i have thought about fletching my own arrows, but i don't have the slightest idea of what i would be doing. is it as easy as buy a fletching jig, vanes, and glue, and "having at it"? how do you know what degree of twist to use?

Fletching arrows isn't that difficult at all. The main thing you will want to do is prep your shafts correctly. Make sure you get all of the glue off by scraping them thoroughly, not so hard to take the finish off, but hard enough that it takes the glue of and leaves you with a smooth shaft. I like using the backside of a butter knife. This way, I don't dig into the shaft and possibly ruin it. You have to becareful during this step. Once thats done, go over the shaft with a real fine sandpaper lightly to remove any other glue and to rough up the surface a little. Finally make sure you clean the shaft well with denatured alchohol.

After that, fletch away. Some good glues are AAE Fastset gel and gorrila glue I have found, though they do have a tendacy to be more difficult to get the glue off. You don't need much.

Offset and the amount of helical is dependant on the jig you use. You can get a clamp with either a striaght off-set or a helical and can adjust the clamp on the jig until you get the desired "pitch" you want.

I started a couple years ago and wont let anyone else do it. Its nice knowing you can repair your fletching at home in a minute rather than toting your arrows to a shop all the time, especially in the middle of hunting season.

I just started fletching arrows myself this year and love it. I went to a local shop and asked alot of questions and actually watched them fletch several arrows. This was very helpful. I use a Grayling set up and it works for me. Like Muzzyman said preping the shaft is the most important. Follow his steps and you won't go wrong. Another good glue is Goat Tuff.

i shoot a golden eagle, fred bear, team realtree TRX with beaman 400s. what offset would i need. i don't even know how to figure teh offset on the arrows i have

Fletching my own was the best move i made and i enjoy doing my own
i even now build my own arrows as the rewards are fantastic ..
once you get started it just get's easyer and more rewarding
and once you have it all setup bow and jig your consistency will
grow more than one can imagin.
I started fletching my own last year and started building arrows this year ..
cost saving ? Yes..
gratifing? definitly !!!
and most of all i can say i did it my self
so go ahead and give it a try you'll love it
Bill

so what is a good jig? and is that all i need, a jig, vanes, and glue??

I too use the Grayling jig with a straight clamp and Fletch tite glue and has worked great for me
both can be found at bass-pro and cabelas catalogs or there online sites
have a good day Bill...