The State of the wood shaft business

[slowbowjoe]

I think Green has it right about the wood arrows, as far as my own experience so far.

I call and ask about the spine and weight range I'm looking for, the folks tell me what they have on hand in that range, and if they fit I order a dozen premium shafts.
I've only made maybe 10 or 12 dozen  in the past few years, but spines were always within the specified range, and weights were within maybe a 15grn or so spread, and mostly within 10.

[LimbLover]

I think Larry is spot on. I'm as frugal as anyone when it comes to buying arrows and have bought 2nds for years. Sure, you can get 6-8 decent arrows and a few stumpers for the money, but premium really is the way to go.

That reminds me, I have to call Surewood right now.  There, I called dibs on the 55pound  360 grainers.

[meathead]

I need to order some Surewoods too.

[atatarpm]

I like wood and ha e found though reading everything I can that you can make it into any thing you want it to be. While my arrows are not quite as straight as carbons they are very straight. As far as matching weights and spine they are within 1 lbs plus or minus in spine and 5 grains  of weight to one another.
Wood shafts are what you want to make of them and that is how much work you are willing to put into them. Generally I will put 2 to 3 days into building an arrow if I am building a match set even longer. I started building my own because I could not buy what I needed.
Trial and error, yeah there has been a lot of that, and every bit of it has been offset by what I can make an arrow do and the comments that I receive from people about my arrows, not to mention the satisfaction of taking wild game with them.

I keep reading how carbon is cheaper than wood. Other than a three broadhead arrow mistake I made in my back yard last fall, my math on my arrow expenses still says that wood is cheaper than carbon. Besides, there is just no way that I am going to shoot aluminum or carbon at pheasants in the air and rabbits in weeds or deep snow. There will always be a need for me to have some very cheap or very old wood shafts in my quiver.  It doesn't take fancy to kill a pheasant, it just has to fly perfect, some new fat feathers on a crusty old shaft is a pretty thing when it makes supper.