Advice on wood arrows

[tmattson]

Thinking ahead to a winter project, like to build some wood arrows and start experimenting with them.
Looking for where/who to purchase bare shafts, advice on wood choices, would prefer shafts already finished as far as stained and sealed.
Thanks

[stumper]

Ok. I like spruce and bear paw archery makes them. +-5 grains weight matched and hand spines only 28 bucks a dozen unfinished from kustom king archery. For prefinished shafts kustom king also sells weight matched hand spines cedars already crested and lacquer dipped for 50 bucks a dozen.

[Captainkirk]

I'll differ from Dave a bit here and advise that you start out with cedar shafting.
While spruce is a harder,tougher wood for things like stumping, it's also harder to work with in terms of tapering and straightening. I've used spruce, larch (tamarack) and cedar and found cedar to be the most user friendly. Bear Paw's price on the spruce is a hell of a bargain, though...I usually buy through 3Rivers and pay around $39.00/dozen.
Before we go any further though, tell us a bit about your intended use...

1) hunting, stumping/roving, target, 3D, or all of the above?
2) your bow draw weight and draw length?
3) type(s) of bow(s)...longbow, recurve, ILF, etc and length of bow?
4) type of string (Flemish twist, endless loop, fast flight, etc?
5) preferred fletching; 2 fletch, 3 fletch, 4 fletch, helical (left or right), pile (point) type?
6) intended pile/broadhead weight?
7) Off the shelf, or elevated rest?
8) Do you use a plunger?
9) 3 under or split finger?
Hopefully with this info we can help dial you in much quicker.
Also, do you have any arrow building tools yet, and if so, which ones?

[Graps]

http://www.surewoodshafts.com/

[Captainkirk]

For pre-finished/sealed shafts, 3Rivers has those as well, but honestly...finishing is part of the fun for me and helps add your own personal touch to arrows you've made.

Here are a dozen I did with cedar shafts a few years back:





You don't need anything near that fancy, especially just getting your feet wet. But building arrows can get addictive, and the more you do it, the fancier you want them to be!

[Greg Felty]

Those are some nice arrows Kirk.

[Captainkirk]

Thanks, Greg. They were a hoot to build!

[Hill billy]

I still have a lot of my tools for building woodies. I never felt like I mastered the art. When my time got limited I just went to carbons . My advice is to be patient. There is somthing about a wood arrow that I like. There quiet and weight isnt an issue. And there a whole lot prettier to look at. Show us some picks when you get a batch done. Good luck

[Jamesh76]

A few build alongs on here you can look up