Arrow shafts....which to choose!

[Tracker2]

So im looking for some high grade arrows that have some nice weight to them. I shoot 50-55 spine arrows and have shot the sure wood shafts and loved them. What wooden arrows do you guys use when making your woodies? Cedar, ash, doug fir, and where have you had the best luck in GOOD QUALITY shafts? I want to make a wood arrow that is about 400-500gr total weight if at all possible.

I also hear that letting them soak in Linseed oil will do the trick too.

[dnovo]

A 500 grain arrow is easy to achieve.  I have cedar shafts that weight close to 400 raw. With a 125 head, nock, feathers and finish they will come out to 550 or more. With sure wood shafts being a little heavier , 600 grains is easy and more.  Ash can easily get up to 700 grain arrow. Pick what you like and order some shafts in the weight range you desire

[wandering monk]

making wood arrows is a part of traditional archery that has a deep history...

My Dad made them back in the 50's...and I folowed the "tradition " too...

Port Orford Cedar is pretty much the "go to"...I like to use Douglas Fir...

a taper tool...and a fletching rig is all you need...die cut feathers are pretty easy to come by...in the older days we used burners etc but now you dont have to use them for great arrows....there are You Tubes to help for sure too...

there is no greater satisfaction than shooting an arrow accurately that you made yourself...add to that harvesting a Deer or Elk with one of the same!

making Bows, knives and arrows is all fun...but arrows are probably the easiest thing to jump in on...

as far as the linseed oil deal...wood only accepts so much of any finish...I wipe with a rag three coats of spar poly on my wood shafts after I stained them(if I want the extra color)...thats after I turned the nock and head tapers...then I glue on my nocks and fletch...

duco cement is a good glue...and has been used since the early 60's(maybe earlier)but their are others ...3R's has all the stuff you need...

one thing I do is to line up the grain of my shaft with the nock...I dont know if this really helps...but Ive been doing it for over 40 years...and it cant hurt...LOL...

good luck!!!t

[WESTBROOK]

For the arrow weight your looking for, cedar from Braveheart, RMSG or Sitka spruce from Hildebrand.

Eric

[slowbowjoe]

Haven't made up any cedars myself; I've been using Doug Fir mostly and working on a set of Sitka Spruce. I need the lightest fir I can get to keep my total weight down to around 480-490 grains (no cap dip, tung oil sealer-lighter than poly-, and 125 grain points, 28.5" BOP, 50-55 pound spine. Surewood, Braveheart, or Wilderness Custom Arrows. I really like the fir, and quality has been excellent.
Trying spruce now, got my weight down to around 450 grains.(to get my weight down to 10 gap from around 11). Haven't shot them much yet, they fly real nice and flat, not sure how they'll hold up to stumping compared to fir.
If I could shoot fir at my desired weight, I would. I prefer the straighter grain, they look a lot nicer after staining than spruce, and I'm thinking they're also a little tougher.

[Fletcher]

400-500 grains isn't going to be hard to achieve with wood arrows.  50-55 firs will average 370 -420 gr full length per the Surewood info, POC will be a little less and Sitka Spruce a bit lighter yet.  You can figure on 30 grains for nock, fletch and a few coats of poly.

I like Fir as an arrow wood, but Sitka and POC are very good as well.

[Flying Dutchman]

Sitka Spruce from Hildebrand are my favorite ones.

[Tajue17]

I was going to say Hildebrand also, for custom made my personal favorites are Surewoods from wilderness and cedars from Elite.