wood arrow popularity

[dnovo]

Making wood arrows is my favorite thing about shooting a longbow. Except for shooting them thru something that bleeds. It is a labor of love. Those of you who want to make up a set of arrows in a couple hours aren't going to use wood. The time it takes is savored and enjoyed. I probably have about 20 dozen on hand at any one time. Most of those are mine, but some are for my boys, nephews, and friends. If I get below 4 or 5 dozen for any one bow I'm shooting, I start to get anxious and have to start another dozen.

[Igor]

Shoot all three....wood is doug fir surewood product - good stuff....


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Glenn

[meathead]

I shoot doug fir and laminated birch.  Started with aluminum, but switched about 10 or 12 years ago and wouldn't go back.

[CT Trapper]

Thanks for all the reply's and thoughts, great stuff.

[Stumpkiller]

Originally posted by PaddyMac:

I'm like a kid in a candy store, and next year I'm going to try wood, but this year, I need to walk before I run. So carbon it is. But I am building my own. Plain jane first, then I'll start dancing.

No offense, Paddy, but I get a kick out of guys who want to "graduate" to wood.  I use wood - as I have since I could spare a hand from holding up the diaper long enough to shoot - because I don't have the brains or tools for aluminum or carbon.  I look at a "Trad Teck" catalog and my eyes glaze over like a dead bass.  Way too complicated.  Folks shot wood arrows before they figured out things like the wheel and pit toilets.  

Carbon is out there with twittering and ATM machines on my event horizon and I may not live long enough to arrive at that point.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by PaddyMac:
... I'm like a kid in a candy store, and next year I'm going to try wood, but this year, I need to walk before I run. So carbon it is. But I am building my own. Plain jane first, then I'll start dancing.  ...

that is a good and correct approach - you want to use the most consistent arrow possible, so that you can concentrate on form and shooting and not hafta be concerned if it was you or your arrow that missed the mark.

woodies are great, i love 'em, but they're just not as reliably consistent as carbons (or alums).

[jcar315]

Wood is good!!

[deaddoc4444]

From 1985 to somwhere in 2001, I made arrows commericaly for an archery shop, ( Big one )    thousands of arrows annualy.( not to mention repairs)    I could have any thing I wanted, wood's, carbons and  aluminum . For shooting into frozen excelsior bales in the winter I ALWSYS have 1/2 doz aluminum arrows for each bow,   thats all I use them for .   Wood is far superior  for hunting and practice and FUN than anything.  If I was a Trophy shooter   and paper and 3D was my life, Id shoot carbons for sure!   3 d TARGETS TO ME ARE FOR PRACTICE AND FUN SHOOTS like ETAR , Sawmill etc.  I go to those shots and see how I do I could care less how I do compared to others.
    Consistant ? sure to some  degree carbons and aluminums are more consistant .   While working at that store there, I several times weighed out aluminum shafts  Game getters , Game getter IIs , XX75s, XX78s, etc.  Each time weighed at least 50  from bundles and found variations up to 30 grains . I can do the same with woods all day .
   I also shoot fireams  . I used to shoot competition in that area, & I reload !   I have weighed bullets from the BEST manufacturers and found weight variations of over 8 grains in bullets that are 168 grain match bullets   and they still went into the same hole. The percentage of variation for 8 grains on a 168 grain bullet,  is far greater than the percantage of 10 to 20 grains of weight on a 500 /600 grain arrow .  That makes absolutely no difference in the world for accurate shhoting, the MINOR differences you get in weight variations with carbons and aluminums.  
   Straight ?   I straightened  thousands of  aluminum bent arrows for customers  NONE ever came out realy straight again and they shot fine . Would I hunt with them after being straightened?   NO!   NOT ME.  But  I would never hesitate to shoot them for any thing else and hardly know the difference between shots .
 Do I condemn  any one who shoots aluminum or carbons?    HELL NO   But I see no reason to do it!  No real benefit  except in the mind.  
 OH and nothng is as quiet as a wood arrow !!!

[Stumpkiller]

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:

woodies are great, i love 'em, but they're just not as reliably consistent as carbons (or alums).

