Fellas,
I just recieved my tru center taper tool and I'm  about to make my first set of woodies.  I have read the instructions about adjusting the blade to get the proper taper etc.  But, I'm not real sure what a good taper is supposed to look like or how deep it should  be?  As long as the tip and nocks fit the finished taper, am I good to go?  Any idea on the depth of taper from the point of taper to the shoulder of the shaft?

I do have the Traditional Bowhunter's Handbook, but anyone have any little hints or tricks to share to minimize the learning curve     .

The Tru Center can be a bit tricky to set up. You want the blade to just barely peel the wood off otherwise you will get gouges in your taper. My point tapers are usually about an inch long and the pointy end is about 1/8 to 3/16 inch wide. I hope this helps!

Darren

If you don't need full length woodies, I learned by starting with the full length, tapering, then cut the taper off. Repeat the process, I can get 3 or 4 practice tapers per shaft.
Tim

Practice, practice, practice like Bowsey says.
For me the most critical part of a wood arrow is nock taper; second is point taper; and third is straightness.

I have a hard time with it too. I usually have about 1/4" cut beyond the field tips. In other words it cuts too much in length. I have to go back and paint urethane on the exposed wood.

Hey snag I had the same problem too and found that the colored markers used to cover scratches in furniture work well for adding some color back.

Thanks for the advice.  Darren that is a good starting point, and as few others suggested, I have been practicing.  I'm having the same problem as Snag but an extra 1/8" of taper exposed...is this to be expected?
Bob

I don't think so Starkman. I am thinking it has to do with the placement of the blade. Have to fiddle with it some more.

Trow as far as you can, And get the Plastic type....

Unless your shafts are the same diameter or smaller than the inside of the hole (as opposed to the diameter of the outside of the point) you will always have some taper showing behind the point.  This is simply due to the wall thickness.

That said, I agree with mike g about throwing it as far as you can.  I have one that's done about a dozen arrows a couple years ago and I've never used it since unless in a pinch for a repair.  There is just too much inconsistency in diameter and lack of roundness in wood shafts.  If the collet does not fit exactly, the taper will usually end up "leaning" and your point will set crooked.  You can put some tape around a loose fitting shaft or sand a tight one but either way there is too much inconsistency for me.

The absolute best tapers are done on a grinder or sander type tool.  If you have a table saw, it is simple to make a jig with a V groove and do your tapers on it with a sandindg disc installed.  If you have a small bench sander, even better.  Do a search here for more info.

Dave Bulla is wright and you can find it in the how to- Resources.
Charlie Brown.

I've thought about buying a sander and making a jig, but I'm not sure if I want to invest too much at first.  I may not stick with woodies, I just thought I'd have to try to make afew dozen and give them a try.  I do like my aluminums and carbon arrows, but something about the allure of longbows and wood arrows just appeals to me.  Does anyone have a few pics of what thier finished tapers look like.  I saw the short video clip from Three Rivers, but it isn't very helpful.
Thanks,
Bob

I went through two of the black plastic ones. The first wouldn't cut any wood at all on the point taper. The second one (first was replaced at no charge) absolutely would not cut a taper that aligned with the shaft. The points all angled off to one side. Crap!

I broke down and bought the tru-center tool. It does take some fiddling around to get it adjusted, but the points and nocks are on straight. A bit of taper shows behind field points, but the same thing happens with the plastic ones. Woodsman's cover the taper just fine. I like it. The plastic ones are a waste of money IMHO. My cousin does have a plastic one that works well, but I think he got lucky.

Keep working with the Tru-Center. If you are not going into production, it should get the job done just fine for you.

QuoteOriginally posted by mike g:
Trow as far as you can, And get the Plastic type....

If you do that, I'll give you my addy    
Seriously, I have no problems with mine, I make sure the blade is sharp -I can get real thin wood shavings.