When it comes to shooting a traditional bow, I believe you do the bow and yourself an injustice if you shoot anything but wood arrows out of it. Contrary to what a lot of people think, I believe that well made wood arrows matched to the bow that they are being shot out of, will shoot every bit as good as any arrow constructed from man made materials.
I've seen a lot of wood arrows over the years. Some were works of art and others, well, I'd best say they had a character of their own. Speaking of character, I saw a set at the Longbow Muster one year that the paint wouldn't even dry on. I'm not joking, just ask me O'l mate Col Graham as he was shooting them!!! I laugh every time I think about that.
As I said above each wood arrow has its own individual characteristics, so to make a matched set takes a considerable amount of time and effort. I feel the rewards are well worth it though. Shooting your own hand crafted arrows makes shooting a bow more personal. It adds something special to the Traditional Bowhunting experience. I really enjoy getting in my workshop and immersing myself in the task, or I should say enjoyment, of handcrafting another matched set of wood arrows.
Although I have always shot wood arrows out of my longbow, I haven't always made my arrows fancy or properly for that matter. It took me a long time, years in fact, to make arrows which I considered to be of good quality. It was in 1987 that Dave Richardson, a friend of mine from Canada, sent me an arrow that he had made. It was the most beautiful arrow I had ever seen and since then I have endeavoured to make my arrows the best I can. By the way, Dave is well known for his prowess in handcrafting wood arrows. At one Pope and Young Convention in the USA, a set of twelve of his arrows were auctioned and they sold for $750.00.
To make your own set of matched arrows you will require a number of specialised tools. These include a Spine Tester, Tapering Tool, Fletching Jig, Grain Scales, and if you want to crest your arrows, a Cresting Machine. Each of these tools has a specific and very important job to do. Except for the Cresting Machine, I would say that it would be near impossible to make a matched set of arrows without them. You can make the Spine Tester and Cresting Machine yourself with a little effort but you will probably have to purchase the other tools.