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HOW TO MAKE MODIFIED MARKLAND ARROWHEADS

by Tomonaga

 

A modified Markland arrowhead is one that has a streamlining cone on the back of the head. They fly reasonably well and usually make enough of a thump when they hit to be noticeable. Please read this article all the way through before trying this procedure.

 

To make these arrowheads, you need:

Not exactly required, but very highly recommended:

 

Some notes on tools and materials:

 
Arrows shafts are available in a variety of diameters; I recommend using at least 11/32” shafts because they’re more durable than smaller sizes.
 
The spray foam may be hazardous for smokers; it produces flammable fumes. DO NOT USE SPRAY FOAM NEAR HEATERS OR FLAME SOURCES. It is also very nasty to work with; it oozes all over everything, is very sticky, and can harm the eyes. And it is under pressure, so it can shoot out more than you first think. When using it you have to use gloves and eye protection, and be very careful to not let it get on things you care about.
 
Paper funnels can be found at any gas station, and often you can talk the attendant into selling you a whole tube of the things for a buck or two. The small-end opening sizes can vary; this is not important. You can also buy the paper cones meant for snow cones, and cut off the small ends.
 
If you can, get a hole saw that has relief holes on the BACK as well as the sides.
 
The corner brace is not really required, but I have found it very useful. When you make the heads, you want the stop plates perpendicular to the shafts. It’s very hard to align the parts properly by eye; it’s much better to have some contrivance with built-in right angles so you can use it to work the parts into alignment.
 

And so to work. Use the links at the ends of some steps to refer to the accompanying figures.

  1. If your shafts are long enough, mark them at 29” from the forward end of the nock. (Yes I said 29.” Yes, I know the maximum draw length is 28”. Trust me, you’ll see.) Figure

  2. Cut the shafts at that mark, or just behind the factory points, whichever distance is greater. Make sure the cuts are smooth, and perpendicular to the length of the shaft. Cut slowly and smoothly--DON’T split the shaft. Figure

  3. Wrap the shafts with fiber tape from the fletches to about 1” short of the end. Make sure the fibers run with the shaft, not around it. Figure

  4. Using the hole saw, cut a bunch of disks from the plywood. (The outer diameter of the hole saw is 1-and-1/2”, but the outer diameter of the disk this produces is almost exactly 1-and-1/4”, because of the wall thickness of the saw. )

    Getting each disk out of the hole saw can be a problem. Here's a trick: When the hole saw is about halfway through the plywood, start moving the drill in a circle, so the hole saw cuts in a wider than normal area around the central disk. If done right, the disk will simply drop out when the wood is cut all the way through. The resulting disk has sides that are slightly slanted; make sure you put the disk on the shaft so the larger-diameter side is AWAY from the feathers.

    If the disk does not fall clear, you may need to put a rod or something through the relief holes in the hole saw and gradually lever the disk out. This takes some doing--MAKE SURE YOU TURN OFF THE POWER BEFORE YOU TRY TO CLEAR THE HOLE SAW.

  5. For each disk: Use the sandpaper/grinder to clean up the edges of the cuts. Make sure there are no splinters or projecting fibers.

  6. Using the pencil sharpener or taper tool or grinder or something, bevel the end of the shaft just a little. You don’t want it to come to a point; you just want enough of a slant that the end will actually go slightly into the hole in the center of a disk. This is how you center the shaft to the disk, and the bevel makes better contact to help transmit impact cleanly so things are less likely to split. If you have a countersink bit, it’s a good idea to put a little bevel on the inner edge of the hole, on one side of the disk. The flatter the surfaces of the disk and shaft meet, the longer the arrow will stand the shock. Figure

  7. Slide a paper funnel onto the shaft with the SMALL end toward the fletches, and put the disk on the end of the shaft. If you miss this step, it’s no big deal. The funnel can be forced over the fletches, though I don’t recommend it because they can be screwed up. Figure

  8. Put Elmer’s glue on the beveled part of the shaft, and press it into the hole in a disk. You won’t be able to jam-fit the parts, so don’t try; forcing them may damage the shaft. Use the corner brace to true up the parts so the disk is as close as you can get to perpendicular to the shaft. You want a good glue fillet between the disk and the shaft. This is why the tape stopped short; you must glue only on bare wood of the join will be weakened. Because the disk and shaft may tend to fall apart, you may need to glue the parts twice; first, turn the arrow point-up and fit the parts together, then pour glue in the hole on the impact side of the disk so it contacts both the disk and the shaft. After that dries, turn the arrow the other way and build up the glue fillet on the back of the disk. Figure

  9. After gluing the parts, hang the arrow so the glue cannot run away from the contact area where it has to be, and leave it to dry. Hang it as straight as possible and make sure nothing bumps into the disk. I usually tape mine to the edge of a table.

