How to add weight to woody

[Cinghiale]

Hi guys,
I love wood arrows, but here in Italy you can buy Cedar shafts only, some of good quality but normally the weight is not what I need to hunt wild boars. The medium weight of a 29" arrow with a 125 broadhead is around 450 grains.
Let me now what do you use to improve the shaft weight.
Thanks for your help my friends.

Army    

[Chuck Hoopes]

I think 450 is a little light,but should suffice well enough.  Sharp broadhead, and arrow placement being far more important.  You could just go w/ a 160 broadhead, or be inventive by adding weight to the end somehow-- Perhaps just adding some lead wrapping.  These things will effect the arrow flight, but perhaps not in any significant way.  You'll have to do some "test flights" to see.  Ive been taking deer w/500gr. arrows for 30yrs.-no probs.-- 50 less grains is kind of splitting hairs.  Good luck on thos pigs!

[Benny Nganabbarru]

It would be well-worth your while to order some Douglas fir shafts from Doug Knight at  www.surewoodshafts.com  . He'll get them sent to you, no problem. With a 160 grain broadhead, you would be around the 700 grain mark.

Chuck, I agree that it is possible to kill pigs with lighter gear, but only the small- to medium-sized pigs. The boars we have here make us wary of light arrows.

[waiting4fall]

I soak my raw shafts for 3 days in the following brew. Helmsman spar urethane, minwax wood hardener, and some golden oak minwax stain. They definitely retain some weight, after drying on a clothes line for 3 days.

[Rob DiStefano]

i believe it's the latest tbm that has an article on adding woody weight via oil/resin saturation.  look it up.

[SlowBowinMO]

Cinghiale, if you jump your spine weight up you can add point weight as well, both of which will move you toward a heavier finished arrow.

There are several 190 to 200 grain glue on broadheads readily available, add those to 5 to 10 pound heavier spined arrows and you've added about 100 grains.

[SELFBOW19953]

These folks make add on weights for wood.  Available in 75 gr, 100 gr, 125 gr, 150 gr,     175 gr, 200 gr.

Glue the weigth on the point end, glue the point on to that.  Have target shot with them, but not hunted with them, yet.

http://www.woodyweights.com/app/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

[SlowBowinMO]

Dave, I am curious as to why you believe adding a heavier head makes the arrow more prone to breaking behind the head.  Has that been your experience?

To my thinking, a heavier head moves the FOC forward.  Since the FOC is actually the center of mass, you end up with a distance between the center of mass and the broadhead which is shorter than before.  Since a shorter shaft (of identical spine) is stiffer, to my thinking it would be a little harder to break, not easier.

Maybe I'm all wet.  I'd like to hear your thoughts and experiences on that.  I've not had any trouble breaking woodies with heavy points, but in all honesty I'm not real hard on arrows and seldom break one.

I've been fooling with one of Andy's internal footing jigs lately, another interesting option.

[Dartwick]

Why would you add weight anywhere but to the tip?

EDIT: Adding weight to the tip should actually protect the shaft not make it vulnerable. Unless you are modifying you means of attachment also.

[Bill Turner]

I shoot 29", 60-64 cedar arrors with 125 grain heads that weigh in at approximately 635 grains.When I order my shafts I ask for 29" bare shafts that weigh about 500 grains. I've never been disappointed. Ask your supplier. You might be surprized to find that he can special order them for you.

[Bjorn]

I have been buying footed POC with 11-13 inches of Osage or Cocobolo (thanks OL!) and the FOC and durability is improved but ran outta' spine with the heavier hard wood; that has made my son very happy, but now I'm looking for some super stiff cedar for myself!
Dave's solution of 3" aluminum is about the best compromise; but for now I'm gonna keep on footin'.

[Jack Denbow]

You could try this.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=069420;p=1

[SlowBowinMO]

Jack, that is similar to the results with internal footing jig I referred to.  I like the results thus far, and it much cleaner in appearance.