Things You'll Need:
- Dry log made of cedar, Douglas fir, spruce, redwood or pine
- Hatchet
- Pocket knife
- Sandpaper
- Varnish
- Turkey or goose feathers
- Sinew
- Bone or flint arrow head
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Step 1
Split the dry log into square pieces close to the thickness you would like your arrows to be.
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Step 2
Whittle the wood sections down until they are rounded.
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Step 3
Sand the rounded shafts until they are completely smooth. Remember that the tiniest bumps in the wood will catch the air, causing the arrow to wobble when fired.
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Step 4
Cut a shallow groove on one end of the shaft to create the nock.
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Step 5
Varnish the shafts. This seals the wood and keeps it from absorbing moisture and warping.
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Step 6
Remove the base of the feather quill, just under the plume.
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Step 7
Split the quill in half lengthwise.
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Step 8
Trim the quill until it lays flat against the wood, making sure the leading end of the feather is as thin as possible.
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Step 9
Note the natural cup shape of the feather. Some feathers will have a natural counterclockwise shape, while others will have a clockwise shape.
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Step 10
Sort the feathers into clockwise and counterclockwise shapes.
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Step 11
Separate the feathers into piles of three for each arrow, being careful not to mix clockwise and counterclockwise feathers on one shaft.
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Step 12
Cut each feather into fletches. You can get two or three out of one feather, depending on the feather's length.
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Step 13
Secure the first fletch onto the nock end of the arrow by wrapping it once with the sinew on the front end of the arrow. Be sure this arrow, called the nock arrow, is at a 90-degree angle from the nock.
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Step 14
Attach the second fletch to the arrow about a third of the way around the shaft from the first fletch. Wrap the sinew around the shaft once.
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Step 15
Build upon the fletching with the third feather at a 120-degree angle from the two feathers that you have already tied onto the shaft.
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Step 16
Wrap the remainder of the sinew around the shaft, completely covering the front end of the fletching.
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Step 17
Wrap the back end of the arrow fletching with sinew.
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Step 18
Pull the fletching gently periodically from the back to make sure the feathers lie as flat as possible against the shaft of the archery arrow.
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Step 19
Seal the sinew with varnish.
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Step 20
Glue the fletching down with contact cement to ensure a solid bond with the shaft of the arrow.
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Step 21
Trim the fletching to even angles to make your archery arrows as attractive and professional-looking as possible.
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Step 22
Complete your arrows by attaching a primitive bone or flint arrow head, or build a truly primitive piece by fire-hardening and sharpening the tip of the arrows to get a deadly point.