  10. When the glue is dry, trim the end of the shaft even with the face of the bottom of the disk. MAKE SURE THE SHAFT DOES NOT PROTRUDE BEYOND THE FACE OF THE DISK. Figure

  11. (This step can actually be done any time.) Cut the leather and padding into pieces 1-and-1/4” across, or just slightly larger. If you can cut it in round shapes, great. For padding, I usually cut squares out of an old sleeping bag pad and glue them together to make padding thick enough (that’s the padding I had available; you can use anything that’s legal for making thrusting tips).

  12. Run a glue bead around the outer edge of the top of the disk. This will hold the funnel in place and close its bottom end. Figure

  13. Slide the funnel down till it contacts the top edge of the disk. Work the funnel into shape, if needed, to make sure you have good contact between the funnel and the glue bead all around. As closely as possible, make sure the small opening of the funnel is centered around the shaft. Figure

  14. Hang the arrow point-down, as straight as possible, and let the glue dry. Make sure the funnel is not knocked off-center. Remember I said to cut the shafts at 29” when the maximum allowable draw length is 28”? The extra inch is taken up in the distance from the outer face of the disk to the end of the funnel.

  15. When the glue is dry, trim the funnel back to the top edge of the disk. You don’t need a perfect fit between them, but remember that the cleaner the arrow’s outer surface, the better it will fly. If there are small openings at the upper edge of the disk where the glue didn’t quite meet the funnel, don’t worry. Openings larger than 1/16” of an inch can be covered with tape before the next step. Figure

  16. In this step, BE CAREFUL--you will be working with the spray foam and this stuff is nasty. Make sure you do this step in some place where nothing important will be damaged if spray foam drips on it. Dropped foam can be cleaned away, while it is wet, with alcohol; excess foam on the arrows should be left till later. Once a can is used the contents will set inside the can throat, so if you do just a few heads and then set the can aside, it may not want to work again and most of the contents would be wasted. It’s a good idea to wait until you have a big batch of arrows ready and foam them all at once--it’s less wasteful that way.

    Shake up the spray foam, insert the tube in the back end of the funnel, and GENTLY squirt foam into the funnel until it is completely filled. You may need to make a small slit in the funnel to admit the filling tube. Remember the foam will continue to expand for some time after you ease off the trigger, so do this slowly, a little at a time. Excess foam will ooze out the back of the funnel, and any openings at the top of the disk. DO NOT try to wipe excess foam off the arrow while it is wet--let it dry and then chip it off. Figure

  17. Set the arrow aside to dry for at least 6 hours. It can be simply laid down for this.

  18. When the foam is FULLY DRY, trim away any excess foam. If foam oozed out the slit where the filler tube was, trim the outside of the cone smooth. Figure

  19. Glue the leather piece to the striking side of the disk and trim it as needed. THE LEATHER MUST BE BETWEEN THE SHAFT AND THE PADDING. Figure

  20. Glue the padding to the leather and trim it as needed. I trim the padding into octagons; the octagons fit the edge of the disk better than squares, it’s easier to tape an object with sharp corners than to tape over the edge of a disk, and an octagonal head flies perfectly well if everything else is done right. It is acceptable to glue a piece of light leather to the business end of the foam; some feel this gives the arrow more authority when it hits so it’s more likely to be called. It does give it a little more noise, certainly; that helps make it noticeable. Figure

  21. Cover the head with duct tape. Make sure you do not compress the padding.

 

No, you can’t use the foam to make the striking surface. The rules require collapsible material, and the foam dries too hard and brittle.

 

The leather and plywood disk work together to provide the stop plate required at the bottom of the arrow shaft. The hole in the disk made by the hole saw is needed to align the shaft and disk to each other, and the leather must cover it to prevent a splintered shaft from punching through the padding.