Since I've started shooting a relatively good replica of a Manchu bow, with long ears and strong limbs, I noticed that it doesn't shoot very well with conventional arrows. Even with relatively heavy arrows it still has a lot of energy to spare. In anticipation of a Manchu horn bow Jaap Koppedrayer is building me I figured I should work on the right arrows for when that comes.
Instead of coming up with new solutions I like to look at the old ones, as my Qing military studies was what got me into archery in the first place. Looking at my antique arrows I came to the conclusion that none of the features we see here were luxury:
1. Long feathers
2. Long and thick shaft
3. Tapered front, waist near the end of the fletchings and widening nock
The long feathers quickly stabilize the relatively slow but heavy arrow, the shaft length ensures the very long Manchu draw, the shaft thickness keeps it from becoming whippy, while the complex tapering trims as much weight as possible where this can be spared in order to make them not unwieldy.
(Weighing twelve tapered and twelve straight shafts, I found that the tapered and waisted shaft is only 75.6% the weight of the straight shaft of the same thickness.)
In order to balance them correctly and test the functionality and durability of Qing target head design I had Hector Cole produce me some nice replicas of typical Qing target heads.
Now the first challenge: I need to drill holes in the fronts my shafts to insert the tangs. It's very important to get them absolutely straight. Does anyone know of a relatively simple method to accomplish this?
Tangs are 5.5 cm long.
Thanks in advance!
KenH
I'd make up a drill jig with a way to clamp a hand drill horizontally to a bass plate of wood; a pair of tracks or channel on the bass plate to guide the arrow "car" or carrier directly in line to the drill bit, and the arrow car or carrier itself perhaps 30 cm long with V notched uprights that will hold any diameter arrow at the perfect height of the drill bit. Shims for the V notches to adjust the height of different diameter arrows completes the rig
Hope that description gives you enough to go on...
Peter Dekker
Hi,
Thanks for the suggestion. That indeed seems like the best way to go if I want to ensure absolutely straight work. I already have some ideas, my large English fletching jig ("The Big Jig") could serve as the arrow-guide.
I had hoped that there was some traditional shortcut for it, one that didn't involve building a jig. But I guess these guys just got them straight with experience and time-honed skill. Lacking both in this case, I'll be safe with the jig.
-Peter
jack farrell
Do this with a hand drill for a perfect fit. Mark the exact center. Drill in 1/8 inch. Hold the shaft in one hand and the shaft in the other. Turn the shaft 90 degrees and drill another eighth inch, rotate 90 degrees, straighten the angle etc.
It is easy to drill parallel on one plane at a time. By drilling shallowly and rotating 90 degrees, it is easy to correct the angle. If there is some eversoslight inconsistency, you may also notice that the tang is not exactly perfect. By rotating the point you get to that perfect place.
Try this and see. -j-
Bede
Peter,
The Manchus and Chinese rarely drilled holes for the tangs. They burned them in with hot awls. A piece of wire with the right diameter was heated in hot coals and plunged into the tip of the shaft. The wire was mounted on a wooden handle so that it could easily be held. This technique was used in many places for making holes in wood. I even saw it used in a Hollywood movie when Vikings were building a boat!
I have heard of fletchers mounting an awl blade or gimlet vertically in a board and placing the arrow shaft on it then using a bow-drill to rotate it rapidly back and forth. You can do this between the palms of your hands as well.
Regular drills sometimes wander in the wood, particularly the thin bits.
You already know this, but for other readers, remember to thin the shaft down after the hole is drilled.
jack farrell
Bede; I would like to see your tool which accurately burns holes in arrow shafts.
Peter Dekker
jack farrell wrote:
Do this with a hand drill for a perfect fit. Mark the exact center. Drill in 1/8 inch. Hold the shaft in one hand and the shaft in the other. Turn the shaft 90 degrees and drill another eighth inch, rotate 90 degrees, straighten the angle etc.
It is easy to drill parallel on one plane at a time. By drilling shallowly and rotating 90 degrees, it is easy to correct the angle. If there is some eversoslight inconsistency, you may also notice that the tang is not exactly perfect. By rotating the point you get to that perfect place.
Try this and see. -j-
Thanks a lot, I will try this one first and see how it goes.
Thanks Bede for the traditional way, that's something I will eventually give a try as well. I can imagine that the pin diameter should be a little smaller than the tang as it burns the surrounding materials..
-Peter
Bede
Jack,
There is a picture in the book, Investigative Report on Bow and Arrow Manufacture in Chengtu by T'an Tan-Chiung, Soochow Journal of Chinese Art History, Vol. XI July 1981. It is on page 200 and is item G in the drawing; the handle looks half the length of the tool. It is described:
Fire awl - used to burn through the lower eye. The sharpened steel awl is inserted into a handle. Including the handle it is 31.0 cm long and 0.2 cm thick
The process of using it is called "punching the lower eye". The awl is 2 mm in diameter and produces a 4 mm hole 7 cm deep.
The movie was The Vikings with Tony Curtis and Kirk Douglas. I think Tony Curtis was building a boat.
I haven't tried it myself, but I have a friend who makes holes by loosely holding the arrow shaft and letting the drill centre it. I can't do that one. I assume it settles down after the bit goes in. Good luck to those who can do it.
Peter Dekker
I could jump of joy!
The "Investigative report" is a book that has long been on my wish list. After many failed periodic searches I gave up but because of your citation I thought I'd give it a go again and there it was, for a reasonable price as well! It's on my way to me now. The things trying to attach a tanged arrowhead to a shaft can cause!
Anyway, thanks a again for the extra info.
I took out my copy of China at Work by Rudolf P. Hommel, it lists several methods the Chinese used for drilling but none involving a hot awl like the Chengdu bowyer. One was the bow drill, another was a reamer. The most interesting method described was a long iron wire with arrowhead-like tip. It was rolled over a desk, making it spin, and the pipe stem that was drilled through on this occasion was moved back and forth in the same manner. Sounds like a difficult job to keep the drilling straight this way, but the guy used to making long pipe tubes using such methods was bound to be able to do an arrowshaft as well!
-Peter
Peter Dekker
I succeeded using a combination of both methods!
I first drilled the shaft as described by Jack, but my drill was half an inch too short for the tang. I looked around for something I could use as an awl but there was nothing but my arrowhead. I then decided to heat the very tip of the tang until red-hot, and then quickly inserted it. The head never became too hot to hold so I'm sure it hasn't affected hardness on that end, only the back part of the tang.
It sunk in really well, and somehow got lodged really tight. The head's edges were out of line with the nock so I had to pull it out but that took a vise and quite some force. It is now aligned exactly the way I want it.
Jack, as you said the slight irregularities of all parts make for some useful wiggle room. Rolling the shaft over a table now, the very tip stays in the same place when rotating. Great stuff.
-Peter
Bede
I wonder if the fire awl was an improvised tool? The charcoal stove was made with small holes in the side to take the iron wire ends of the awl.
I have some tanged heads and a piece of piano wire, maybe I should give it a try. I will see if I can make a copy of the fire awl and test it. Bamboo is so much more accommodating. Undoubtedly that is the reason arrow heads for bamboo shafts have much longer tangs than ones in wooden arrows.
KenH
Historical or not, I'm glad you've got a workable technique for drilling tang holes, Peter.
