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Arrow woods/Spine and 1970's arrow charts

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Don Stokes:
Broken Arrows, if you want to get the flattest shooting shaft, go with a high spine rating number. If you want heavy arrows, go with the lower spine rating numbers. If you want the best of both, choose a higher spine rating number and a higher mass weight from the calculated weight of a shaft. If you want toughness, it's obvious that hardwoods are the way to go. Unfortunately I couldn't find toughness numbers for all of the species. Hickory is almost indestructible, based on the toughness numbers and real-world experience.

For instance, Douglas fir looks really good as a flat-shooting, hard-hitting and relatively tough compromise in the softwood group. I prefer yellow poplar in the hardwoods because cucumber magnolia is almost impossible to find, and my arrows are heavy enough (usually around 600 grains) and tough enough without sacrificing a relatively flat trajectory.

Remember that these are averages, and a good supplier can choose heavier or lighter shafts from any species.

Old York:
Okay, can anybody out there define "Radial Toughness" and the associated numbers/units as in the chart ?

UnderControl16:
Could anybody tell me what grain i should be shooting for a 40#? Anyone know what the numbers are for a red ock shaft either?

Don Stokes:
York, radial toughness is measured in inch-pounds. The test is done by putting a standard sized stick into a machine that breaks it with a swinging ball. The breaking force is measured as inch-pounds. The standard test gives us a method of comparing woods without personal bias.

UnderControl, there are several species of red oak with properties that vary a good bit. Generally, the dry specific gravity is around .65 and the MOE is around 1.9 million psi, which gives a spine rating of around 2.9, similar to ash and maple. That translates as heavy arrows. I shoot 600 grain arrows from my 40# bow, but that's just a matter of preference. The old rule of thumb is 10 grains per pound of draw weight, but many of us like more.

UnderControl16:
What happens if you shoot under 10 grain per pound? Like what would happen if i shot a poplar shaft on a 40# bow? Also, what type of wood would i shoot then for a 75# pound bow?

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