Steve — Thanks for the good reminder. In fact I did that many years ago but like so very much else, I’d plumb forgotten. To me, if you use a natural material for the spline it’s still trad enough to rate as a self-nock.
For the first time I wrapped this batch with deer sinew, and can’t say why such a totally simple material to use has until now seemed not worth messing with. In fact it is far easier to use, stronger and goes on much nicer than fake sinew, serving string, etc. Henceforth I’ll be saving sinew from every animal I kill and maybe some road-kills too.
Ptaylor — There is no physical reason whatsoever not to shoot carbon or even alum arrows from a wood bow. It’s purely a “what feels right thing.” I guess there are some folks who have come into a selfbow and shoot it because they have it and it shoots well. But for the overwhelming majority who do it, it’s an overt attempt to descend back along the scale of technology as far as possible and still be able to hunt ethically, that is, be totally confident in our gear to get the job done. So this same “primitive” mindset that craves a wood bow also craves wood arrows, and self-nocks add yet another small degree of “doing more with less.” It’s rather like the decision to go trad in the first place, taken a bit farther. It’s all for fun.
