Debate free please. Please also skip the advice of how I could look up past posts or purchase a commercial model... I put together a feather grinding jig similar to the GN model. It is doing a decent job, but I had some questions for those more experience in grinding-- After I split the quill I put about a 10 inch section of feather in the jig with the curved side toward the recessed metal plate. The feather tries to spring upwards particulary the thick end (closest to where the quill attached to the wing). I added duct tape to the inside of the jig, but it still does it to an extent. Any tips? Once ground, i noticed that the outside of the curve has more quill on it remaining than I'd like to have even though the thickness seems about right... It is turning out pretty good feathers just that the quill is a little wide near the base. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated.

Same here. I use sand the where I think it is too wide. Jawge

How do you sand that part down Jawge?

I my experience, when the feather wants to pop up it is caused by one or two things. 1. Not enough grip to hold the feather in the clamp, which I solve by glueing very fine (400 grit) emory paper inside the clamp. Or 2. your sanding sleeve is dull and is actually pushing your feather causing in to bunch up and out.

Hope that helps.

Or 3 your drum paper is angled up , that will do it too. JF

I made my jig to grind both the base and the side of the quill. The side of primary turkey feathers are very wide and thick next to the end of the quill. I always try to get at least two fletches from each feather so the side has to be ground too. Hope that helps. >>>------> Ken

I grind the side down with a dremel tool.

MP

Thanks for the advice! I still end up w quill being too wide on the outside of the curve for some reason...

http://leatherwall.bowsite.com/tf/lw/thread2.cfm? forum=23&threadid=285554&messages=40&CATEGORY=2

I'm thinking if you're putting a 10" feather in the jig, you're getting some pressure from the end of the feather.

What I mean is, there's a part of the quill that's too wide and it's making the quill act like a spring. If I can take a decent picture of what I'm trying to say here, I'll post it later.

Don't have a clue if this will be helpful. I guess at this point, we're all grabbing at straws. Anyway... I always cut the feathers at the place marked by the arrow. If I don't cut them there, sometimes they'll raise from the jig during grinding.

I cut that wide part off with scissors before grinding.

I cut that part off too.

I turn it around in the jig to finish the wide side, or freehand grind it. Yeah some show up white there, oh well. I get the most out of mine I can. JF

I am a bit confused here, but when I did it years back, I made a hardwood feather book using a piano hinge. To hold the feathers firm, I roughed up the inside of the book with a couple of swipes with 80 grit sand paper. After the initial split I cut the excess quill with an exacto knife. Then with continuous squeeze pressure with both hands, I ran in on the sanding belt at low speed with with 120 grit. If there was any cleaning up to do after that, I held the feather down with a flat of a copper hinge and sanded with a sanding block on the edge of the quill.

I first try to remove the heavy quill length wise with scissors. If it works that I can get an extra fletch great. If it fails then I cut it off like above picture. I grind the base then flop the jig on it's back and grind the side. The hinge has to be recessed on the back though.Hope that helps.>>---> Ken

Thank you to Jim and Jim and others. I was not cutting off feather where you indicate. I am notoriously cheap and try to get everything i can out of something- - obviously at my expense in this case. I will try cutting where you indicated. Again thanks for your guidance.

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