Split timber arrow shaft material.

[Chris Grimbowyer]

Hey guys I want to start making my own split timber shafts and was wondering if someone could list some woods that are good for this, hard and soft woods please. Thanx

[Pat B]

Poplar, aspen, pine, spruce, fir, hickory, maple, osage, locust, oak and the list goes on.

[Art B]

Hey Chris, 'bout any wood available to you will make fine arrows. One species wouldn't make a better shooting arrow over another one. Good straight grain, and proper seasoning time is the secret to making arrows. Remember, the more perfect the material, the more perfect the arrow. Good luck.......Art

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I have often thought about this myself. I saw a Youtube video one time of a guy making his own wood shafts using 1/2" x 1/2" slats that he cut from boards, then ran them through a jig he made for his router table while spinning the slat with a cordless drill. The outcome was a perfectly straight and round shaft. I wish I knew how to do that, I might see if I can find the video again?

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I found it!!
Check this out, man this is so cool. Somebody needs to duplicate this and send us all the plans on how to build one of these jigs!!

 

[don s]

that is awesome. he should patent it.
                                   don

[Chris Grimbowyer]

Thats an awesome setup. Another question- If I went out and cut down a straight piece of pine or white ash or something how would I season it?

[rainman]

Plans are in one of the older Primitive Archer magazines.  Mike Westvang of Dryad bows wrote the article.  Maybe 40 or 5 years ago.

[Don Stokes]

I researched this for years, literally. I found the best species to be yellow poplar ("tulip tree"). It has the best strength/weight ratio. It also has the straightest grain of the eastern hardwoods. You can buy "poplar saps" from a hardwood mill, cut them into 1/2" squares, and mill them by whatever method is available. I used a doweler. Unlike bow woods, the sapwood is better for shafts. Most sawmill lumber is cut without regard for the grain direction, and yellow poplar has the most naturally straight grain of any commercially available woods.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I've got some poplar in the rafters of my garage, don't know what variety but it's poplar. I'll have to ask my father he's a woodworker. I'm also going to get him to help me make one of those jigs to go on our router table.

Don- What is a dowler? It that an attachment for the router?

[eagleone]

search veritas doweler- depending on style its like a pencil sharpener.  I just got the $22 veritas and have been monkeying around with fir shafts so far-its pretty easy - just gotta get the grain rite

[Pat B]

Lowe's sells poplar boards right next to the red oak boards. You can buy it 1/2" thick so all you have to do is cut 1/2" wide strips and plane it out or use a dowel maker.

[Chris Grimbowyer]

Thats probly what I will do, Thanx guys.

[Rainshooter]

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/dowelmakingjig.aspx      try this.

[Rainshooter]

    or this.. I will note that using this method I found alot of wasted shafts. the wood(doug fir) tended to stick and thus delaminate along the grain. out of 6 trys only 2 worked. the above jig I have yet to make but I just got a new router. I use doug fir because it is soooo easy to see the grain. Eric

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Originally posted by Pat B:
Lowe's sells poplar boards right next to the red oak boards. You can buy it 1/2" thick so all you have to do is cut 1/2" wide strips and plane it out or use a dowel maker.

That's exactly where ours came from, maybe it's the right stuff?

[GREG IN MALAD]

I made a dowel cutter similiar to the one on the highlandwoodworking link. For the outfeed guide I used a 3/8" aluminum tube so the arrow is supported it's entire length and I use a radius cutter. It's a good set up but you have to fit the blanks snug to the infeed block for the best finish.

[monterey]

I tried poplar once but when I cut my 3/8 in blanks out they sprung in every direction.  It was crazy the tensions that were locked up in that board!!  Probably was just a peculiarity of that piece of wood.

I have had very good results sawing 3/8" blanks from doug fir lumber and then planing in a "V" board jig.

[briarjumper12]

I just got the high dollar dowel maker from Veritas and the arrow making set of inserts.  It works pretty good.  I've been finishing up the first 3 dz hard maple shafts I turned out.  I got some hickory shafts waiting in the wings.  I also got a 8 ft 6x6 popular seasoning out.  Lots of arrows in that popular post.  I like the doweling machine real good.  Sure faster than hand planing and almost as fun.

[Chris Grimbowyer]

I was thinking about putting a 1/2 by 1/2 inch blank in the drill and just spinning it on a benchtop 4by36 belt sander? How do you think that would work?