fletching angle

[Cimbian]

I have been using the Arten Tolgate jig for the last year and it is quick, simple and sturdy and, despite past comments on the magnet I have no problem with this but, and this is the purpose of this thread, I recently noticed that the fletchings on my lad's arrows were note evenly spaced arond the arrow.

On looking further I have fund this with many of his arrows so I did a little test on the jig using some card on a shaft, marking the card at each position and then joining the sides. What I found to my great surprise was an isosceles triangle when what I was expecting was an equilateral one.

My son has been experiencing clearance problems and we have tried all manner of tweaks to the bow, what I now suspect is the angle of the fletchings around the shaft.

Does anyone have any experience of this?
Do any Tolgate owners see the same effect?
If anyone from Arten is reading... Is this normal? (Please understand I am not knocking Arten as I think they are a good company)

Anyone?

[clickerati]

My magnet block was screwed on crooked and that made the fletches go on in the wrong angle. It was a simple as loosening the screws and repositioning.

[Cimbian]

Originally Posted by clickerati

My magnet block was screwed on crooked and that made the fletches go on in the wrong angle. It was a simple as loosening the screws and repositioning.

As I understand you I think you are speaking of the OFFSET angle, this is not the problem I have (Quik Spins, so no offset is set). The 'problem' I refer to is the angle of separation between each vane, as viewed from the nock.

I thought it should create an equilateral triange as anything else would create unbalanced rotation during spin but the jig seems to be setting an isosceles triangle.

[buzz lite beer]

Is there any chance you are rotating the shaft around the nock when removing or positioning the fletching holder, if you are using push in nocks like G-nocks for example, this is quite possible, if your sure your not, contact Arten as it's possible the dent-ant collar that clicks or rather should click with each 120 degree rotation could be machined at the wrong angles.

[Cimbian]

Originally Posted by buzz lite beer

Is there any chance you are rotating the shaft around the nock when removing or positionng the fletching holder, if you are using push in nocks like G-nocks for example, this is quite possible,

Good suggestion Buzz Lite, but the nocks are swage-fit and glued in place (yes the glue is dry ).

I have just fletched another arrow and it really does seem as though the distance between the tips of the hen fletchings is shorter than between either of the hen fletchings and the #### fletching.

[buzz lite beer]

send it back..you got a duff one, mine isn't bang on but it's near enough.

[Cimbian]

Just so I am not going mad I have scanned my post-it note test and put it here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/81405393@N00/269582634/

Even allowing for getting up at 6:15 this morning for 10:00 assembly I don't think it is my eyes playing tricks with me (or the protractor).

Given that these are probably produced on some form of CNC kit I would like to know if anyone else has the same thing?

[Rik]

Originally Posted by Cimbian

Given that these are probably produced on some form of CNC kit I would like to know if anyone else has the same thing?

ROFLMAO
They're probably hand machined by some bloke in a shed in Scotland... I suspect the quantity sold wouldn't justify any sort of CNC setup.

[Cimbian]

Originally Posted by Rik

ROFLMAO
They're probably hand machined by some bloke in a shed in Scotland... I suspect the quantity sold wouldn't justify any sort of CNC setup.

Maybe Rik, but my local machine shop does stuff for me and my humble business and CNC programming is really not so expensive also a lot of hardware is also available with fairly simple PC control these days.

I give him a DWG or DXF and he runs it through his package and, hey presto!

Even if not on CNC I would be surprised if there were not a jig to hold the workpiece while machining the detents... even in a shed in Scotland.

[joetapley]

If I understand you comment correctly then the fletching angles are conventionally correct. The angle between the two fletchings facing the bow is made larger than the other two angles to increase clearance between flletchings and riser. This approach originated with wooden bows and with modern bows it probably doesn't make much difference between iso and equi arrangement.

Of course with the iso arrangement the nock has to be lined up with the correct two fletchings or clearance will suffer. That was the point of the "cock" feather being a different colour the angle between the "hen?" feathers is larger.