Wood Arrow wood, what kind?

[dmcbride]

The wife bought me a dowel making kit for christmas.

Thanks for the offer Coiloil37, didn't want to commit cause I knew something was up with the wife.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/pag...180,42288&ap=1

http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/pag...at=1,180,42288

Anyways, what is the best wood that is available for arrow shafts in Alberta. I know Port Orford Cedar is one of the best but I haven't had any luck finding any. Are there any other wood types that are good, that are easily found?

[3blade]

willow, choke cherry and birch are commonly used native species. That's what the natives used, and what we made em out of as kids. Of the three I think willow is the heaviest and worked best....probably depends on what species though.

Cool project. Hope to see pics.

[fatboyz]

I'm sure Pete will chime in as the resident expert he might have some good ideas. I just read an article in traditional bow hunter about dogwood arrows. We have lots of Red Osier Dogwood in our parkland and aspen parkland areas That might be worth a try. I know they also use Sitka Spruce, but I don't know what our white spruce would be like

[dmcbride]

Thanks for the replies.

I don't think I am ready to use actual native wood that hasn't been milled and dried, the way the dowel maker works. I need to be able to make a square shaft that is straight that is 1/8" bigger than the arrow that I plan on making. One day I would like to get a planner, jointer and season my own wood.

I am more less looking for a place to buy rough stock wood that I can cut to size with a table saw and run through the dowel maker.

Any suggestions on type of wood and where to buy?

[L.O.S.T.Arrow]

Originally Posted by fatboyz

I'm sure Pete will chime in as the resident expert he might have some good ideas. I just read an article in traditional bow hunter about dogwood arrows. We have lots of Red Osier Dogwood in our parkland and aspen parkland areas That might be worth a try. I know they also use Sitka Spruce, but I don't know what our white spruce would be like

We used the Red Osier Dogwood willow exclusively with homemade or survival bows...The Osier willows were the straightest ...peeled they were strong and easy to straighten...

However when seasoned they will get brittle...prone to splitting and harder to work with!

Neil

[bushpilot]

Douglas fir, hickory and ash are good woods for shafts which could possible be found as dowels or blanks from building supply stores. I have arrows made from laminated pine and laminated birch that I quite like. Maybe a phone call to some of the shaft manufacturers would provide a good source for blanks. You would want to make sure that the grain is close enough together with little run off to provide strength and make a quality shaft.

[L.O.S.T.Arrow]

Originally Posted by bushpilot

Douglas fir, hickory and ash are good woods for shafts which could possible be found as dowels or blanks from building supply stores. I have arrows made from laminated pine and laminated birch that I quite like. Maybe a phone call to some of the shaft manufacturers would provide a good source for blanks. You would want to make sure that the grain is close enough together with little run off to provide strength and make a quality shaft.

looking at it from that perspective...using a dowel shaper...birch or tamerac in Alberta are our strongest "hardwoods"...

Neil

[dmcbride]

Thanks Neil and Bushpilot,

I am going to try Ash and Birch. I found a supplier and will run some through the dowel maker and see if the arrow spine compares to what I have been using.

[L.O.S.T.Arrow]

Originally Posted by dmcbride

Thanks Neil and Bushpilot,

I am going to try Ash and Birch. I found a supplier and will run some through the dowel maker and see if the arrow spine compares to what I have been using.

: Forgot Ash...love to see the pics on progress also...

Neil

[The Flint&Fly Guy]

A quest that I have often thought about doing myself please post the results. I am anxious to see how it works!

[fatboyz]

My daughter works in a cabinet making shop in Edmonton. They throw away a ton of scrap maple, walnut, and hickory pieces that are about 1/2 to 3/4 square. Length varies but I'm sure you could get lots long enough and there would be lots to practice with before you tried some good stuff you have bought and sawn up. Give a call to any cabinet shop in your area.

[petew]

Poplar makes a good arrow as well as most woods if you can get it without runouts and knots . The challenge you will face with planks is finding them straight grain and not running out . The good part is you only need them straight for about 3 feet.
Matching spine will be a chore , as each board will change spine as the growth rings change . You can expect to get spine changes as the growth rings change across every board.
Make a HUNDRED SHAFTS AT A TIME AND SPINE SORT THEM . Then weight sort the spine groups, , sell what you can't use and buy more lumber.
Guys are making good shafts from Lodgepole Pine, Poplar, Cedar, Birch, Hickory, Spruce, Fir, and just about any other species.

Some shafts are just destined to be tomato stakes too.
You will probably need to re saw most boards to remove the run out's.

[Huzza]

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[dmcbride]

Thanks again everybody, I will post some pics once I get started.