Are Wooden Arrows a Lot of Trouble??

[Nala]

Hey all,

I have never used a wooden arrow.  In the past when I had a longbow and now that I have a WARF recurve I use carbon and aluminum.  That's not to say that I don't like wood arrows, I just don't have any knowledge or experience with them to know.

I plan on getting a longbow soon and I am thinking about also trying some wood arrows.  I would like to know more about them though.

1.  When you get them will they be straight and ready to be stained and sealed?

2.  How often do they need to be straightened?  For example: if I go out with a quiver full of nice, straight wooden arrows for a day of shooting into my foam target backer will I have to restraighten them after they have hit the target 3 or 4 times each?

3.  Is there one type of wooden arrow that is more "trouble free" and requires less "maintenence" than others?


4.  When you go to stain, paint the end and seal them, can you use regular wood stain, seal and Krylon type spray can color paint that you would get at Wally or Lowes?  You don't have to use special cresting paints, specially formulated stains and sealers do you?


Thats about all I have for now.  Sorry for all the questions.  If there is anything else you can think of that I should think about please feel free to add it.

Thanks for your help and time.

Nala

[Can Hahaka]

Nala,

You can answer all these questions by giving Duane a call over at Dinks Feather Shop in Murraysville. He has made arrows for me and they have stood the test of time.

[varmint]

1  Some are some aren't

2  Depends on type of shafts and what you are shooting

3  Not sure,but I like Birch best

4  Yes,most commercial stains work,and I use Krylon,especially as a sealer.

Hope this helps somewhat.......

[trapperDave]

woodies wont "look" as straight as carbon, but they'll find the spot just the same.

[Cal Bergsma]

Nala,
I think to just start out the regular Port Orford cedar shafts are the easiest to work with and then you can experiment with other wood types later on if you want to. Like all things there are high quality shafts that almost every single one in the bundle will be hunting straight and then there are cheaper priced shafts that most of them will need some work to get them ready. Start with buying as good a bundle of presorted cedar shafts as possible, inspect them ahead of time if possible. Any that are slightly bent are very easy to straighten ( check out the "How To" section of Trad Gang for more info on this. Once your arrows are straight they will remain that way no matter how many times you shoot them and are way more durable that what you will realize in the beginning. What makes arrows get crooked is usually how they are stored. They should alway be stored flat on a table (never leaned against anything) or in a type of quiver that they are secured in like a hip quiver or bow quiver or bundled tight so they cannot warp. Also you can stain them or paint them with just about any stain or paint that is recommended for wood and clear coat them with anything that is recommended for wood, but keep in mind it needs to be a very hard and durable finish and many are not. Hopefully this will help you out a little... I love wood arrows and will never shoot anything but wood for hunting. Wood arrows and traditional archery just go hand in hand like bread and butter.

[George D. Stout]

Cedar is still the best in my opinion.  I've shot cedar arrows that have stood in a quiver for over thirty years.  They are the easiest to tune to a bow and the beauty of wood is that it will fly straight when not straight.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

straight, You mean they have to be very straight. Wow they still hit what I'm aiming at (Ok, they miss, but by a small amount)

I like ash shafts, they fly great from my bow, way better them cedar.

I like plain jane shafts... I just whip-on poly.

I do hand straighten them from time to time.

[George D. Stout]

mysticguido, I tried some ash one time.  Some worked well, some didn't, but that was many years ago and I'm sure they have improved them. They are heavy and durable.

If wood arrows are spined properly to your bow, they will all shoot well; pine, cedar, ash, birch, makes no difference.

[Jeff Strubberg]

The real question, the one you won't answer until you have tried wood, is would you rather be doing something else with your time?  A wiser man than I once said "If you would rather be doing something else, you probably should be.".

Do wooden arrows take more attention than carbon or aluminum?  Absolutely.  Is that a bad thing?  Not if you enjoy the process of taking care of wood arrows.

Give 'em a try and see what you think.

[Chad Sivertsen]

The word "trouble" in the title has a negative connotation to me. Jeff's comments are right on the money. You obviously have an interest so I say give it a try to see if you like them. It does take time and there is a learning curve as you aquire the necessary skills. I would recommend cedar, spruce or maybe pine to start with as they are typically straighter and more consistant than hardwoods shafts. With that said I like ash for moderately heavy arrows and hickory for very heavy arrows.

The spine and weight of wood shafts vary quite a bit even when the wood is from the same tree.

