IPE Shafts

[Aeronut]

Interested in heavy shafts for hunting dangerous game?  Check out my listing in the sponsors classifieds for a small selection of Ipe shafts.

Dennis

[capt eddie]

How are they for straightening?

[Aeronut]

What small amount of straightening they need will be easy with a little heat.  These are some of the straightest shafts I've done right out of the machines.  

I usually straighten my shafts (Hickory, Poplar, etc.) by rubbing with my hand to warm it with a little friction.  You can get the shaft to the point that it is too warm to comfortably handle by just rubbing it.

I am always being asked how hard it is to straighten a hardwood shaft.  I will take some seriously bowed Hickory shafts with me to 3D shoots and show people who stop by my booth how easy it is to straighten them by friction.

Dennis

[turkeyslayer]

hey dennis,
do you have any 70-75 spines in 5/16 diameter?
           keith

[capt eddie]

Dennis.  Are these shafts better than the hickory?

[Aeronut]

Keith,
This is what I have  left in 5/16:

66-70....838-848 grains....1 doz.
66-70....858-868 grains....1 doz.
66-70....various weights...9 each.

My lowest spine in 11/32 is

76-80....924-934 grains....6 each
76-80....various wts.......5 each


Eddie,

With what experience I've had with them, yes.  These require very little straightening right out of the machines and I believe the dense grain structure of the wood will help prevent the tendency to warp.  I am going to make a set of three arrows to hunt with this season and try to bounce them off of everything I can after the season is over.

Dennis

[Joseph]

I have made 3 dozen arrows out of Ipe shafts in the past.  The ones I had (not from Dennis) did need a little straightening and I had to heat them to do it.  It is also a very oily wood, I seal my shafts with Daly's Profin and with Ipe it took about 3 times as long for the finnish to set up and not be tacky.  If however you are looking for a very tough, very heavy arrow they are the cat's meow.  If you need even higher spines Purple Heart works well.  Joseph

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

Ipe comes in high spine too. I have several spined 120#-125#. They make top notch ultra heavy arrows for the big animals - and are a great arrow even for bears over bait; where you know the shot will be short. Right BH and they'll easily crunch both shoulders on even a large bear, and can penetrate end to end!

Might add that I flex each raw Ipe shaft several times, in all directions, before I make them up. I've found a few that had brittle spots. These break readily during the initial flexing. If they pass the flex-testing, I've never had one break later.

Ed

[Aeronut]

I flex all my shafts pretty hard before I put them in the spine tester and they will snap pretty easy in a brittle spot.  I had eight breaks in the 12 dozen that I made and tried to do a good visual of the rest after flexing.  

Some of the 11/32 shafts were just over 100 #'s and these were run on down to 5/16.  I have just nine of these left.  I am planning to order some more Ipe in the near future and run another batch.

Dennis

[snakewood3]

I recieved a dozen of these shafts today and they are the straightest wood shafts I've seen. Really beautiful wood also.

[Danny Rowan]

Got my two doz today as well. Wow, they are pretty straight. Gonna make up into arrows soon. these are skinny heavy shafts and sould work great.

Danny

[Aeronut]

I was just wondering today if the mail boat got there yet Danny.

Dennis