Wood Arrows

[AWPForester]

Have any of you guys had any expierence with the species of Ash and Sitka Spruce for arrow wood? What are their pluses and drawbacks. I was checking out the Raptor sponserhip link and saw they had some pretty dang good deals for tjose shafts

[bjorn]

Ash is very tough and sturdy, weights can vary as much as 50%. I have had 400 gn full length shafts and 700 gn shafts too. If you are dealing with someone like Raptor Archery you can have them select shafting in your specified weight range. They do not recover like cedar, so go 5-10# over what you use in cedar.
People sometimes have trouble getting them straight-I have not encountered that-for wood arrows always buy the best shafting you can get.
Ash is a great arrow wood.

Sitka Spruce has worked the same as cedar for me. But it does not have the intoxicating aroma when it breaks.

[centaurian]

I use Sitka and love it. I can attest to it's strength, as I'm a lousy shot... Hildebrand is right down the road and Neil has been a great help to me. I have wasted hours of his time chewing the fat in his shop. He always welcomes me back... Good people and a great product. He knows more about wood than anyone I've ever met and I learn something new on every visit. I have enjoyed some great tales of the old days when he was logging. Those days are gone forever, and getting firsthand accounts from him is priceless. They take great care in producing some fine shafts!

[polar bear]

Have never used Sitka but love Ash. I shoot 54/55# bows w/28" draw. I use 65-70 spine and like them tapered. I heat straighten and seal immediately. I have some 10 yr. old shafts that are still straight. I like them at 3D shoots that are trashy. Arrows usually blow right through.

[snag]

If you want a great weight between the Ash and Spruce try Douglas Fir. I have made lots of arrows out of Spruce and POC. I now only use Surewood Shafts douglas fir....oh, and the old 25+yr old POC that I have saved up....haha But seriously doug fir makes a durable, strong, straight shaft. Out of all the hundreds of Surewoods I have either not had to straighten them or a very few needed a little tweaking. They are so easy to straighten and they stay straight in the arrow building process. Might give them a try.

[robhood23]

Those are some great looking arrows Snag!

[TradRat]

Yep, I'm gonna have to go with Dave on this one. Surewoods are the best wood shaft I've ever dealt with. I made this dozen and did not have to straighten one shaft.