Good Deal on Port Orford Cedar Shafts?

[Lakota_Ghost]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here, but I have looked around and everyone for the most part seems to be pretty nice and helpful.

I am in the process of making a red oak board bow, my first bow ever, and have been looking around the web to see what resources to buy are out there. Obviously I am looking for a bargain where I can find it. With that said, I came across the below link where Port Orford Cedar shafts are going for about $00.08 a shaft.

 http://www.pacforestsupply.com/index.php?cPath=4_17

Given the fact that most place are about $35.00 for a dozen, this seems like a GREAT deal. But is it?

I know nothing about this website and the fact that they are not an archery supply store or "in the business" make me leery that they call these arrow shafts and may not know what they are talking about. On the other hand, if this is a bargain for quality Port Orford shafts then it is high time to stock up on some really cheap arrow shafts.

Any help from any one here is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

The ad says they are intended for staking, which means for garden use. Such as tomatoe stakes and such. It's still a good price because you can't even buy dowl rod that cheap. So even if they wouldn't make a good arrow shaft, it could be used for other purposes.

My only fear is that since they aren't intended for use as arrow shafting, you could have one break on you and it will end up in your hand or your forearm? That's always a possibility with any arrow shaft and it doesn't have to be wood either.

Since they are cheap enough, you might buy just a few and see what kind of quality they are before buying a whole box of them? Maybe some wood shaft gurus will step in here and offer some of their infinite wisdom on what to look for in a good wood arrow shaft.

Myself though, I don't think I could trust putting one through a bow for fear of taking a trip to the ER to get a bunch of splinters cut out of my arm, but that's just me.

[Rainshooter]

65 bucks for a 1000 shafts is a bargain, IF they were all straight grain, spine weight matched and straightened. I am sure you would find plenty of good ones in there. dont know what percentage. more than likely you would get well over 65 bucks worth of shafting. the labor of doing all the above is what you pay for from an archery store. I know I am going to keep it bookmarked in case I want to give it a try. thanks.  Eric

[Grey Taylor]

Those were discussed somewhere recently. I can't remember if it was here or another fourm.
Given that 1st quality POC arrow shafts you buy these days aren't always the best shafts, and the 2nd quality "stumper" shafts are really pretty bad, these things, which the company making shafts has considered to be too poor quality for arrow shafts, must be really bad.
Yes, they're cheap, but I'd be surprised if they were suitable for more than garden stakes. Besides, if they're sold as garden stakes, and you use them as arrow shafts, you're sidestepping the PR fund tax that is supposed to go to our wildlife.

Guy

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Besides, if they're sold as garden stakes, and you use them as arrow shafts, you're sidestepping the PR fund tax that is supposed to go to our wildlife.

Guy

Really? Like it's not enough that our hunting license, tags, permits, ammo sales, clothing, equipment, and everything else imaginable that even remotely has a shred of anything to do with our sport is taxed to the hilt......Now we are pressuring a guy for trying to save a buck on some cedar shafts? Give me a break.        
 Sorry, but I had to step in and just couldn't let this one slide.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Depending on the amount of shafts you burn through, you may be further ahead to buy a good dozen from a reputable dealer and shoot them for a year or more at $35.00. I build a few dozen a year and the few extra bucks isnt missed after 365 days and hunting season has passed. Your shafts are like your fishing line, its the link between success and failure in the feild or range.

[Grey Taylor]

Sorry that got to you, Semo. I put it in there for information purposes only. I'm all for saving money and I agree that we are overtaxed.

Guy

[Roy from Pa]

If yer looken for tomatoe stakes, I hear Semo_Hunter here makes river cane shafts for gardens. Heck he even puts fancy feathers on em and seals them up. Should last a long time in the garden:)

[Lakota_Ghost]

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

At first seeing the website I was really hesitant to buy any shafts, and still am, but on the other side of things part of me says there must be something there that would be usable. Given the fact that they are marketed as stakes... well, I think I will splurge for something a little more substantial.

However, given the fact that my time and resources are limited, for my very first group of arrows I may use some prefabricated dowels that I can get cheap and learn from. As Semo said, who can fault me for trying to save a few bucks.

Is there any species of wooden dowels that you all would recommend? I have heard that birch is too light weight for most arrows but that woods like ash are too heavy. Is there a middle ground wood species that would work best?

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Roy, the pretty feathers makes the tomatoes happy and they grow big and tall.
That Obsidian also makes it much easier to punch them into the hard soil.  

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Originally posted by Wes V.:
Thanks to everyone for the advice.

At first seeing the website I was really hesitant to buy any shafts, and still am, but on the other side of things part of me says there must be something there that would be usable. Given the fact that they are marketed as stakes... well, I think I will splurge for something a little more substantial.

However, given the fact that my time and resources are limited, for my very first group of arrows I may use some prefabricated dowels that I can get cheap and learn from. As Semo said, who can fault me for trying to save a few bucks.

Is there any species of wooden dowels that you all would recommend? I have heard that birch is too light weight for most arrows but that woods like ash are too heavy. Is there a middle ground wood species that would work best?

