Fletching left wing 5 inch feathers

[tmattson]

Anyone fletch left wing feathers using a stright jig in a Bitz? What offset if any do you use if so.
Assume would want the end of the jig (closest to nock of arrow) off a little to the right and the other off to the left - assume you are looking down from above the Bitz with the arrow tip going away from you.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

Anyone fletch left wing feathers using a stright jig in a Bitz? What offset if any do you use if so.
Assume would want the end of the jig (closest to nock of arrow) off a little to the right and the other off to the left - assume you are looking down from above the Bitz with the arrow tip going away from you.

I used to. Heavy helical, 5", severe off set.
2 points...that type of fletch doesnt work well on micro shafts. Even with a straight off set the quill doesnt seat right on small diameter shafts.
Other point is I went to an A&A style fletch. Short, straight, no helical on a well tuned, heavy, efoc arrow. I will never go back to 5" helical.

 

[tmattson]

In this case I am fletching 11/32 Doug-Fir wood shafts.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

In this case I am fletching 11/32 Doug-Fir wood shafts.

Gotcha. I have fletched (Bitzenburger) and shot those shafts a long time ago. I was doing left wing back then, too.
I never actually measured the degree of off set but I always "evened out" the amount I placed the 2 settings. However much I moved the front of the fletch to the left of center, I would move the rear the same amount to the right of center.
I did it that way because I felt it allowed the quill to have better contact with the shaft over the full length of the quill.

 

[tmattson]

I have a straight and left helical jig, I just might also try 4@4 inch helicals, not sure if that will cause some clearance issues.

 

[Razorbak66]

Don’t need massive helical just enough to fully seat on the shaft regardless of what jig you use I used blitz for years but 25 years ago I got a BPE pro fletcher and haven’t looked back. On the average I get about 3 degree helical LW or RW some more or less depending on shaft. I use micro shafts and I get a pretty decent helical which works for me and if your having contact into shelf try flipping the arrow so you shoot cock feather in if you can’t rotate your nocks

 

[Allegheny Tom]

Don’t need massive helical just enough to fully seat on the shaft regardless of what jig you use I used blitz for years but 25 years ago I got a BPE pro fletcher and haven’t looked back. On the average I get about 3 degree helical LW or RW some more or less depending on shaft. I use micro shafts and I get a pretty decent helical which works for me and if your having contact into shelf try flipping the arrow so you shoot cock feather in if you can’t rotate your nocks

I don't know how do-able it is when shooting wood, but with shooting carbon there's a lot of fine tuning that can be done with arrows. Well tuned EFOC arrows hardly need any fletching at all. A straight (no helical, no offset) 2.5" four, A&A is working pretty well for me and they shoot quieter than my old 5" off-set helical. I do want to try 3" or 4" three fletch A&A because I think it will allow me more latitude on turning the nock.
So, not sure how much you can tinker with wood tuning but agree that massive fletching can be over-kill. If you need 5" off-set, to stabilize broad heads then maybe there are other issues that need addressed? Just a thought.

 

[tmattson]

Don’t need massive helical just enough to fully seat on the shaft regardless of what jig you use I used blitz for years but 25 years ago I got a BPE pro fletcher and haven’t looked back. On the average I get about 3 degree helical LW or RW some more or less depending on shaft. I use micro shafts and I get a pretty decent helical which works for me and if your having contact into shelf try flipping the arrow so you shoot cock feather in if you can’t rotate your nocks

You are using a stright jig just offset left or right depending on if feather is left or right wing?

 

[Razorbak66]

Yes I do use straight fletch some times and get the angle like maybe 1.5 to 2 degree as long as you seat the feather or vane on the shaft. You can manipulate it to a point. I perfer helical clamps personally and I do the same thing

 

[Allegheny Tom]

You are using a stright jig just offset left or right depending on if feather is left or right wing?

My Bitz is over 30 years old so I don't know if anything has changed with the newer Bitzenburgers, but the receiver is built for L, R, or S (there will be a L, or R, or S on the knob). So apparently there's more to changing the angle of offset than to just changing the setting. Might have to double check which receiver you have on your Bitz.

 

[tmattson]

I don't know how do-able it is when shooting wood, but with shooting carbon there's a lot of fine tuning that can be done with arrows. Well tuned EFOC arrows hardly need any fletching at all. A straight (no helical, no offset) 2.5" four, A&A is working pretty well for me and they shoot quieter than my old 5" off-set helical. I do want to try 3" or 4" three fletch A&A because I think it will allow me more latitude on turning the nock.
So, not sure how much you can tinker with wood tuning but agree that massive fletching can be over-kill. If you need 5" off-set, to stabilize broad heads then maybe there are other issues that need addressed? Just a thought.

I did a lot of testing with various "test spine arrows" (Doug-Firs), bare shaft and paper tune. Settled on 80/85 spine, yes seems way high for my setup but that is where I got the best and most consistent flight, at least with my form and release. Have a new dozen raw shafts I am getting ready to build. My FOC on these arrows is far from "EFOC", but my finished arrow weight will be in the 675 grain ballpark, more than enough mass and momentum for whitetails in my ethical shooting range.

 

[Razorbak66]

I don't know how do-able it is when shooting wood, but with shooting carbon there's a lot of fine tuning that can be done with arrows. Well tuned EFOC arrows hardly need any fletching at all. A straight (no helical, no offset) 2.5" four, A&A is working pretty well for me and they shoot quieter than my old 5" off-set helical. I do want to try 3" or 4" three fletch A&A because I think it will allow me more latitude on turning the nock.
So, not sure how much you can tinker with wood tuning but agree that massive fletching can be over-kill. If you need 5" off-set, to stabilize broad heads then maybe there are other issues that need addressed? Just a thought.

I haven’t shot woodies in years since the 5 plus inches of feathers I use to use and since a wood shaft is really big compared to carbons I don’t see it to be a problem wether your using 3 or 4” on those shafts as long as the wood shafts are spines correctly to your bow. Myself I use carbons with 4” feathers or vanes and messed with smaller like A&A which I like but 4” works the best for me. Others mileage will varies and I personally never seem to have any problem with broad head flight regardless of what length feather I use and if I do have a issue then normally it’s a bad release

 

[tmattson]

Wood arrows actually get expensive in the end, not as durable, etc. But they are just fun to shoot, and super quiet. Maybe just a fad but its been a fun project all winter and spring.

 

[Heydeerman]

Wood arrows actually get expensive in the end, not as durable, etc. But they are just fun to shoot, and super quiet. Maybe just a fad but its been a fun project all winter and spring.

Not a fad at all. For the newbs just getting started in trad you owe it to yourselves to shoot wood arrows. The lessons you will learn will help you learn about your hunting tools and make you a better archer. I hunt with carbon now but cut my teeth on cedar, ash, maple, birch, poplar. I still have a bunch and every couple years build a set of wood arrows. Keeps me in touch with trad roots. There is great satisfaction in building your own arrows.