Arrow Finding Tool

As an archer shooting a lot of 3D animals in the forest, i tend to shoot over them and searching for my arrow.

as some of you might now, any sandy/mossy/grassy/leafy environment may eat up arrows so much you almost cant find them!

to compensate for this problem i made this. you may notice people using small rods with a piece of antler on it, or the paint roller holders. if there is anything solid they do weard things in the ground and they are usually short and break easily.

Because i did not make pictures of the making process, i will tell you what to do ;) please make sure to read the entire ible before starting, because your own idea might just as well work!

Materials needed:

Old Broomstick handle, 1 inch thick and approximately 60cm/26inch long or longer (longer people could use a longer one to avoid back problems!) cut it down when done with it!

Plate of aluminum or steel, around 3 or 4mm thick.

a few good screws, long enough to penetrate the broomstick

optional: paint to decorate, or a piece of bicycle inner tube

(Power)Tools needed:

hacksaw

powerdrill with both metal and wood drillbit, get the wood drillbit a bit smaller then the screw so the thread can dig into the wood. the metal drillbit needs to be large enough so you dont destroy your thread on it ;)

powered saw, !!that can cut the same thickness as your metal plate!!

a few SMALL files

screwdriver

Optional: hammer and punchtool, easy to remove tape, Glue

First we are going to draw our design.

i used this design, because for my length it felt comfortable. everybody has a different length and technique to dig.

there are a few things you might have to change, for example the curved section you can change so that you can dig deeper. this is all trial and error.

i tested this out by using some kind of sturdy cardboard, and draw my design on that and cut it out. that way you can try to "dig" and see if you like it!

make sure to leave enough material and room for a good connection with 3 screws. this piece you leave the same width as your handle. as seen on the peg photograph i left mine around 12 cm/5 inch long. enough to have a strong surface area but not to weaken the broom to much.

the backside also serves a purpose. this way you can use a ring to carry it with you, without it would drop out of it all the time. you might drill a hole in it for a rope to attach it that a

Right! now that we have a design, figure out some way to get the design on your plate! i used tape and a permanent marker.

WARNING: PLEASE WEAR ALL SAFETY THINGS NEEDED FOR THE JOB, Gloves Goggles etc!

now you just have to saw it out. depending on the material you can use a hacksaw(aluminum) or prefer an angled grinder/dremel cutting tool etc.

once you are done you can use files to clean any hard edges that might hurt you. do NOT make it sharp! sharpening this device makes it a deadly weapon that could also destroy its sole purpose, finding arrows. a sharpened one will find them, but slice them in half or break them!

now that we are sawing anyway, get your handle ready!

the longer you still have it the better. we are going to make a small cut in it where the head will be placed.

first put the handle on the hook, and mark how deep you want it in. i like it just a bit sticking out of the broomstick, you might want it in all the way. just use a pencil or something to point out how far to saw in.

WARNING: PLEASE WEAR ALL SAFETY THINGS NEEDED FOR THE JOB, Gloves Goggles etc!

if you use a sawtable with any kind of saw, these work the best since you can hold down the handle and push it. else you have to fashion a way to do this. the old fashion way is a bit of elbow grease and a lot of sawing ;)

basically you have to saw a slot inside the broom, right into the middle.when you are done you have to test if the hook is not to tight in there, but also not to loose! it wil either split the wood or you will break it when screwing it together. a snug fit is the best.

OK, now we have the head and the handle ready! now how to keep them together?

i used 3 screw for this, it could work with 2, but also with 4.

First i drilled the holes right thru the handle(WITHOUT the hook in place!) on the places that you want them to be. i spaced them out with some room in between and put them right in the middle of the handle.

now insert the hook part to your liking. make sure it is on the right place and use the punch to punch a small dent in your hook. do this for all of the holes and make sure it doesnt shift!

now take it out and drill the holes with your metal drillbit. remove any burrs and push it into the handle again.

now that we have some holes, its time to enter the screws.

i did not use it, but you might also use some epoxy or other glue to get an even stronger bond. you can do it in this phase but after 2 years of usage i never felt the urge of it. you could use it to fill any gaps.

when you have the handle and hook lined up, you can start screwing away. do this carefully not to split the wood! if you glues you might notice that there will drip some out. this is because you are pulling the 2 handlepieces together, making a sandwich of wood and metal.

when you are satisfied and the screws are tight, you can saw them of so they dont stick out. just use a hacksaw for this.

some tips on this:

dont screw the first ones in to tight, leave a bit room for final adjustment.

dont have all the screw heads on the same side, switch sides for every screwhole for better holding it together!

Congratulations! you have almost reached the end of this instructable!

you build it? even better! you now have a good tool to search for arrows!

you can finish it up several ways. i used a small piece of inner tube that i put over the screws. this makes it more silent and prettier to use when you hold it up there. you can also paint the hell out of it with flames or camouflage. you can do anything with it!

Well... good one!

there are several options for this.

1. you can carry it in your quiver if it fits there
2. have somebody else drag it along all the time
3. stick it in your belt
4. make something to hold it!

YAY more making!

well... its pretty easy, you just need a ring that is large enough to accommodate the handle, but not to large so that the hook might slip through it. rings of a Maglite holder(those big ones) are pretty good for the task.

but with any ring and a piece of webbing or even a simple rope you can make something yourself ;) the sky is the limit!

just make something comfortable.as seen in the picture is my way of carrying it. i used some aluminum tubing wide enough to easily fit it in. this was attached to my belt via copper wire because i didnt had anything else. you could also make a belt loop with webbing.