Grayling Fletching Jig & Clamp

Took a few tries to get use to it... The vanes make all the difference... Some work better then others... also glues are tricky to work with as well... Make sure the base of the vanes connect with the shaft correctly before gluing... Do not use too much glue... Do not hold a lot of pressure to the clamp once the vane is pressed in place... The clamp will slip... Allow a couple of minutes to dry... Keep clamp cleaned by wiping off excess glue with acetona on a clean rag... I only use the right helical clamp...

I ordered the Grayling jig but a delay meant I borrowed the club Cartel jig while I waited. I fletched, for the first time ever, 20 arrows in a evening with no losses using that Cartel jig. The Grayling arrived and I spent a frustrating hour unsuccessfully trying to fletch an arrow. Having wasted two feather fletches and one Blazer I have given up. what a piece of junk. It's going on ebay.

The hint at the bottom of the page suggests I think about what I liked and didnt like. There is nothing to like. It is not the cheapest on the market so it doesn't even score there. Oh, it might be the lightest. Is that useful in a fletching jig? The clamp could be used as a bulldog clip. That must be useful to someone. The magnet can be used to pick up pins, that can amuse the kids for a while. So, it has its uses but none of them are fletching arrows.

Just got done sending a nasty email to Grayling over this jig I have to concur with what one reviewer has already mentioned this jig will not seat the fletching properly.

I wasted seven fletching on this jig and none of them seated right leaving me with only globs of dried glue a frustrations I payed $28.50 all together for this jig and that was way too much not sure how the others are but do yourself a favor stay away form this thing its nothing more than cheap plastic and fletches nothing.

I would have liked to have known this before I purchased the thing so I'm warning anyone who's looking at this thing go for a Bitzenburgh I've heard good things about it.

Overall I have been very pleased with the Grayling Fletching jig. It works, is priced right, and gets the job done. I know it is not the best jig on the market, but for the money it does what it is supposed to do. I have owned this jig since I started fletching arrows and have not had any real problems with it. I like how you can adjust the off set of the vane right or left, and how you can buy different clamps for the jig. I believe I have a bit of an older model, but I wish it would have lines to show my degrees of offset that I am applying to the shaft. I would recommend this jig to a new fletcher, but if you have used a more expensive fletcher in the past you may be able to tell the difference in quality.

Overall the Grayling Fletching Jig & Clampa is a great jig for both the beginner or expert. The Jig is heavy enough that it doesn't "need" to be attached to a workbench. I use twist nocks, due to the adjustments that can be made with this jig, I can replace just one feather, instead of having to replace the other 2 that are still good. Saves money in the long run. High recommended!

Fully adjustable. Strong magnet for placement. Multiple diameter wheel for fletching different diameter arrows. Clear markings on jig at all adjustment points.

The only downside is, you can't see the back side of jig to see if the feather or vane is on the shaft.

I've had some appalling problems with this finicky piece of equipment, i.e

1. The clamp is difficult to accurately align along the centre of the shaft.

2. The foot of a fletching appears to slip as it fails to 'seat' correctly onto the shaft.

3. On any application of pressure, the fletching seems to slip and exposes part of its base.

I'm sending this back.

Certainly a satisfactory item for the amount charged. Easy for amateur archery persons to use. Fine for the more advanced user. When used with cyanocrylate adhesives, only a couple minutes between vane/feather installations.

I've never had any experience fletching arrows and just got into archery this year. I bought some secondhand arrows that needed to be refletched, so I hunted around and found this jig for a bargain price.

My first impression was that it had several adjustments that did not seem to be all that self-explanatory. The documentation listed all the parts, but did not detail the fine points of making adjustments. However, I played around with it and got it to match up with the way the arrows were already fletched. Once I had the adjustments tightened down, it was minutes before I had my first arrow repaired, matching new vanes to the ones on the arrow that didn't need to be replaced.

Since then, I've only used the thing a few times, but my arrows are all identical in their fletching. I've used it with Bohning Instant Fletching Gel, and it only takes a minute to do three vanes on an arrow.

I don't have my jig mounted to a surface, and I've found that the magnet itself is not really enough to hold the vane tightly against the arrow. I line up the pieces and then apply mild pressure to the vane/shaft pairing with my hands. The tightness of the vane's bond to the shaft seems to have more to do with how uniformally i apply the glue than anything else.

I'm sure there are more expensive jigs that make the whole process more foolproof. However, as someone with absolutely no prior experience, I've been able to produce consistent, good-looking, good-performing results with this tool. I would whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone that wants an inexpensive way to fletch a few arrows once in a while. If you're looking to do it frequently or commercially, I think there are better (though more expensive) options

I would not but any other jig, Costumer service is great and helpful, I have fletcher 400 to 500 arrows with it and no troubles at all.

I purchased the Grayling Fletching Jig at Cabelas.com for $29.99 (+shipping). I didn't care for this model at all period. For one thing the ONLY thing that holds the clamp in place is a magnet. As we both know the best way to take a magnet off of something is to do what with it? Slide it off. You slide a magnet off of an object it will be easier to take off than trying to lift it straight off. Well the Grayling Fletching Jig using a magnet with obviously a metal plate to secure, (if you want to call it that), the clamp in place that holds the vane against the arrow. I had several problems with this.

One is that the part that holds the arrow on the upper part of the jig doesn't hold the arrow tight, so in turn gravity does its' part. The arrow just lays in a groove. It is suppose to be able to be adjusted but I tried 10 different times to adjust it in all different ways. I would get it adjusted dry so my vane was in contact all way from one end to the other and then I would add my glue/cement and of course that allows it to slide. That is the point of the jig so I don't have to hold it. The arrow slides down which pushes the fletching clamp on the magnet. Your vane is now NOT tight against the arrow. That is the point of the fletching jig is to hold it tight against it.

Second is that well it is PLASTIC weather it be ABS or PVC it isn't good. This is a Molded clamp. As any mold there are defects in the mold. In some places the vane may not be held as tight as in other places.

Third like anything for the money you want to make it work so you don't have buy a more expensive one. I had several times I tried to get it to seat right and the only thing it would do is slip off and then I had glue/cement all over the Plastic jig. Well think about what kind of glue you are using. Something to bond a type of plastic of some sort (vane) Maybe feather, to a carbon or aluminum shaft. Well most glues/cements like this are made to actually work like PVC glue, people who know the basics of plumbing know what I mean and for those who don't the glue/cement is made to basically or just about melt the 2 intended surfaces together. Yes it cause the 2 surfaces to actually melt, (chemical reaction), not allot thought just a small bit. When you slip with the vane and clamp that glue gets on the jig and the vane clamp and some glues/cements turn plastic/carbon/aluminum surfaces "White" in color, so now your jig has white streaks on it. However you can get glue/cements that don't do that. But still waste of glue/cement and possibly a vane, and it marks up your jig rather quickly.

My feeling on this jig is I wouldn't buy it again, nor would I recommend it to anyone. You might try it and get one that is made good and not have any problems with it but then again you may not. I had actually purchased another clamp for it by mistake. I also tried it but similar problems came about as with the first clamp. Like I said you can give it a try but don't have to much faith. Some people have had good luck with it. It is just the luck of the draw I guess. I can't give any good marks on this except that it is the cheapest one that Cabelas.com has and you get what you pay for. I have to give it a rating of 1 because it will do what you want but it takes allot of time and patience. Gets you started anyway.

NOTE: I will be posting my findings on other fletching jigs from Cabelas.com. Next is Cabela's brand of the jig that bonds all 3 vanes at the same time, in success you ask, I don't know as of yet. I will keep posting until I find one that works well.