By Johnny Snyman

The essence of archery is the wooden arrow in flight. Loosing wooden arrows from a traditional bow holds much more than merely obtaining high scores on the range or becoming “the best of the best”. There is something about wooden arrows that stirs deep waters in a man’s soul, which slowly well up and seek out those tiny crevices within the armour each man seemingly wears around his heart. The waters set free a cool refreshing stream that gently flows through one’s very being. And behold!

For as long as twilight lasts, before a man can resist its irresistible grasp, the waters quickly ebb away, leaving behind a soothing wake of mysterious twirling eddies, while one wonders in awe just what the wooden arrow is all about.

If the concept of the wooden arrow is alien to your understanding as an archer, then do your soul a small favour. Set out on your own into wild and rugged country. Leave behind the manmade jungles of plastic flowers and ivory towers, and choose a free seat in the front row of the Almighty Lord’s creation. Before the sun has set, you will have collected enough wood to fuel the fire you have instinctively chosen as your only companion for the night that looms ahead. As the shadows grow tall, edge closer to the inviting warmth of your fire. And while out there, all on your own, sniff the aroma of the brewing coffee as it blends richly with the calls of the night. You see very deep things among those glowing embers, don’t you?

Now, reflect on this: Why didn’t you just remain in the shadows and watch the embers from afar? How come you’ve edged closer to the flickering flames? The reason is simply this: for as long as man’s spirit has a fascination for the captivating flames of a campfire, so long will the wooden arrow’s ambience carry forth the warmth and traditions it so richly radiates. Modern, artificial arrows appear quite deadly. They embrace precision and propagate success. Wooden arrows appear majestic. Across the earth’s continents they have sown the seeds of many a great battle fought and volumes of memorable hunts told.

They contain the history and adventures of our childhood days, and the childlikeness of the free-spirited mind. Gently place these timeless ingredients into a well-worn leather quiver and set out into wild country once again, my friend. You then carry real arrows. They, along with the firelight, become companions embracing an undisputable aura that demands authority.

Once we set out on the journey of handcrafting our own wooden arrows, we discover the truth behind the words once spoken by Maurice Thompson: “There is no excellence without great labour”. With all other matters being equal, a crucial part of the wooden arrow is the groove set within its rear end, which receives the bowstring – the arrow nock. Just as the target is at the mercy of the receiving end of the arrow’s point, so is the arrow nock at the receiving end of where all things of equality begin to happen. Without the nock the arrow is useless.

During full draw of the bow, the arrow nock is the transition point between great energy enforced on a small surface area of the arrow and the archer’s relaxed mental anticipation. At the moment of loosing the arrow the laws of momentum and energy erupt into place, and Mr Archer, with his perfect form, follows through with glee as the arrow sings its merry song.

Consider the following: If dogs could read and write, “The Manual of Chasing Cars” would be a best seller among their diverse literary ranks. The next time a dog chases your car, causing you to bring your vehicle to a sudden grinding halt, observe closely the expression of total amazement on the dog’s face. It’s rather entertaining to see “man’s best friend” sheepishly realise that the chase is over. This is the closest one can come to describing the look on an archer’s bewildered face when an arrow nock breaks during the shot. A broken nock can mean a broken bow, or if that’s not entirely the case, an archer looking forward to the next shot with the enthusiasm of a turtle…

Previously, we learnt how to taper the 11-degree arrow shaft ends to receive the glue-on nock by using a jig set onto a belt sander. We also looked at correctly lining up the nock slot with the respective rift and reed sides of the wooden shaft as the plastic nock is glued onto the 11-degree tapered end. As the end of our arrow-making journey begins to dawn, and as big as that dawn may be, there still remains another beautiful facet of the handcrafted arrow to be explored. It lies somewhere between the shavings lying on the workbench and floor, and the sweat you have worked up to make your project a worthwhile effort. It is but an option you may choose to give your arrows an air of elegance and beauty known as “The Reinforced Self Nock.”

How to…

Wooden arrow nocks can be reinforced so as to withstand theforce of the bowstring in moderate to very heavy bows. War arrows used by the English Longbow men were similarly reinforced, using horn as an insert to withstand the 150-pound-plus force exerted from their Medieval Yew Longbows. This style nock is made by cutting a one-inch (25mm) deep slot along the centre of the arrow shaft end (Illustration 1). You may use a handsaw or a bandsaw for the task. Special care should be taken to cut the slot along the reed-side of the shaft. The width of the slot may be anything between 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch (1 to 2mm). With the slot cut, use a piece of sandpaper folded double to smooth and key the interior surfaces of the cut slot. For the insert, any hard or dense material that has been cut to size and sanded to the correct thickness may be used, to accept a snug fit into the slot. In the accompanying illustrations, ivory has been used to create an elegant yet practical effect, contrasting with the deep red colour of the Candlewood shaft.

Use reliable-quality glue, applied to all surfaces of the insert and slot, and once set in place use a small 3-inch G-clamp to secure the insert as the glue set. (Illustration 2). At this point, and before the bond sets, make sure that the insert has not slipped within the slot’s base. Once the glue has cured, remove the G-clamp and work down the edges of the insert using sandpaper. At this point you also have the option to leave one side of the insert raised with a slight convex profile. This will serve as a nocking index later on when the arrow is complete.

The next step is to cut another slot into the shaft end, at right angles to the first slot, or along the rift side of the shaft. This will become the nock groove receiving the bowstring and is done as follows:

Ideally, the second cut should be made deep and wide enough to allow sufficient room for the groove to be secured around the bowstring. Before cutting the second slot, make a mark about half-an-inch (12mm) from the end of the shaft and, using a hand drill or drill press, drill a 1/8th-inch (3mm) hole through the centre of the arrow shaft (Illustration 3). Now carefully set the shaft into a bench vice and, depending on the thickness of your bowstring, you may use two to three hacksaw blades secured and taped together on the hacksaw, and cut the second slot at right angles to the insert, into the exact centre of the shaft so that it merges with the hole you have previously drilled (Illustration 4). From this point on use a small rat-tail round file and various grades of sandpaper to smooth and fashion the arrow nock.

Proceed tailoring the nock until it has a snug “snap-on” fit to your bowstring. Take care when making a complete set of arrows to ensure that all the nocks are of the same size or diameter. This will ensure a uniform nocking height onto the bowstring, which is crucial for the accuracy and correct flight pattern of your arrows. The advantages of the reinforced self nock are beauty, strength, elegancy and achievement, if you are new to traditional archery. The only disadvantage is when you happen to “Robin Hood” such an arrow. When this happens, it makes you wonder if chasing cars wouldn’t be a more worthwhile endeavour.