more arrow shaft questions

[thewal2]

hello all,

Still trying to learn about arrows so I can order a new custom set for next year.

I shoot a 55 pound recurve with POC arrows.

Painting questions:
What is the arrow boot referred to as?
The crest of the arrow in the fletching area correct?

What is the advantage and characteristics of each of these shafts.

Parallel
tapered
barrel tapered

What would be ideal for a recurve?

Im a semi new guy...I have searched the web and cant find these answers.  Im not hip with the vocab!

Tim

[Orion]

Been making arrows for nearly 50 years, and have never heard of an arrow boot.  Do you mean foot(ing).  A wood arrow footing is a piece of hardwood spliced onto the point end of a softwood shaft like a cedar.  Most arrows break right behind the point when the arrow hits something very hard or slightly off kilter.  Hardwood is tougher than softwood so a footing is more difficult to break right behind the head.  Hardwood is also heavier than soft wood so a footing also adds more weight to the front of the arrow, which tends to improve arrow flight and penetration.  They also just look cool.  Footed shafts are expensive.  Expect to pay $100 per dozen for footed shafts.  Add another $50 for completed footed arrows.

Many wood arrows are crown dipped -- the 8-10 inches of shaft on the nock end are painted a color.  Aids in following the shaft in flight and finding arrows that miss the target.  It's mostly decorative, however.  Feathers are glued onto the crown dip an inch or so from the nock.  Cresting is the circular rings that are painted on the crown.  They may be many or few, thin or wide.  Again, mostly decorative.  And arrows may be crested without being crown dipped and vice versa. Some archers use specific cresting patterns to identify their own arrows.

Parallel shafts are just that, the shaft is the same diameter its entire length.

Tapered shafts have a taper the last 8-10 inches of the shaft to the nock.  For example, shafts that are 23/64 or 11/32 might be tapered over that 8-10 inch length to 5/16 at the nock. Barrel tapered shafts are tapered on each end, though the forward taper tends to be shorter, 6-8 inches.

There's really not a lot of difference among them.  The taper reduces arrow weight by about 20-30 grains depending on initial diameter and moves the weight of the shaft more forward of center. Moving the weight forward tends to improve arrow flight.  Some feel that the tapered shaft also recovers more quickly from bending around the riser at the shot and stabilizes sooner, also contributing to greater accuracy. In practice, most people aren't good enough to tell the difference.  Though I shoot mostly tapered shafts now, I also have shot parallel shafts for many years and continue to shoot them.  Either will shoot very nicely out of a recurve.   Keep in mind that all aluminum shafts and most carbon shafts are also parallel.

I don't have much experience with barrel tapered shafts. Barrel tapering tends to lighten the physical weight and increase the dynamic spine of wooden shafts.  

You can get a lot of your questions answered on this site, but you can also find 90-95% of the answers yourself with a good book.  I suggest "The Traditional Bowhunter's Handbook" by T. J. Conrads.  Good luck.

[moebow]

thewal2,

Answers:I have never heard of the "boot" in relation to arrow nomenclature.  An old term to define the part of the arrow from nock to the end of the cresting is "shaftment"  but few know this term or use it anymore.  In the area of the arrow where you find the feathers, generally, a solid color beginning at the nock and ending variously 7 to 10 inches down the shaft is called a "crown".  Stripes of color applied to the shaft usually below the feathers (but not always) is the "cresting".

If you are confusing "booted" with "footed" ...  Now we are talking about a hardwood splice made to the point end of an arrow to strengthen the point end and to add weight to the point.

Parallel shafts are the simplest and usually the least expensive shaft. There is less work involved in producing them.  For a "semi-new-guy" these are what I would recommend for the foreseeable future.

Tapered -- Reduces shaft diameter from (for example) 11/32 to 5/16 over the last ten or so inches so you can use a smaller nock and it helps move the balance point of the arrow forward.

A barrel tapered arrow is a tapered arrow that is also tapered toward the point.  This is also called a "breasted" arrow.

I have made and shot all three types and can personally see little difference in performance between parallel, tapered, and barrel tapered arrow.  At least not enough to bother with the last two types other than just the fun of it.

POC (Port Orford Cedar) is and has been a very good arrow wood BUT!!!  In the last few years most of the really good POC that is left is being sold overseas and the quality left for archery is really quite poor.  Look into Sitka Spruce and Douglas Fir as exceptionally great replacements for POC.

[Fletcher]

Arrow boot?  I've been making and shooting wood arrows for a ong time and I've not heard of the "boot".  Crown, maybe?  The crown is a different color area, usually paint but sometimes stain or bare on the upper end of the shaft by the fletching.  The crest is a series of colored stripes and fine lines originally used to identify a shooter's arrows but now commonly used for decoration.  I'll add a pic at the end.

