Source of Inexpensive Wood Shafts?

[Seeking Trad Deer]

I like to make arrows to donate for the state bowhunting organization raffles and such.  Anybody know a good source for lower priced wooden shafts?

[SCATTERSHOT]

Well, if you can spine 'em yourself, American Woodcrafters has birch dowels for $25./100, and they make pretty good arrows.

[NightHawk]

take a look at all the natural stuff. river cane, rose bush, ocean spray ect...

[aromakr]

Seeking:
If your going to donate some arrows to the places your mentioned, why not use good quality shafts which will make good arrows. There is no such thing as "good" "cheep" wooden arrow shafts today. Keep in mind dealers pay .43 cents just in excise tax on each wood shaft.
Bob

[Grey Taylor]

Bob is right, if you get pre-made arrow shafts 'good' and 'cheap' are no longer both in the description.
You can make good arrows out of a hardware store dowel but without some extensive sorting you may end up with something that looks like an arrow but doesn't always perform like one.
Likewise with natural materials. You can make some incredible arrows from shoots or cane but it's going to take even more work to get someting that fulfills its promise as an arrow to be proud of.
Good shafts aren't cheap any more, but they are still a fraction of the cost of a good set of arrows. A matched dozen from a craftsman that cares about his work and is familar with the process may run from $80 to $120 or even higher. At about $31 for a dozen matched shafts it doesn't turn out too bad.

Guy

[Bill Carlsen]

Mike: I sent you an email.

[Fletcher]

I have to agree with Bob and Grey, There's no such thing as good cheap shafts.  Good arrows require good shafts.  The best I've seen lately are Aromakr's Whispering Wind Hex Pine, Hildebrand Sitka Spruce and Surewood Fir.

[stump man]

You get what you pay for!.  I believe somebody actually told me this once upon a time, hmm... mom? dad? was that you?   Anyway,I can't take credit for it but it has proven true over the years. Not just in arrow shafts but life in general.  If I'm shopping quality I look very close at the higher priced versions, there is usually good reason for it.
  Rocket science it ain't.

doug

[NightHawk]

I feel sorry for those that equate quality with money because it isn't always true especially in traditional archery and life in general. That's one of the dumbest sayings I have ever heard on many levels

[JDice]

The saying "you get what you pay for" doesn't have to mean that you pay in money.

[Grey Taylor]

JDice is absolutely correct.
I can get beautiful arrows out of $.50 bamboo garden stakes. But what I gain in price I lose in the time it takes me to turn those tomatoe stakes into arrow shafts. I'd estimate I put a couple hours into each shaft, and that's just making it a shaft, not yet an arrow.
I can sit on the floor at Home Depot and go through all their 378 5/16" dowels and get some good candidates for arrow shafts, but it's going to take me a long time to sort through them and I'll still have to spine, weigh, and straighten them at home.
I can buy lots of 500 shafts from a major supplier of shafts and save some money.  But when I get those home I need to spine, weigh, and straighten them before they're fit to turn into arrows.
Or, I can purchase a couple dozen shafts from a retailer and pay them to do all that sorting. I just have to pay in money rather than the time I put into the other methods.

Guy

[NightHawk]

I know it bothers me that the get it right now mentality has invaded trad archery. Folks seem to think that if it isn't store bought it isn't any good. They hop from bow to bow thinking that if only they had the most expensive bow or the newest gadject then they will automatically and miraculously become better shoots. It doesn't work that way in trad archery. It takes practice and time, not the newest gadjet. I do think the compound mentality has invaded the sport of trad archery

[George D. Stout]

Yeah I've found that the cedar shafts nowadays don't shoot nearly as good; heck, I use to be able to hit three out or four gnats at twenty five paces....now I can only hit two of four.  Dang junk shafts.  Some things take a little work; that's one thing I like about this sport...it requires something from the participant.

I would also vote to can the, "you get what you pay for" saying.  Most people don't understand it anyway.  It doesn't mean that you have to pay a lot to get quality....it just means you get what you pay for; whether it's a good deal or bad deal.  You can pay a lot and get no more for your money than someone who payed little for basically the same thing.

[WESTBROOK]

Hildebrand will sell you a 100 shafts for a good price, and you may mix spines. They are not weighed though.

Dont know why anyone would bother making an arrow out an inferior shaft, especially if your going to dress them up.

Eric

[Seeking Trad Deer]

Originally posted by NightHawk:
I feel sorry for those that equate quality with money because it isn't always true especially in traditional archery and life in general. That's one of the dumbest sayings I have ever heard on many levels

NIGHTHAWK:  I think you understand where I am coming from.  There does seem to a race to money and the compound mentality.  I used to think I needed a $1,500 Morrison and now I realize that I can kill as many deer with a $700 bow.  I used to get caught up in all the compound mentality stuff and I'm still recovering but I'm getting closer to the true nature of our sport as it was intended...simplicity.

Bill Carlson has hooked me up with some shafts guys.  Thanks Bill!  Didn't mean to create such controversy in trying to find shafts...sorry.

[jhansen]

It ain't hunting season.  We have to find something to argue about.

John

[George D. Stout]

Heck, this ain't no controversy!  We all just think differently 8^).

[Seeking Trad Deer]

[Bill Carlsen]

One of the real problems with the "high cost" of everything is the decreasing value of the dollar...dow 25% since "02. That's a big part of it.

[stump man]

Bill:
  You the same Bill Carlsen that had Renaissance Archery back in the 90's?  New Jersey I believe?
stump