best fletching jig?

[drycreekarchery]

#5906

What would be the best jig to buy that would be economical, but still be a reliable, precise tool? I don’t want something cheap that doesn’t work well, so I will pay a little extra for quality. I don’t need to do multiple fletchings at once. Mostly for straight A & A fletch & occasionally some offsets.

Thanks, Drycreekarcher

[David Coulter]

#45856

Howdy,

From what I’ve read here the Bohning is the cheapest one out there and it works great. I have a PBE and I like it, but I probably could have save a few bucks and been happy with the Bohning. Fletching is fun. Enjoy, dwc

[Brennan Herr]

#45876

Bohning for me….Been using it for years.

[smiley1]

#46301

I really like the Bearpaw jig. Very adjustable & works great for me using A&A feathers.

[Alexandre Bugnon]

#46316

I’ve seen many gadgety jigs coming onto the market the last 10 years. None of them, in my opinion, come close to the very sturdy, precise and reliable Bitzenburger. Bohning is good. The 6arrows jo-jan is ok on jig 1 thru 3. But on 4,5,6, the feathers are progressively off-center.

Bitz forever for me!

[lyagooshka]

#46377

I use something like the Martin J-8 Fletching Jig or Bohning Pro-Class Fletching Jig. Mine is plastic, but they come in metal as well. Haven’t had any issues. I use the fletching tape and it works super. Never tried any others. “If it ain’t broke…” Be well.

Alex

😀

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#46399

I’ve been using a Martin J-8 for years with no complaints. It’s a simple, inexpensive jig that gets the job done just fine. Works great for 3 or 4 fletch (and it’s pretty easy to switch between them), and helical is easy to adjust. I haven’t found a compelling reason to spend more on anything else so far.

[Wolfshead]

#46541

I have only used mine and it is a Bearpaw. I think around $40.00 or so.

I really like it a lot and it works good for me, but I have never used anything else so I have no experience to offer other than the Bearpaw

[Ed Ashby]

#46549

I started out using straight pins to fletch my wood shafts … and, if one is careful, even that will work well, on wood shafts. Through the years I’ve used many different fletching jigs. My favorite has to be the Bitzenburger. Is it necessary? No. Is it nice to use? Yes. It makes getting thing adjusted just right pretty easy.

That said, all the fletching jigs I have used served will, if I used it with care. Don’t rush the job, set the jig up carefully and pay attention and the results will usually be pretty good. Must add that I haven’t used many of the newer jigs on the market today. There may be some real dogs out there that I haven’t had experience with.

Ed

[skifrk]

#46642

I have the single jo-jan and love the versatility it gives me. I even have it mounted to the workshop board i use so it does not slide.

[David Petersen]

#46830

Another vote for the Bohning as “most for the least.” $40 is the most I’ve seen anyone charge for one. Saw them at Kalamazoo for $30. I got mine used a decade ago and it will outlast my young grandson.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#46840

The Bohning and the Martin appear to be identical (except for color/logo) as far as I can tell from pics. Anyone who’s used both who can say for sure?

[Jason Wesbrock]

#46986

Just about any of them should work well. I have a pair of BPEs I’ve used for at least 20 years and one of my grandfather’s Bitz jigs from the 50s. I also have a few other Bitz jigs I picked up used at Comptons last year for $25 each.

[James Harvey]

#47107

Drycreek, I’ve been using the Bohning for a few months and it is a simple jig that seems to work well. It’s the only jig I’ve used so can’t offer a comparison. I like the idea of those jigs that can do multiple feathers at once, but I am only producing arrows for myself, so if it takes me a week or two of doing one or two feathers a night to set up some shafts, it’s no big deal.

Jim.

PS

Long after the beautiful bitzenburger and the magnets and spring on the bohning have deteriorated into dust, archeologists of the distant future will be digging up someone’s bohning jig and saying “What the f@$% is this?”. All us cheapskates will be part of humanities legacy 😉

[Alexandre Bugnon]

#47422

ausjim wrote:

PS

Long after the beautiful bitzenburger and the magnets and spring on the bohning have deteriorated into dust, archeologists of the distant future will be digging up someone’s bohning jig and saying “What the f@$% is this?”. All us cheapskates will be part of humanities legacy 😉

😀

[Ralph]

#47532

My Jo-Jan multi fletcher is as old as dirt and still works great for me. I’ve been able to fletch any type or size of shaft so I see no sense in changing for my business.

[chamookman]

#48352

I have two Bitzenburgers that are over twenty years old, when they wear out, I’ll buy a couple more :wink:. Bob

[wideangle]

#49149

I use the Arizona EZ Fletch with good success.

[Stephen Graf]

#49638

AlexBugnon wrote: I’ve seen many gadgety jigs coming onto the market the last 10 years. None of them, in my opinion, come close to the very sturdy, precise and reliable Bitzenburger. Bohning is good. The 6arrows jo-jan is ok on jig 1 thru 3. But on 4,5,6, the feathers are progressively off-center.

Bitz forever for me!

Hmm. I’ve always used the jo-jan jig and felt it did a fine job. But I have noticed that some of my feathers are off, and I’ve never figured out why… I’m going to have to see if I can figure out what you see.

How did you determine that the last 3 positions are off?

Maybe this is the excuse I need to get a bitz and some tape 😀

[EJK]

#8119

I use a bitz, but Bearpaw also offers quality stuff.

[daniel boon]

#8839

I have both the Bitz and the Bohning jigs. The Bohning works good no complaints, but the Bitz does it a bit better. Can get more helical, the adjustments are a bit more finer, and the magnets are stronger, making the clamp seat down more precisely.

Cheers Dan

[David Petersen]

#10455

“At some point technology becomes not an aid, but a substitute for sportsmanship.” –Aldo Leopold

Bruce, I love your Aldo quote. Here’s a parallel from another of our wisest:

[Stephen Graf]

#14337

So based on people talking up the bitz jig, I bought one.

I’ve always used glue and a jo-jan fletching jig. But I thought I’d try the tape / bitz routine and see what happened.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

– the bitz jig was a little cumbersome to get set up. the knobs to adjust the angle of the shaft are a little cumbersome. It would be nice if there were a way to do it without having to adjust both knobs at the same time. I found that if I adjusted one and locked it down, I couldn’t adjust the other end. No big deal, just inexperience I guess.

– I like the helical curve of the jo-jan applied feather better than the bitz. To me, the helical bitz feather is almost straight.

I think if I need to replace a lost or broken arrow, the bitz/tape combo will be faster and easier. But if I am making a half dozen arrows, I will stick with the jo-jan and glue.

[handirifle]

#35327

I had a Martin J-8 for a long time (many years ago) and for the life of me could not make it work. I’m pretty sure it was me not knowing how to set it up, but the instructions were hard for me to understand. I am nt a dummy but it would NOT lay the feathers with the baseflat against the shaft. It was always cocked at an angle, thus never glued on very strong.

I have since bought and still use the Arizona Eazy fletch. They definately have drawbacks, especially when re-gluing one feather that got loose or stripped off. Very difficult.

I do have to say at $90 a pop the Bitz is up there, and with only one feather on one shaft at a time, it would take forever to fletch a new dozen. I do not have the kind of money it takes to go buying all new fletchers, being retired on a fixed income, that seems to be getting smaller every day.

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