I built these broadheads to test out of the flatbow I posted a week or so back. If you saw that, you know I want to build all my gear and kill a deer with the setup. When I was a kid, there was a guy at our trad league that did that, and it’s been in the back of my mind ever since. In the meantime I’m building and testing setups. These are mild steel. I sharpened one of them up but I’m not sure if I think they’ll work for actually hunting. There's one way to find out. So my next move is to put them on a wood shaft and make self nocks so I can test out the whole system. Eventually, I wanna draw out a leafspring for a thinner head, and also try a socketed glue on head. I’m looking for what I think will be the most effective, structurally sound and duplicable setup. I’ve got a few ideas for making a steel template and punching out the head when it’s red hot, so I can have a half dozen or so identical heads. Or at least as close as possible to identical... These are roughly 275 grains but they vary a bit. It’s hard to be super precise with a grinder. I don't think I'd ever have confidence to hunt with a setup like that unless I tested it up and down. Some guys do, and sometimes I wish I could do that. Maybe someday I'll be able to, but until that happens I'll be hanging out in my cave reinventing the wheel. I’ll post a link to the video of this build, for anyone who’s interested.

I still can't figure out to embed a link "Building Steel Broadheads" for those who like to search The link https://youtu.be/gEGtxPv7YjE

Happy Sunday

Good for you. Enjoy that journey. It's sure rewarding. What you get out of this stuff is proportional to what you personally invest.

I tried this and that, but my best were hand forged steel heads from grade 5 bolts. Double bevel. They required no further hardening or tempering. Very durable, hard, and took and held a great edge. They're thin too, .050" rings a bell, but I'd have to measure one again to be sure. They were all between 125 and 130 grains. I set them in self-nocked multiflora rose shafts with sinew wrapped goose feathers. They're as deadly as anything.

check out Ryan Gils spoon Trade heads pretty cool and rigged

Find an old handsaw cut them out and harden and temper to your heart’s content.

Good for you Cedarsavage. Like Jeff D said, it is very, very rewarding. Never made trade points so I have 0 advice to give you. It looks like you have a solid foundation on where you're headed in your journey. Over 20 years ago I did the same thing (except) someone else knapped my chert heads for me. (I still can't flintknap). It was one of the most rewarding seasons I've ever had. I still hunt exclusively with homemade selfbows, bamboo arrows & modern broadheads. Best of luck to you. I hope you get to kill a beautiful deer in your pursuit.

They are as effective as any broadhead when put on a well tuned arrow.

I've made many of them from banding steel, old handsaws, old circular saw blades, and spoons.

Unless you just want to do it there is no reason to go to all the trouble to draw out a leaf spring. Broadheads aren't that complicated

Took me about an hour to pound out, shape, and roughly sharpen a 'bolt head'.

You might want to check your states hunting regulations. Some states, maybe most, prohibit barbed broadheads.

Jeff-that bolt is a great idea. Did you remove the coating before you forged it? It seems like those are usually zinc coated? I guess maybe if it's outside the fumes aren't as bad as welding in a confined space. .050 would be about perfect. I'm gonna put that on the list. Thanks

Rick-I'll check that out in a bit, I've seen it pop up a few times but haven't watched it yet. That guy is incredible with the amount of animals he's killed with that gear.

Chairman-you mean like the crosscut type?

Mechanic-thanks. Will do. I've been wanting to do this for years, and finally decided to carve out a few hours each week to work towards it.

PaSteve-that's pretty cool. Are you using a foreshaft insert for the nock side on bamboo? I'm assuming foreshaft for the broadhead end? Couple xbow guys at work, keep telling me I have too much time on my hands. lol Do you ever get told that? Thanks for the encouragement.

BAPilot-good call, I'll double check it seems like that used to be in the regs here, but not anymore. I'll double check before I hunt with anything though.

Nice! Make bunches. :))

Thanks guys

No, the ones I used were not coated. Just plain black steel grade 5's. I just cut the head off and went to town.

Very impressive. I have no skills. I build power lines. That’s it. That’s all I got.

This thread reminded me of some broadheads I made years ago by cutting them out of old circular saw blades and soldering them to field points.. I had long since forgotten about that. I think I got the idea in a bowhunting magazine.

Sawtooth-thanks.

shade mt-That's a good idea, seems like I've seen that before somewhere. how did you get the cut straight?

Here's my bolt heads on wild rose shafts.

That osage selfbow was 1 year old when I took that picture. It's now 17 years old and I still shoot it more than any other.

That is impressive. People pay so much for broadheads and they can be made I guess from most anything metal.

Chairman, if it can be cut as is, it will not need any hardening or tempering. It's just right to take and hold an edge when it's a handsaw.

very nice. you guys are talented. cool

Yeah Sawtooth, they pay considerable for broadheads, arrow shafts, bows, etc. when it can all be free... and more rewarding.

Sweet looking bow,arrows and homemade broad heads Jeff. Well done.

Junk yard steel, old auto fenders, 3 to 1 ratio (Howard Hill), always make my own for years.

I killed a deer with this one out of an old file. I annealed it, shaped it and re hardened it.

I would love to see the process for turning a bolt into a broadhead… That just sounds like an interesting project....

I concur with the gentleman above about a bolt-head how to...

I'd like to do that and I'll put it on the list, but it might be a while. I just have too many irons in the fire already, obligatory ones.

Cedarsavage....wish I could be of more help, I think I just traced the pattern out with a ruler like 1 1/2" wide in a long narrow v shape. The center was cut to fit a field point into and then soldered fast. I don't remember much about doing it, and I'm certain I never shot a deer with one. Was probably one of those times I tried it just to see if it would work. For some reason i kinda remember using a particular type of solder? But I can't say for sure. I do remember that they worked and flew fine, but was an awful lot of trouble, when I had plenty of 2blade heads already available...

Jeff that's awesome. You've opened yourself up to play twenty questions. Did you quench in oil after forging? Is that back sinew for fletching? What do you use for cutting nocks?

Did you cut a shelf in your selfbow?

Skipmaster. Awesome man. Do you know the weight on it? What was your heat treat process?

Shademt. I'll do some reading on solder and talk to the plumbers here at work. I'm thinking if fitup is solid, it wouldn't take much to hold in place. Copper tube of the right size might even make a good ferrule. I'm thinking solder would be better than weld because of heat distortion, and especially with a high carbon for risk of cracking. I used to weld pressure vessels, small thin metals were hard to weld on without turning them into a potato chip.

It'll give me something to stew on awhile.

Awesome! Taking game with your own gear us an accomplishment! Jawge

Cedarsavage, no quench. Work hardening is plenty for those particular bolts.

The feathers are wrapped with deer leg sinew and and hide glue. I glued the points with epoxy, aligned them, then wrapped them with sinew.

The nocks were cut in with two hacksaw blades taped together, then finished up with a small round file and sandpaper.

I don't carve arrow rests into the wood of my selfbows, but usually make a small one to support the arrow with two pieces of leather glued together then shaped so it isn't obtrusive.

You can save yourselves a ton of work just by buying a piece of 5160 in a thickness thats easier to work

It's not a ton of work. It's a little bit of work. And a little bit of work isn't a bad thing.

The work is part of it for me.

Ive made a lot of them from old crosscut saw blades. They are awesome

"You can save yourselves a ton of work just by buying a piece of 5160 in a thickness thats easier to work"

That's what I was thinking.

Not dissing the methods and work shown above. Just like the idea of a known alloy that can be predictably heat treated.

Looks like quality work but......Take the barbs off ....Never use a barbed broadhead !!! As always, be safe.....Des

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