gapshot

Hello Trad. Gang

I would like to start building my own wooden arrows, and I'm looking for some advice on getting started. I do have a fletching jig and will be ordering a hand held taper tool with changable cutting dyes and dipping tubes for sealing them. I have alot of questions though on getting started. I have only shot cedar shafts. Are there other types of wood as good? Should I use tapered shafts? I understand about spine weight but how do you choose shaft diameter? For starters I'm going to build some for my longbow. I shoot 70# at 28" draw. I tried some test arrows at a local bowyers and the best arrow paper shot was a 60-65 spine. It was 31 1/4" long. and I'm guesing 5/16 diameter. Any and all advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Jim

LBR

Lots of opinions on whether or not other woods are as good or better than Port Orford Cedar. Some are heavier, some are tougher, but each seems to have it's own drawbacks. I've shot several different types of wood, and always go back to POC.

Tapered shafts may help your arrow flight, and I think are a little more forgiving. Whether they are worth the price difference depends on you. I still shoot both, and when I have the spine properly matched to my bow, I can't tell any difference.

Shaft diameter probably won't be an option with the weight you are shooting, with POC anyway. Most of the heavier spines are going to be 23/64. I'm not a good enough shot to tell the difference in 1/64" arrow diameter. [8D] Unless you go with a Tru-Center or other taper tool that has different size shaft guides (is there another one with this option?), you will have to match the size taper tool to your arrow shafts. Or you can get a Woodchuck.

Good luck!

Chad

the Razorhead

I have arrows shafts made of POC, POC footed with purpleheart, maple, birch, hickory, poplar and lodgepole pine (chundoo) I like the footed POCs the best, with the maples coming in a close second... maple seemed to be all the rage for a while, now you can harly find them.

I have a Tru-Center taper tool, but I think I'm going to break down and buy a taper grinder soon...

just depends on what you personal preferences are..

LBR

If folks got some of the same maple I tried, I know why you can hardly find them anymore! [:@] I only tried them once, after hearing about how tough they were. Mine were about as brittle as dry spaghetti and super slow to recover from paradox. I even broke a few in a soft foam block I was using for bare-shafting. Never tried them again.

From what I have found out since then, it seems I just got some really crappy shafting (grain looked fine though). Don't know if it was just bad wood, too dry, or what--honestly though, I don't think it would take a whole lot of folks shooting some of those to shut it down.

Chad

gapshot

Are the port oxford shafts a compressed wood? Also Razorhead , what is it that you mean by footed shafts?

Jim

gapshot

If I use port orford tapered shafts will it be a different spine than the straight shafts I recently shot from my bow using parallel shafts?

Jim

Lilhunter

The only way to tell is to buy some and try them out. Things really depend on how well you were set up before you go and make a switch regarding the outcome you'll get. It SHOULDNT change, that doesnt mean it won't.

gapshot

Thanks guys I'm your input was helpful. I've resigned to the fact that I'm going to have to experiment some to satisfy my curiosities. I just wanted to narrow down a start point. I'll likely stick with POC for now. Tapered shafts may also be something I'll want to try. One more question, Footed shafts. Idon't believe I've seen them. Could someone explain? Probebly a stupid question.

Jim

Lilhunter

Footed shafts are nothing more then a arrow shaft that has a hardwood section spliced to the end, similar to a pool cue. Having 3 or 4 points.

The idea was when the folks were making shafts back in the day, they would end up breaking them. This would obviously make problems due to the fact they made them by hand. So they footed either before they shot them, or after one broke.

Here is a link to a page I have going on doing 4's.

http://community.webshots.com/user/lilhunter007

I am still looking for a better, more consistent way of rounding then what I am doing. You can do this by hand with some simple tools or if you have access to a machinist lathe you can really go to town.

Hope that clears some things up for ya.

gapshot

very nice pictures lilhunter thanks for the reply. they look great. I'm probably going to experiment with something a little simpler though, but atleast now I know what they are.

Thanks
Jim