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  1. #1
    jakev383's Avatar
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    Another DIY toggle, using carbon arrows

    I'm an archer, and cut my own arrows to my required length. I also have a pile of arrows which are no longer usage. While I was trying to find aluminum nails from the DIY toggle - using gutter nails (which my Lowes didn't carry), I was working on another solution and saw these arrow cut-offs sitting in my trash can.
    Light bulb flickered, and I decided to test them out for strength.
    I have a couple of these steel blocks:
    IMG_20201030_102119526.jpg

    I initially hung one suspended from the DIY toggle for an hour:

    IMG_20201030_095919739.jpg

    I decided to double the weight up - had a couple work calls, so this is after it's been hanging after 3 hours with roughly 46lbs (ruler added for scale):

    IMG_20201030_132519510_HDR.jpg

    For those who are really interested, this is a cutoff from an Easton Hexx in 330 spine. You can get comparable arrows from Walmart for about $5 in 30" lengths. And since they are carbon fiber, they are very light.

  2. #2
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    I also am into archery but not to the extent you are. I let the pros cut my arrows. I would think aluminum arrows would be a better choice but have nothing to back up that opinion. I've just seen carbon shafts shatter and splinter more than aluminum.
    "God never sends us anything we can't handle. Sometimes I wish He didn't trust me so much." - Mother Teresa.

  3. #3
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    Small diameter wooden dowel works for me. Plus, I can drill a hole through it for a tether line so the dowel doesn’t walk away. Sure, you can drill a hole in the aluminum shaft, but it’s a little sharper than wood.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  4. #4
    Senior Member jeff-oh's Avatar
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    I have a set from an aluminum arrow shaft that has lasted years. I have an orange string tied through a small hole drilled in one end. Yep they work great.

  5. #5
    Senior Member old4hats's Avatar
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    I made several from aluminum shafts, they hold up very well, never bent or broke a one.
    If you prepare for failure you will probably succeed.

  6. #6
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    Good luck. I tried the cf arrowshafts and they all crushed in at some point. And I was hanging on the knot and not the toggle!
    Been using aluminum 7/11 straw since.
    Maybe you will prevail!
    Shug

    Whoopie Sling/Toggle/Marlinspike Hitch by Sean Emery, on Flickr
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  7. #7
    Senior Member Pop_Eye's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jakev383 View Post
    I'm an archer, and cut my own arrows to my required length. I also have a pile of arrows which are no longer usage. While I was trying to find aluminum nails from the DIY toggle - using gutter nails (which my Lowes didn't carry), I was working on another solution and saw these arrow cut-offs sitting in my trash can.
    Light bulb flickered, and I decided to test them out for strength.
    I have a couple of these steel blocks:
    .
    I was looking for carbon fiber shaft arrows at my Walmart and their shelves were bare when I was on the hunt for toggle material.

    The problem I initially had was the force of the marlin spike hitch knot crushing the aluminum tube. If there was a way to apply force by something like a hose clamp around the arrow shaft to simulate a tightening knot would be a good additional test.

    Great light bulb flicker there, I have to say!

  8. #8
    jakev383's Avatar
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    I imagine the choice of arrow spine (stiffness) plays into it - mine are a 330 spine. A 400 spine would not be as thick carbon fiber. I have some 300 spine arrows too - guess I could mic them and find out the thickness too.
    I've still got the 46# of steel hanging on the piece I showed in the pics (there's two pieces of steel in the last pic). Been hanging there for four days now.
    If I can find some time in the next week or so, I may hang four 5-gallon buckets off it and start filling them full of water until it breaks or the buckets are all full. That should get me close to 166lbs to test with....

  9. #9
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    I use old aluminum arrows cut into pieces also. Nice and slick finish and free thanks to having a lot of old arrows lying around. Two seconds of per cut with a dremel cut-off wheel.

  10. #10
    jakev383's Avatar
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    I wasn't able to test 4 buckets full of water - my kids ran off with two buckets somewhere and were not around for me to yell at / ask where they were. So I improvised - I'd already had the two steel weights hanging from the piece of arrow for the last 4 days or so, so I tossed those into buckets to start at 46lbs and added water from there.
    As I mentioned previously, I suspect what spine arrow you are using will affect this rather dramatically. These are 330 spine, and I highly suspect if you went with a more flexible arrow (such as a 400 spine) that you will have a thinner wall thickness.
    For those who may be interested, I made a quick video this evening to test how much weight I can hang onto this arrow piece.
    The piece is 3.25" long and I tried to suspend the weight so that it was in as much of a worst case scenario as I thought was relevant. The arrow is resting on pieces of 2x4 on it's outer edges, with a piece of #36 bank line in the center of the carbon shaft to focus as much weight into as small of an area as I can. The bank line is tied in a prussic onto a piece of 550 paracord that is girth hitched around the bucket handles.
    Here's the video of me filling the buckets for those who are interested:
    https://youtu.be/Q9pQjoRLWwk
    I ended up with the two steel bars (23.4# each, totaling 46.8#), and 8.5 gallons of water in the buckets. That's an additional 70.93#, bringing the total weight to around 117.73 pounds (53.4 Kilograms).
    I can't see myself pulling my tarp lines tight enough to come anywhere close to 100# of force, but your mileage may vary and I'm not judging
    I'll leave this sitting for the next few days and report back if the carbon tube collapses, I come up with another idea to test on it, or if I just end up giving the water to my apple tree.

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