Cutting the shafts
shafts accordingly. There are lots of ways to do this. I prefer to mark
the shaft with a Sharpie pen and then simply roll the shaft under a utility
knife blade to score it deeply enough that I can just snap the remainder
off. Other people like saws, both power and hand.
The accepted way to measure an arrow is from the throat of the nock (where
the string rests in the nock) to the back of the point. You'll see arrow
length referred to as BOP; that's Back Of Point. When you get your tips you
can do a taper on some scrap shafting to see how long you'll have to cut the
shaft to end up at your desired measurement.
When tapering for tips and nocks it is very important that your tapers be
concentric. With tips it is especially important because that heavy weight
is rotating as the arrow spins in flight. If it is off-center it could
easily throw your arrow off the mark.
This section is pretty short but I just can't think of much more to write.
Cut the shaft and make a clean taper. that's about it.
We're going to cut them to length now.
A Sharpie pen serves to mark the shaft. I use black pens on light colored
shafts and this silver pen on darker ones. Don't forget to add the length
that goes into the tip when you measure.
Lots of fancy tools are available but I like simple, and cheap. This craft
knife is left over from a previous life in the construction trade. Rolling
the shaft under the knife gives a good score all the way around. A careful
snap and the shaft is cut to length. You're right, this won't work for
aluminum or carbon arrows. I only make wood so it's not a concern to me.
The last picture shows tapering the new end of the arrow for the point.
