If you're going to put broadheads on those arrows at some point, I'd suggest making them closer to 28" to keep the broadhead away from your fingers.

Spine is the tricky part. You might get by just fine with arrows spined 50-55 pounds, but depending on the performance of your bow and how smooth your release is (or isn't) you might need a different spine. I think in your case, I'd start out with 55-60 pound spine and put nocks and points on a couple of shafts to bare shaft test. If they shoot okay, then you can finish out the arrows. If they shoot stiff, then you can sand them down a little to reduce the spine until they fly right. Then do the same to the rest of the shafts before making them up. If your test shafts are too light spined, then you haven't dumped a wad of time and money in making up complete arrows and you can buy another dozen heavier spine shafts.

At the very minimum, you'll need a tape measure, pocket knife, tapering tool of some sort and a fletching jig. If you really get into it, you'll wind up buying (or making) a dip tube and cresting machine, maybe even a feather burner to make your own custom fletching shape. But I've made many, many dozens of plain-jane cedar arrows and just sprayed a couple of coats of polyurethane on 'em for a sealant. (You have to use Duco glue for poly though. Fletchtite won't stick to it.)

Straighten the shafts, measure the length you want and cut the shafts to length. Straighten again, and cut the nock and insert tapers with the tapering tools, and then apply whatever stain and/or finish you intend to use. Glue on the nocks, fletch, glue on the points and, voila! Arrows.

Just be sure to straighten all the shafts before starting each operation. By the time they're done, they'll stay straight much better than if you wait till they're made up to straighten them. Of course, you want the edge grain running 90 degrees to the bow's sight window. I go one step further.

As you look at the arrows, you see the grain runout making points along the length of the shaft. I orient the fletching so those points are facing forward ON TOP of the arrow. If an arrow breaks when it's being shot, it will generally break along the grain line. If those points are running out facing forward on the bottom of the arrow, the break will turn the back end of the arrow down, into your hand or wrist. With the points running forward on top, it's likely the back of the arrow will go UP, away from your hand or wrist.

That's something I learned from an old timer, years ago.

By the way, when you're cutting the shafts to length, remember to allow extra length for the nock and point tapers or you'll wind up with arrows shorter than you want.

Edited by - Arthur P on 01/23/2003 18:17:30