 1 18th May - Barrelling involves sanding down the shaft along a gentle taper, reducing one or both ends from 5/16" to 9/32". There are various ways of doing this; I was lent a barrelling jig by Jason at the Longbow Shop, who's a top dude. It comprises a pair of plates mounted on a board, which narrow from 5/16" to 9/32" to one end, and have sandpaper on the inside. The arrow is rotated at speed and slid gently and suggestively back and forth through this to a pre-measured backstop to smooth them down to the taper. |
 2 The tough bit is the propulsion. If you just screw the shaft into a drill chuck, it crushes the wood and doesn't hold too well in any case. After several experiments (thank God for spare shafts!) I found a bit of rubber hose from an anaesthetic machine, slit down the side, the best choice as a grommet. It still wasn't perfect as it slipped sometimes (see next page) but I got all 12 barrelled at both ends with the aid of a glass of wine and Rainbow's Temple of the King. |
 3 The shafts had been taper-cut while they were still 5/16" (thanks Lee Ankers!) and now a 9/32" pile fits on rather neatly. Rather spookily, the weights mostly levelled out as a result of this process, more than half the shafts being the exact same weight after barrelling! |
