Compressed Cedars what can you tell me?

[Gator1]

I was wondering what are some advantages of compressed cedar arrows????

Thank you

[snag]

The advantage to "real" compressed cedar, i.e. Forgewoods, was they were lots stronger than uncompressed. You could shoot an arrow into something solid and not have it break. Plus for some people the added mass weight was a plus. They were also thinner in diameter...5/16, 9/32. This works into better penetration.

[Bjorn]

The last 4 inches at the BH end were compressed more and considerably heavier-more FOC, and very strong-there were pics of Bill Sweetland shooting arrows with no point through boards. The concept is no more; replaced by carbons.

[Jim Wright]

They have not been produced for many years.  The machinery was for sale a few years ago by an Alaskan owner who had compressed other woods with no real success. The short story is they are not available unless you find someone willing to part with some of the originals and that is highly unlikely.

[njloco]

What Bjorn and Jim Wright said,

Forgewoods not made anymore.

That's really too bad, as Sweetland had a real good system, and from what I have heard very effective, but yes, replaced by carbons. This brings to mind an appreciation to the guys who shoot wood, as they are keeping the traditional in Trad.

I Will, now make an extra effort to getting and use woodies more often, least they go out of business also and the art is possibly lost forever.    ( would love to be able to buy some Forgewoods from someone up in Alaska that is making them ) I guess the machinery is just sitting up there.

[Flying Dogg]

They need to be sealed up really well as any moisture will swell them up. Also, they do not float.

[Bjorn]

Yeah the part about not floating is pretty much true; generally when I am dipping cedars I just push the nock end with a finger and then release and they star popping up. When you are dipping Sweetlands you have to hang on to them or they will wind up down in the dip tube!!

[Steve O]

I thought those compressed ones are what Keith Chastain at Wapiti sells?

[stik&string]

I had some but broke/retired my supply. They were effective for the heavy weights I was shooting at the time.

[joe skipp]

Forgewoods were all I shot until Sweetland went out of business. Penetration was super even with our old 45# recurves. Eighteen yds and under were all passthroughs. I have one Forgewood left...really hate to part with it.

Back then all the Forgewoods I shot were full dipped in Sky Blue, white feathers. Kittredge Bow Hut was my supplier.

[snag]

Steve O, what he sells are burnished, not a true heat treated compressed poc shaft. Mr. Sweetland compressed the shafts under extreme pressure and heat around 220 deg. He also started with a wider fletch at one end so when he compressed them it was denser at one end. This provided a heavier end for weight forward.

[Bjorn]

What snag said and Sweetland was compressing board stock and then cutting and doweling the compressed wood into shafting.

[ChuckC]

There was an article / interview somewhere , maybe TBM, of Sweetland and the Forgewoods.  Described the how (to a point) and why.  It was a good descriptive article as I recall.
ChuckC

[Blackhawk]

Article on Bill Sweetland???

Here's a good'un...

 http://www.alaskafrontierarchery.com/Bill%20Sweetland%20Story.html

[Gator1]

Thanks for the clarification I was contemplating the ones from wapiti

Thanks all

[fatman]

Originally posted by Flying Dogg:
They need to be sealed up really well as any moisture will swell them up. Also, they do not float.

Actually, the original Forgewoods did NOT swell in moisture.  I believe that they were treated with a chemical (possibly formaldehyde?) under pressure and heat. The process was originally used for airplane propellers, and Port Orford cedar was used specifically because it would not swell in wet conditions.

[Rudy Cariello]

Here's some Forgewood eye candy.
These are the "Battleshaft" Models.

I've been using them since the 80's and they have taken a couple of moose, black bear, whitetails and with a bit of "Good JUJU" they will be in on an elk kill this fall.

55-60# spine, 28.5" to back of head,625 grains with a 140gr Journeyman broad head and a bit under 5/16" in diameter

Raulf was a fella from Fond Du Lac, WI who built a ton of arrows back in the 50's & 60's

I got the Raulf shafts from John MacDonald of Big river Bows as completed arrows in the early 90's.
The feathers were pretty ratty and the nocks a little brittle so I rebuilt them as seen.

   

   

[Fletcher]

I have some original Forgewood shafts and they do swell if you let them get wet, esp on the ends.  Because of the way they were made, they swell to an oval instead of round.

[Orion]

Gator 1, shafts that are run through a die to compress the outside fibers are good shafts.  They have some of the advantgages of the original Sweetlands. Most times, the manufacturers of these shafts squeeze the diameter down one size, from 23/64 to 11/32, for example, or 11/32 to 5/16.  That means you can get a spine and physical weight of a larger diameter shaft in a smaller diameter shaft.  If the manufacturer starts out with good quality shafts to begin with, you'll get a good shaft.  Because the compression does burnish the outside fibers, they don't take a stain as well. Those I've purchased over the years I've found to be straighter and marginally stronger than regular POC. Of course, that could be because the seller selected good shafts to "compress" in the first place.

Are they as tough or heavy or naturally weight forward as Sweetlands.  No.  But they're still good shafts.  I've been shooting wood for more than 50 years, and during that time have managed to accumulate a supply of Sweetland forgewoods that will likely last me the rest of my days if I'm judicious.  I use my Sweetands only for hunting, but I do use shafts that are "compressed' through a die for target arrows.  Depending on the supplier, I think they're higher quality than run of the mill POCs.
Good luck in whatever you choose.

[horseapple]

Didn't Keri Gesink build compressed cedar shafts in the early 90's?