Parallel shafts are the same diameter from one end to the other.  5/16, 11/32 amd 23/64 inch are the common diameter shafts for adults.  This is the most common shaft and works very well.  

Tapered generally means "bobtailed", where the rear end of the shaft is tapered slightly for the last 9-10 inches or so.  Normally 11/32 or 32/64" shafts will be tapered to 5/16" at the nock.  To my eye and target, tapered arrows shoot better and I taper all of my arrows except maybe stumpers and squirrel arrows.  The taper lightens the back of the arrow, moving the center of gravity forward (you will hear the term "FOC" quite a bit), and allow the arrow to recover from flexing around the riser a bit quicker.  I also believe it somewhat "tillers" the arrow making it flex more evenly, much like the taper in a fishing rod or a bow limb.  It's all theory, but it works for me.

Barrel tapered shafts are tapered on both ends.  The descriptions of how much taper varies, but I figure barrel tapers are fairly symetrical, the brested taper is a longer taper on the front, and the more common "hunter" taper is a regular taper on the back of a 23/64" shaft with a shorter taper to 11/32" on the front, mostly to make the broadheads fit better.  I have a machine set up for it and will do the hunter taper on request.

I use and recommend the tapered shaft.  If you get into the higher spines and use 23/64" shafts, the hunter taper is worth considering for broadhead arrows.  POC is a fine arrow wood, but Douglas Fir has been my favorite for many years.  It's tougher, has good mass for a hunting arrow and IMO is the best shooting of the arrow woods.

 

[moebow]

Looks like Fletcher, Orion and I were all posting at the same time.  Now you have it in "triple vision">  

[Fletcher]

We wouldn't Tim to feel neglected.  You guys both got me on the "boot" probably meaning "footed".  I bet you are right.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

What the others had said... I Agree with them..

[thewal2]

if you look on elitearrows web ordering page they have a section called boot color.

Check it out...Im not making it up.  ha ha.

 http://elitearrows.com/order/online-order-form/

thanks for your help guys.

[Zradix]

Talk about the "boot" on the Shrew site too.

[Fletcher]

I guess I haven't spent enuf time on the Elite website.  I couldn't find it defined, but it is the same paint colors as the crown, so I'm gonna guess it is a short dip on the point end.  I've done a short white dip for some gap shooters and crested the front at a certain point for others.  Now I know what to call the point dip. Kinda makes sense.

[Zradix]

Hey I learned something today.
Shoulda waited 19mins and I would've been able to take it easy tomorrow.

[thewal2]

I am going to get the boot dipped...I would like a 8 inch dip up from my broadhead so it is easier to tell what type of penetration I got... Also will help you find an arrow if the fletching is broken off...

The fletching being broken off has happened once.

Tim

[thewal2]

the only other thing the boot could be in my opinion would be below the crown and cresting.  If you look at elites site in the pictures it looks like on some arrows he has paint going to about half way down the arrow.

[lpcjon2]

Maybe the arrow boot is what you store them in in the off season.     Take it from these guys you have tons of experience answering your ? as far as the rear end of the arrow a crown goes on the head and a boot goes on your feet, so how does that match up.

[Bjorn]

As soon as I can get that arrow out of the tree it is getting the boot!

[thewal2]

ok so no one knows huh?

Crazy.

[Fletcher]

The arrows on the Shrew site are Elite Arrows by Paul Jalon.  One of the pictured arrow models shows the "boot" as a stained section on the front of the arrow that matches a short stained crown.  That's good enuf for me.  I've done it before, just never named it; thanks, Paul.    

You started this, Tim, where did you hear of the "boot"?  

[thewal2]

elite arrow order form.

[thewal2]

so I emailed elite arrows and the boot is what he calls the first 8 to 10 inches on top of the broadhead.

[zonker]

Several years ago a 'fad' began where archers wanted a separate color 8"-10" above the point. Basically a crown color but rather than below the nock above the point. I felt a need to name this type of shaft coloring location for my customers. I did not like butt or lower crown so 'boot' resulted. Some will call this area something else but 'boot' works for me as 'crown' does. Now there are some who will want to know if 'boot' is hunting or work but then again we could ask whether 'crown' is king or queen.

Check  www.shrewbows.com   and the Shadow Wing arrow for an example of a 'boot'.

There are all kinds of opinions on parallel, tapered or barrel tapered shafts. Spine, static and dynamic, and arrow weight for an archer and a particular bow are the most important factors in excellent arrow flight. Some great photos showing arrow flight upon release can be seen at  www.wernerbeiter.com.


elitearrows.com