them? Say for like a dozen, 2 broadheads and 10 bodkins??

And during the summer, I'll be attending a bow making course. Where I will learn to make bows . There, I will make a heavier bow maybe around 45 lbs. I think I remember hearing elsewhere on this forum, a lot of you have a light bow for practice and a heavier one for hunting and killing orcs, right?

Thanks, Dirhael.
Oh and here is the only pic I have for it right now:

[Willrett]

Looks good. you can never have 2 many bows.

[Jon]

Too right mate

[Pwyll]

Nice!

A fletching jig really helps. It's good for setting the feathers into the proper position. I wouldn't fletch without it.

For points, well it depends on your use. For practice, I'd just use field points. Easier to extract from targets (and not as brutal on the targets). Also, many places won't let you shoot antyhing but field points at their targets for that reason.

Broadheads are great for hunting, of course, unarmored targets. Bodkins are great for punching through armor. So, you might want to consider two sets of arrows, one for practice and another for "business". You can have other tips as well, indlucing blunts (for birds) and even flat tips for "stump shooting".

[Peter Remling]

You can make your own jig, it won't be like the ones you can buy.

Take a piece of tubing 6" long slightlly larger than the diameter of your arrows. Lock the piece in a vise and useing a straight edge draw a line from one end to the other. Indent 1" from either end and make a crossmark. You now should have a tube with a straight line with 2 crossmarks 4" apart.

Useing a protractor mark off dots on the end in 60 degree increments from your original line. Flip over the tube and mark off the 60 degree increments.
Now use the ruler to mark off the 4" apart dot/crossmarks.

Drill a small hole at each of the twelve cross marks. Slide the tube over your shafts and useing a pencil or marker put a dot through each of the 12 holes.
Slide the tube off and you'll see the shaft with 12 dots on ti, draw a line from the 12o'clock dot in the front to the 1 o'clock dot in the back. Rotate the arrow shaft so that the 4o'clock position becomes the 12o'clock position and repeat. Do the procedure 1 more time and you'll have a shaft with three 4" lines in a helix equi-distant from each other.

Glue your fletchings on over the three lines and wrap with thread.

You can adjust from a three fletch to a four fletch simply by switching from the 4o'clock procedure to a 3 o'clock procedure. You can also change from a 4" fletch to a 5 " by useing a slightly longer tube when making your jig.

You will have to set(the glue on ) each flight separately. This shouldn't be an issue as you can set one flight on 1 arrow, then go to the next arrow and set that flight. By the time you finish even 6 arrows, your original arrow will be set and ready for it's second flight.

[Jon]

Thanks, that's actually really helpful.
Also wondering if staining the wood with wood-stain will effect the bow in anyway?
And also, if I use arrows at say a 50# spine, does it really matter that it isn't the right spine? (found some arrows for a really good price on ebay but with the wrong spine)

[Peter Remling]

Staining and sealing is recommended, it helps reduce the liklihood of warping.

Spining has to do with strength and flexibility. The shaft has to travel around the bow, too heavy and it won't flex around the bow so it won't travel straight.

Keep checking Ebay there is generally something useable at a decent price.

[markp]

you are right that it would be better to use a lighter one for practice and something heavier for hunting and real life use. I would have to say that being a heavy duty, it adds a somewhat stability factor.

Your bow looks good and I would have to agree that you can never have too many bows. I have yet to try something that would pierce through armor as I am quite afraid to try it out as it might ricochet somewhere.