I like making arrows, it is enjoyable, creative, and satisfying way to spend time when not in the woods. I have over 50 dozen fletched arrows from various woods and I still make more. I recently finished some arrows made from pine trees I cut, sawed into 1/2" squares, then doweled, footed with Osage, and finished with Osage reinforced nocks and wild turkey fletch. A lot of work but no trouble at all. I plan to use one of them to kill a turkey this spring...anticipation.

If you just want to try wood arrows you might consider purchasing a dozen finished arrows. Just be sure to get a quality arrows if you go that route. Above all have fun.

[snag]

Well said Jeff! If you want as close to perfect without you having to do anything much then shoot carbons or aluminum. But if you love to work with wood and create an arrow out of it that flies good and looks great then wood is the answer. Man created carbon and metal shafts to take away the process, that some love and obviously some do not, of forming a natural substance into a functional object. When working with wood there are variables to deal with. I find it relaxing, fun, and rewarding.

[58WINTERS]

They are more work but when they are done and fly true it is a great reward. To steal a quote from the movie Jeremiah Johnson. When asked if it was worth the trouble. "Trouble, what trouble."
What Chad and Jeff said.
For good tapered cedar shafting I would go to Wapati Archery. They bought out Rogue River and are turning out some nice shafting.
You might also check out Surewood shafts these guys are turning out some nice parallel doug fir shafting. They will refer you to Archery Past for tapered fir since they are not set up to taper it and supply it to Archery Past. It is my understanding that Hildebrand has quit making fir shafts so Surewood is the only fir supplier in the country at this time to my knowledge.
58

[Bjorn]

Wooden arrows are a lot of trouble and so is hunting. Stay away if you can.  

[Jim now in Kentucky]

Making  and maintaining wood arrows is a skill to be proud of and  to  enjoy. Ever see an archer staring lovingly at a carbon arrow, thrilled by it's beauty and perfection???????

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by Jeff Strubberg:
The real question, the one you won't answer until you have tried wood, is would you rather be doing something else with your time?  A wiser man than I once said "If you would rather be doing something else, you probably should be.".

Do wooden arrows take more attention than carbon or aluminum?  Absolutely.  Is that a bad thing?  Not if you enjoy the process of taking care of wood arrows.

Give 'em a try and see what you think.

+1    

[bayoulongbowman]

Bill Stroupe makes the finest wooden arrows at fair price ...my WW Bheads ride on them !!! He is from North Carolina..topshelf work , and good gentelman to deal with..marco  

[Rob DiStefano]

IMHO ...

There is a soul warming nostalgic charm and beauty about wooden arrows.  An instant link to our ancient primitive heritage and history.  

It was wooden arrows that downed long since extinct beasties eons ago, that blocked out the sun as they flew together during massive Middle Ages battles, and that the indigenous peoples of North America used to harvest bison and wapiti.  Wooden arrows are birthed from living organisms - trees.  At least some parts of our stickbows also came from trees.  Using a hunting weapon created in part from nature is very soul satisfying - at least to me.  

If you are a traditional archer-bowhunter, you will always have an affinity for the fletched and barbed wooden shaft.    

That glowing tribute aside, GOOD woodies are challenge to create and maintain - and creating SUPERB woodies can be near impossible, particularly these dayze as opposed to 50 years ago due to the difficulty in obtaining superb shaft wood.  

Even if you don't think you'll ever create a masterpiece set of woodies, build some anyway - you'll be glad you did, I promise.

Do I hunt with woodies?  Rarely. Why not?  Carbon shafting offers extremely distinct advantages over  wood shafting.  Carbon arrows are simply far more consistent, accurate and durable, over a wide range of stress and environments, than any wood shafting - even over composite laminated and footed shafts.  I just don't have the time to properly mess with woodies these dayze.

YMMV, and that's just fine.

[Orion]

Right on Jeff and Chad.  As G.Fred once said, "you either like wood, or you don't".  I like wood.

[Bonebuster]

Making wood arrows is a labor of love.

Carbon and aluminum require less from you, but they NEVER offer the return in satisfaction that wood does.

Don`t deny yourself the opportunity to at least give them a try.

[Bowferd]

Yes they are, but when you are done agonizing, after all the hours of frustration, labor and love, you will realize that they are just a heck of a lot closer and pertier to you, than those alums and carbs.
By the way, I use all of them, but sure do love that wood.