First time with ash arrow shafts...

[OkKeith]

Bought some ash arrow shafts at the Nocking Point while at OJAM. This will be my first real try with hardwood arrow shafts.

I know they are harder to straighten (need heat, right?). Do they stay straighter after you get the kinks out?

What other tips or tricks do I need to know when working with these?

Thanks in advance,

OkKeith

[grizz]

I have tried them, they are good for more weight but I had quite a time with keeping them straight.

[swampbuck]

I just tried ash myself and astraightened mine on my alum arrow straightner.Kinda had to whatch the runout at the ends as well as the indicater since the shafts are not round exactly but I had no trouble gettin them straight enuff

[George D. Stout]

I had some once and about 3 out of the dozen would stay relatively straight.  I haven't bought any since.  That was about fifteen years ago...maybe they got better.

[OkKeith]

OOOPS! Sounds like I might have goofed.

Swampbuck,
Did you use heat to get them straight? Did they stay straight?

Grizz and George,
To what degree did you clearcoat? Do you think a good heavy coat of spar urethane would help keep them straight?

I have read that as long as the nock and the point are in line with each other, what happens inbetween doesn't really matter. Not sure if I want to test that theory on a big hog or buck of a lifetime though.

Thanks for the help guys.

OkKeith

[Orion]

Hardwoods don't have the elasticity, spring back, whatever it might be called, that softwoods have.  I never had a problem straightening them, ash included, and they generally stay straight after they're sealed, unless one does something to bend them.  For example, I have a habit of carrying my bow with attached bow quiver under my arm.  This puts pressure on the arrow shafts right in the middle and will bend them over a day or so of carrying.  No problem to restraighten them.  Just needed to remember to do so.  That will happen with cedar, too, but the effect won't be as great and it takes longer to occur.

[Killdeer]

Ouch, George! I oughta send you one of mine!
I have straightened them with and without heat, and heat helps. Like any wood arrows, you do need to keep an eye on them. I use my makeshift arrow spinner to straighten them.

 

Did you get tapered or parallel shafts? If they are parallel, use the straightest end for the nocks, as once they are fletched, that end is a booger to restraighten. Seal them well.

They are tough, and take a stain readily. Nocking Point is run by great folks, and they have high quality goods.

 

Ash is my preferred hunting shaft.
Killdeer  

[OkKeith]

Orion,
Thanks for the advice. I carry my bow that way sometimes as well. I will be more aware of how I might be bending my arrows now.

Killdeer,
Good lookin' arrows! I like the 2-tone stain. They are parallel. There were tapered available but were twice the cost. Since i hadn't used ash before, I thought I might check out the cheaper ones first. Do the tapered shoot twice as good? What is the little metal thing-a-ma-bob on the one side of your spin tester? Is it the whatsit from a roll-up window shade? Or did you swipe that from someones toilet paper roller? Thanks for the pics and the help.

OkKeith

[Killdeer]

Don't use a good heavy coat of urethane.
Use many thin ones.
I usually use Minwax water-based poly, but use the oil-based as well, usually as a first spray-on to keep the numbers and cresting lines from running. Then the rest of the coats are wiped on.

When I first started making them, I used Tru Oil. Great results but more labor-intensive and time consuming.

Killdeer  

[Killdeer]

Good eye! That a little whatsit from a roll-up window shade bracket. The ends of the spinner, which started out as the base of a Tri-Hone sharpener kit, are just stapled on, and weak. As I use that end to bend and straighten the shafting, I reinforced it with a doohickey outa the cigar box of thingies.

Gawd I love those technical terms!      
Killdeer

[swampbuck]

I din't use heat myself and let me remind you that I "just" recently tried ash shafting for the bunny hunt.I went thru them twice making sure they seemed within .01 which is about as round as they were and then sealed them with some brush on outdoor sealer by minwax (3 coats).I didn't want to put alot into these arrows since they may go off to never never land fairly easy which was the main reason I bought them.I wanted a tuff arrow that would hold up to some abuse yet not cost me so much that I cringe like I would with my carbon arrows.

I wouldn't consider ash esspecially ones that I made to be "good" arrows, good enuff for sm game yes but not high quality which may be cheaper to get carbon in the long run for that.Of course I gave away 3 of the 5 doz I bought so I guess they ain't so cheap either LOL. good luck

[WESTBROOK]

Keith, go through and straighten them everyday for a few days to make sure they are staying straight. Then dip in thinned Helmsman Spar urethane (75/25 urathane/min.spirits). Works for me.

Eric

[RunninWild77]

Yeah I've always been fond of ash, actually its all I ever use anymore. I can usually hand straiten most of them, but sometimes I'll steam 'em if I get one that's really snaked(that one usually turns into a stump thumper).  They're also really tough, can take alot of abuse. Go through your batch and set aside the most staightest ones, and use those as your hunting shafts.

[longstiks]

I learned from my ash supplier to heat them in an oven ,180 degrees for about 15 min. then straighten them. You need to get the moisture out of them and seal or they have a tendency to go bad again. Works for me.
Denny

[rbbhunt]

I hope they work well as I bought 2 dozen tapered ash shafts also while at OJAM.  I figured they would make some great hunting arrows out of a 45# bow.

[Bill Carlsen]

Go to the "How To" forum and look for the thread started by Guru on hook straightening. For a number of years I made custom arrows from birch and ash and found that hook straightening was the surest way to get them straight and keep them straight. I would also add that when using ash you are not going to be able to use hand taper tools for nocks and points....but if that is all you have have plenty of spare blades and were leather work gloves while doing it.

[OkKeith]

Thanks for all the advice folks!

I like the idea of heating them in the oven, then straightening them. I have a hook straightener (somewhere).

I thought I would set up a jig/fence rig for the little vertical disk sander on the side of my table top belt sander to do the nock taper. I am going to put alum. footings on these arrows so I can use screw in points and broadheads.

Thanks again.

OkKeith

[doug g]

Thanks for the idea Killdeer. I gotta make one of those.

[George D. Stout]

Killdeer....that looks like an old boot jack.   I had tapered ash from Allegheny Mountain Arrow Woods, and they were actually dipped in automotive clear lacquer...two dips.  They were tough as nails for sure.  I really didn't spend the time with them that I probably should have, and it was shortly after Allegheny started selling tapered ash.   They are probably better now.

[Roy Steele]

ASH is a good heavy straight grained wood.And if straighten with heat will stay straight.The best hard wood for staying straight.