PL, I love wood arrows and shoot them pretty much exclusively--but I did have a learning curve when I swiched over to wood that I didn't experience with aluminum or carbon. When starting out, I think it's easier to just get some aluminums that you can pick up at pretty much any archery shop, instead of going through the process of figuring out what wood you want to use, who supplies the better shafting/arrows, what finish to use when you make your own, finding affordable and well-made arrows, etc.
I'm not sure I agree with Chad that wood isn't as straight or consistent as aluminum.
Arthur, where did I say that? *note to self--Arthur gets a pink string*[>:]
You did straighten me out on carbons though--when I shot them, Beemans were about the only brand I knew of or could find. They did just fine for me, but never had the appeal of wood. Besides, I thought that back when you started shooting a bow, all that was available were wood shafts (and stone broadheads
)
There are gobs of places to get wood arrows/shafting, but in my experience there is more junk offered than really good ones, and some in-between. One thing to keep in mind--a fancy paint job doesn't mean you have good arrows. Some builders will use the paint to hide flaws.
Chad