Arrow Wood Characteristics

[SteveMcD]

#5862

Port Orford Cedar
Port Orford Cedar is probably the standard by which all other shaft woods are judged so we will start here.

Light to medium in weight
Straight grained
Easy to straighten
Takes a stain well
Not a very durable wood

Poplar
I believe this wood is often overlooked as an arrow material. It is slightly heavier than Port Orford Cedar and a lot more durable.

Medium weight
Takes stain fairly well
Can straighten without heat
Moderately durable

Lodge Pole Pine
Some also call this Chundoo and it is also slightly heavier than Port Orford Cedar. It is fairly straight grained throughout.

Moderately heavy weight
Fairly durable
Will readily take stain
Easy to straighten

Douglas Fir
Heavy weight
Moderately Durable
Lots of grain, less straight
Takes a stain well
Hard to straighten, but stays straight

Hickory
One of the main uses of Hickory is for tool handles because of its durability. It is fairly heavy wood with an open grain.

Moderately heavy
Very durable shaft
Will not readily take a stain
May need heat to straighten

Maple
Hard Maple has a very smooth and uniform grain and is a good choice for the archer who is looking for a durable, heavy hunting arrow.

Heavy weight
Very durable
Straight grained
Will not readily take stain
Need heat to straighten

Ash
Another very tough wood choice for a hunting arrow. Ash is a strong, tough wood they make baseball bats out of.

Heavy in weight
Very durable wood
Need heat to straighten
Hard to stain

[Patrick]

#45405

Thanks Steve. Very helpful

[William Warren]

#45432

Thanks Steve,

For those hard to stain woods I have had success using the crushed outer hull of the walnut mixed with water. It yeilds a rich brown color and can be diluted to obtain lighter shades. This has worked for me with hickory and ash.

Duncan

[SteveMcD]

#45688

Thanks, Duncan I’ll have to remember that one!

[William Warren]

#45808

SteveMcD wrote: Thanks, Duncan I’ll have to remember that one!

The best part is, it’s free! I’ve been using the same hulls for years kept in a tin can. Just add water when needed. The strongest color will come from the freshest hulls.

[aeronut]

#46425

I used Black Walnut hulls to stain traps when I ran a trapline every winter.

That wood description looks kind of familiar(see my website):wink:

Dennis

[Chad Sivertsen]

#46560

Useful list Steve. I’ve shot all of those woods and made shaft from scratch for most of them.

For those who have not had the experience of attempting to make shafts from scratch or do not have experience with wood it is important to remember that wood varies a great deal even within the same species. Trees that grow in harsh conditions will exhibit different characteristics than those that grow in ideal conditions. This affects spine, durability, workability, etc.

I agree with your assessment on all but the weight of hickory, I think it is quite heavy not moderately heavy.

When I make fir shafts there is a lot of waste and wood selection is very important. Apparantly Surewood is using some quality wood and good manufacturing techniques. I have not seen a Surewood shaft but they sound like good stuff.

Chad

[aeronut]

#46797

Chad, I have some Ipe shafts that make Hickories look like featherweights.:D

Dennis

[rayborbon]

#51507

Is someone making those IPE shafts you speak of or did you make them yourself? The reason is that I would like to try some and have had them on my “to try” list for about 12 months but didn’t see them anywhere I looked. Maybe I’m not looking in the right places.

[Author]

Posts