So I bought my first wood shafts at Kzoo and...

[Pokerdaddy]

I'm impressed.  Now let it be noted I know nothing about wood shafts, having only shot carbon and a spattering of aluminum up to this point.  All I know about wood is what I've read here or in books and mags.

So I picked up a dozen finished and fletched Sitka Spruce tapered shafts from a vendor at the show.  Beautiful arrows.  I had also picked up at the show a 47# TimberHawk recurve that these arrows would be used with.

The arrows are full length 30", tapered from 11/32 at the point to 5/16 at the nock.  Marked as being spined 55-60# (planning to add some point weight for FOC).  Weighed them at home and their around 455 grains.

So I get home and I'm already second guessing my purchase.  Did I get the right spine for my finished weight?  Will I be able to get my arrow weight and spine worked out with these for hunting?  And on and on.

Anyway, I get out my new recurve along with a CX 150, a GT 3555, an Easton 2016, and one of the new woodies to just do some rough comparisons and have some fun.

This woodie, right out of the box (literally) is shooting circles (or rather darts) around everything else.  Flying like a laser right where I'm looking and really thumping the bag target.  I hope I can put a little more weight up front and get them retuned to this level.

I always have been intimidated by the variables inherent in using woodies, and I still have alot to learn, but I'm happy my first steps are going well.

My new TimberHawk with one of the wonder woodies
 
 

[Mike Vines]

You just cannot go wrong shooting wood.  It just feels right.

It was nice meeting you this weekend.  I look forward to see you at a few more of the State shoots.

[Gen273]

Congrats!!!

I have been thinking about trying wood for the first time as well.

[lpcjon2]

Kinda makes ya feel more manly doesn't it.Congrats on crossing over to wood side.  

[njloco]

Nice bow, glad your happy with it and the wood arrows, good luck with it.

[ron w]

Looks like a good match up....have fun.

[Shakes.602]

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Wooden Arrows!!     It is a really satisfying accomplishment when you make your firstdozen on your own. But that is down the road a couple of days!  

[Pokerdaddy]

Thanks for the responses, guys.  A question:  where does spruce stand with other woods as far as shaft quality and durability?  Any special care to keep shafts straight, such as moisture/humidity controls?  And the taper: a big pro as far as forgiveness or more of a non-issue?

Of course I've got a couple dozen more questions (which will lead to more questions) but while I've got your ears, any input or pearls of wisdom?

[Orion]

Sitka spruce is very straight grained and makes a very nice arrow.  It tends to be a little lighter than POC on average and is about the same strength as POC, maybe a little stronger.  Not as tough as Doug fir or hardwoods.  If the arrows are sealed well, they should stay straight.  Just don't lay anything heavy on them.  

The taper reduces the weight of the rear of the arrow and in so doing adds about 1-2% FOC compared to a parallel shaft.  It tends to recover a little more quickly than a parallel shaft.  Some think the taper helps the feathers clear the bow better, but that's really not the case.  A shaft that's spined correctly clears the bow with plenty to spare.  A taper from 11/32 to 5/16 represents a narrowing of the shaft diameter of  1/32 inch.  That's 1/64 inch per "side."  There's a bigger difference in fletching height than that on commercially made feathers. So any advantage the taper might provide in clearance can be outweighed by one or more higher feathers.

If the arrows are properly tuned to the bow, they shoot well whether tapered or parallel, and most folks can't tell the difference between the two (though just about everybody thinks they can).