GMMAT

I have THREE HUNDRED 5" feathers

brucelanthier

Not an issue necessarily but you will have to make sure you are getting fullcontact when switching to a different shaft. You can just do a "dry fit" (no glue on vane or feather) and check the contact on the shaft. I would do all of a similar type shaft at once and then switch to the next, do a dry fit and proceed.

mobow

Yes. You'll feel the jig "catch" when it moves.....No, as long as the nock will rotate, you'll always be able to line it up, no problem. I'm just thinking that if you set it up the way you want it from the beginning, you would never have to turn the nocks to refletch. But then again, maybe you fletch cock vane out for trad, and cock vane up/down for compound.....?? If that's the case, set it up cock vane "out".......you'll always be good.

brucelanthier

You could buy a feather cutter for $20 buck and trim them down to 4" or smaller, depending on the feather cutter.

GMMAT

Daaaaannng.

I'll look into that! Thanks. And...thanks to ALL you guys. I guess I may have more questions as I go along. This is my first bid to become self sufficient. Like RJ....I'll be starting my shop up soon, too. Hope to have it done by the little NC GTG inApril.

Thanks, again!

brucelanthier

http://www.3riversarchery.com/product.asp?i=4398X


Feather Choppers

LKNCHOPPERS

I would go with 4" max with the feathers, I use 3" on some stuff. Set the jig up so you don't have to turn the nock when you are done and you will be able to throw the arrow on and fletch one feather later without alignment problems.

kwilson16

Here's a hint that could have saved me a couple of goofed fletching jobs:

If you remove the arrow from the jig (to admire your work...) after fletching one or two vanes, then you have to put it back in the jig in the same orientation. In other words, don't rotate the jig/nock or place the arrow into the jig 180 degrees out after beginning the process.

Might sound impossible but I did it on a couple of arrows when I started out.

The simplicity and self-reliant satisfaction of manufacturing your own stuff must be deeply burned into the male ego. The other night some clown at my daughter's school told me he filed and sanded his own compund bow riser from a block of aluminum. He is supposed to bring the bow over forexamination - someday. So, I got that to look forward to.

MeanV2

I do but rarely Fletch anything longer than 3" anymore. Just put your eyes on the ends Jeff.

Dan

bigbulls

Absolutely not.

If you are fletching three differentdiameter shafts with a helical clamp then you will need to adjust the jig for each of the different diameter shafts. The helical clamp will "wrap" around the different diameter shafts differently for each and you will need to adjust to get the best contact between the shaft and feather.

And don't let any one tell you that 5" feathers are over kill. You will just have better arrow control than the rest of these guys.



If you are fletchingwith any of the fast setting "super glues" then do not use any solvents like acetone or alcohol. Use a clean rag with water only. These solvents reduce the bonding strength of the fast set glues like AAE fast set gel, Goat tuff, etc... And don't go sanding on the shaft either.


If you have rotating nocks then don't worry about how the jig is oriented. It isn't going to matter unless you have a spine tester and find the strong side of the spine and want to orient the cock fleather to the spine of the arrow.