help with cedar arrows

[moose1915]

hi guys, quick Q...

i am trying to taper my 12 arrows to accept wensel woodsmans(6) and field points(6), and when i taper them, i'm not getting a flush fit.

by that i mean you can see a ring of raw wood between the stained shaft and the tip. the field points fit worse than the blades.

they seem like theyre sturdy enough, but i don't know.

i am also hesitant to fire them into a target, i guess because i'm thinking the heads will pull off and i'm out $$

what is the best glue to use?
is Gorilla Glue ok?

ok i lied 3 questions
thanks in advance,
moose

[LBR]

Could be a taper tool problem--what kind are you using? On the field points, make sure you have the right size for your shaft diameter. With broadheads, you can get different sized ferrules with some to fit your shafts better. You might be able to push them on further also. Seal the naked wood with glue to avoid them sucking up moisture.

I clean the inside of the points/broadheads with acetone, then rough them up a little with some sandpaper--very seldom have one pull off.

I use hot-melt (ferr-l-tite) most of the time, but I have also used 5 minute epoxy. You can get the points off with heat using either of those. I've never used Gorrila Glue.

Chad

[Arthur P]

You don't say what size shafts you're shooting, so this is just my educated guess.

If you're using 23/64" shafts and heads with 11/32" ferrules, you will always get a ring of raw wood at the top edge of the head. Can't be helped. It's absolutely fine to shoot them like that. Only problem with it is cosmetics. I just take a magic marker and put a cresting ring over the raw wood.

You can't do anything about it with broadheads. Whatever size ferrule they're made with, you've got to use 'em. With field points you can get 23/64" heads, but the outside diameter of those boogers winds up just a tiny bit bigger than the diameter of the shaft. In bag targets, they hang up in the cover fabric and cause fits of extreme naughty language.[:@] I file a chamfer on the outside back edge of my field points to make them flow smoothly into the shaft diameter and prevent hangups in targets.

Just to expand on Chad's comment... I wash out the ferrules on all my heads with acetone, to get rid of any machining residue or preservative oil. Then I take a short section of arrow shaft -usually one I've broken[&o]- and put a point taper on it. Then I glue a piece of coarse sandpaper around the taper. I use that to rough up the inside of the ferrule and give the glue something to hang onto. Then I wash them out with acetone again and let them dry before mounting them on the shafts.

It takes some time and effort to do all that, but I lose very few field points in targets any more.

[moose1915]

thanks fellas! i am using 11-32 shafts and heads. i will look into what youve said and let you know how i make out.

thanks again!

-moose

[Longbow Bowhunter]

Your taper may be set wrong if using an adjustable type tool. and I have had a couple different type field points that would always leave that ring on, but it doesn't affect flight. But previous relies are a good start.

[Arthur P]

One other possibility... Make sure you're not running the taper too deep. Measure the length of the ring of raw wood, then nub off the tip of the taper by that much and see if the taper disappears. If it does, then you need to just watch the length of your taper.