       

[Sean B]

I shoot cedar from my vintage Bear's.  It just doesn't seem right to shoot anything else from them.  I do shoot carbons from my widow though.

[TWarrows]

clean kill with a carbon OK...
clean kill with aluminum OK....
Clean kill with a woodie...........PRICELESS!!!!!
ALL WOOD ALL THE TIME.....

[snag]

Originally posted by TWarrows:
clean kill with a carbon OK...
clean kill with aluminum OK....
Clean kill with a woodie...........PRICELESS!!!!!
ALL WOOD ALL THE TIME.....

   If we as bowhunters stalk our prey within bow range and use good wood arrows we are going to get the job done. Lots of hunters have proven this over decades. Now for target archery, yes, aluminum and carbon are the choice of all top competitors. Wood is fun to make arrows out of and it is plenty good enough for making very functional arrows for hunting. If I can group Surewood shaft arrows in a 4" circle at 20yds while stumpshooting I'm "hunting ready".

[mudfish]

I started out with aluminum over 20 years ago, and made an impressive pile of bent shafts at the time.  Then switched to wood, they were a lot more trouble to make but worth it.  I dabbled in carbon fairly recently, they sure are more consistent, and quicker and easier to make, but they don't feel "alive" to me when shot from a longbow.  For me wood just shoots better, and is way more satisfying to make and shoot.  My everyday practice arrows are cedar and spruce, my hunting arrow box still has some chundoo arrows that are my first choice for hunting, and heavy cedars I made up after the supply of chundoo dried up.  I almost always have a batch of wood arrows in some stage of production, and my main hobby besides shooting longbows is making wood arrows.  It keeps me fired up in the evenings until I can't wait to get out and shoot some more.

[Rob DiStefano]

good gawd awmighty, this has surely turned into a woodie love fest ... as expected.  

attention newbies - stick with alums or carbons when starting on your trad journey.  if it leads you to woodies - as you gain form, consistency, and confidence - that's just fine and a very natural progression.

[mnbwhtr]

46 years ago I bought a used bow instead of new because the $20 difference could be used for Micro flite arrows rather than wood. The shop owner explained the arrow was the most important part of archery equipment I would be buying, I believed him then and still do. I shoot mostly carbons for consistency but use some wood. My aluminums are all in boxes. Never killed anything with my bow but lots of animals have fallen to my arrows. Still love the smell of cedar.

[bucksbuouy]

I started out with aluminums when I shot compounds and loved them. I switched to woodies when I went traditional because it seemed like the obvious thing to do and because I shoot a heavy bow and the mass you get from a woody helps absorb the boom. I can say the wood arrows are not as consistent but neither is my shooting with a longbow  

but when I take my first bow kill with a wood bow and a home made wood arrow it will all be worth it.

[bsoper]

"attention newbies - stick with alums or carbons when starting on your trad journey. if it leads you to woodies - as you gain form, consistency, and confidence - that's just fine and a very natural progression."

Thanks for the advice, Rob. Although woodies are less complicated. Carbon and aluminum have a million different sizes and every company is different. Also, most manufacturers and the people who sell them don't have a clue about using them with trad gear. So while carbons/aluminum are more consistent for a newbie, like myself, to learn with, they are overwhelmingly difficult to figure out which to buy.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

With My style of shooting I seem to do way better with woodies then the other types of shafts.

[voltradhunter]

attention newbies - stick with alums or carbons when starting on your trad journey.  if it leads you to woodies - as you gain form, consistency, and confidence - that's just fine and a very natural progression.

I understand why you would make such a recommendation but I would modify it slightly by saying that you should start with carbon, or aluminum, or a set of well made, well matched, wooden arrows that are +/- 10 grains, +/- 2 pounds of spine, from a reputable arrow maker like Joe Lorenz, or Paul J. (elite arrows), etc. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a newbie starting out with a quality set of wood arrows.

[Joshua Long]

My experience has shown me the cedars I have shot are easier to tune while not as consistent as a group compared to aluminum and carbon.  I love how much more quiet the wood arrows fly off my bows!  Wood for me.