Oak hardwood dowels make fairly good arrow shafts, but they are a bit on the heavy side. Nothing wrong with that though. Just sort through the box of dowels by rolling them on the floor and pick out the straightest ones and look for the best grain. You may only find a few that make the cut, or you may walk away with a half dozen? I've been known to be found sitting on the floor in the craft section at Wally World with wooden dowls scattered all over the floor and old women cruising past me with their carts while they stared in confusion at me like I'd lost my mind.  

[Lakota_Ghost]

The dowels at Wal-mart are oak? I really thought that the dowels at Walmart were ramin wood.

If they are oak that would make me much happier. I can get a variety of dowel species at another place, but it's a bit of a drive.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

It depends on which one you go to Wes. I've found only pine or some other mystery wood at one Walmart, then looked at the one in the next town over and found good hardwood dowels back in the hardware section. If you have a Lowes or Home Depot nearby you can definitely get hardwood dowels there. Just look for the straightes grain you can find and avoid any that look like the grain runs off the edge of the dowel, those will surely break on ya.
As far as straight goes, they don't have to spin perfectly true cause you can straighten them if they have good grain, but always the straighter the better if you can find them.

If your real lucky you might find a stash of bamboo garden stakes in the Garden Center at Kmart or maybe Lowes and the ones I've seen were endorsed by Martha Stewart. LOL
I hear they make decent arrow shafting though.

[Grey Taylor]

Martha Stewart tomatoe stakes at K-Mart used to be the best go-to source for bamboo shafts.
There will always be some in the package that won't be suitable for arrows. Some guys used to buy more than one bag and then return bags full of the non-arrow stakes for a refund.

Guy

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Now that's a clever idea, cause you really aren't cheating anybody as long as you put just as many back in as you take out....right? Only exchanging the lesser quality ones for the better quality ones, I'd call that using your noggin.

[hova]

ill put it to rest. if youre a fancy arrow shooter , this is the wrong page for you.


i shoot all cane or dowel rod arrows (birch i think and lauan are the others). none are noted for being great arrow woods , but i shoot them out of my  primitive/trad bows , and have yet to see one break unless i shot at a boulder.


the one thing that has kept me from buying a nice set of cedar shafts  , is the price , obviously . then there is also the fact that if i lose an arrow , or break one , or need to share one ; i dont want them to be 8$ a piece...


do what works for you

[Grey Taylor]

Here I go, disagreeing again   :rolleyes:  

 

Originally posted by hova:
ill put it to rest. if youre a fancy arrow shooter , this is the wrong page for you.

Some of the most beautiful arrows I've ever seen,  and some of those displaying incredible craftsmanship, have been made from these "junk" shafts.
True, these shafts can be used to make a cheap utility arrow that you don't mind launching towards a ground squirrel sitting amidst 3 1/2 tons of rock, but if a guy has the inclination and skill to spend more time, the shafts can be made into something incredible that some of us would rather hang on a wall than put to our bow string.

Guy

[Living_waters]

Originally posted by Wes V.:

Is there any species of wooden dowels that you all would recommend? I have heard that birch is too light weight for most arrows but that woods like ash are too heavy. Is there a middle ground wood species that would work best?

Wes don't let peoples disapproval deter your sense of ingenuity and adventure. My pastor said last week "if you live by peoples approval you will die by their criticism" how true that is in life and traditional archery. My brother in law just built a new house and did all the trim in cypress, I picked up a few scraps and told some people that I was going to turn some arrows and see how they worked. Everyone said cypress wouldn't make an arrow, too brittle and light. WEELLLLLL I made a couple shafts just to try out, they have lasted all winter as practicing arrows. They are light, but they are absolutely beautiful and straight and have bounced off several rocks with out a problem. Wish I had a pile of the lumber I made these out of.

I have made some good shafts out of poplar and fir. A $3.85 craft board of poplar at home depot will make 9 quick shafts. Some lumber yards carry fir lumber, most pine is marked /f/p/sp/ (fir, pine or spruce)but if you can find pure fir or spruce they make wonderful shafts. I have a half dozen spruce I use for my broad heads.

[bjansen]

I would bet you can find $65 of usable stuff in that bundle. If you think about all the ways a 32" POC shaft would be deemed a second (knot at one end, split at one end, etc)....That being said, I am sure there are plenty with significant grain run off as well (and probably unusable).

The tax does not apply, true... and yes purchasing any material that is not manufactured for or intended for use as an archery or sport fishing product will not fund the excise tax pool.  For example, using a 38 special casing as a blunt, a fiberglass yard pole for a carp arrow or 3/8 nut as a fishing weight.  The good part is that it is a manufactures tax, not a consumer tax...of course its passed on to us when we purchase items intended and suitable for archery, but not passed on when we make something ourselves or be creative with alternative resources.

[George Tsoukalas]

I hand plane my own shafts from poplar and white pine boards that I've ripped. I also make arrows from wild rose and hardwood shoots. Info on my site. Jawge
 http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/