A fellow gave me some turkey feathers from birds he is raising. They're "wild" turkey feathers.   I am not sure which side. He is not into archery, just handed me handful enough for a few arrows if they're the fight fletch. I only have the left hand clamp.  How do you fellows ground the quill down uniformly?

...I don't do more than a few whole quills at a time (I never have that many at a time)... I split then with a utility knife, put them in my straight clamp and grind them on a belt sander... the straight clamp is the most effective way I have found to keep the feather square to the sander... it gives me a perfectly squared base...I will regrind factory bases the same way... with out a straight clamp, you will need to make something to do the same thing...

Ok.  Two flat bars should clamp ok I'd imagine

I have heard of using 2x4s just longer than the feather and a hand sanding block.
Clamp the wood carefully so you don't crush the feathers.

Quote from: Vroomvroom on June 26, 2023, 11:35:46 AM
Ok.  Two flat bars should clamp ok I'd imagine

...Vroomvroom...if you are using a Bitz, this it the perfect time to just get a right & straight clamp... having all 3 clamps opens up a lot of opportunities...

Quote from: Pine on June 26, 2023, 02:24:02 PM
I have heard of using 2x4s just longer than the feather and a hand sanding block.
Clamp the wood carefully so you don't crush the feathers.

...2x4's might be a bit bulky....2 pieces of yard stick and a paper binder...

The 2x4s keep the sanding block square.

A door hinge long enough to hold the entire feather works well for holding the feather for grinding. Then take it to a belt sander if you have one or a piece of sand paper glued down to a flat surface. I prefer to peel and thread wrap my feathers.

Kyle

Quote from: Mo_coon-catcher on June 29, 2023, 09:53:29 AM
A door hinge long enough to hold the entire feather works well for holding the feather for grinding. Then take it to a belt sander if you have one or a piece of sand paper glued down to a flat surface. I prefer to peel and thread wrap my feathers.

Kyle

...yeah, a hinge would work... it won't crush the feather like two flat pieces...

...peeling is a skill (no grinding, ultra thin base )you either get right or screw up a lot of feathers.... but I agree, nothing looks better on a wood arrow... I wouldn't mount (or even try ) a peeled base on a carbon...

...and a full sheet of sandpaper on a clipboard is what I use to redress every factory base that comes out of the bag...that's why I believe having a straight clamp is important...