Why do you shoot wood only,
Quiets down the bow, penetrates better, and looks better IMHO. An added bonus is the conversations it strikes up with those that have no experience with them.
They fly beautifully, are quieter than aluminum or carbon and satisfying to make. I like mine simply stained, sealed and fletched but the sky is the limit for cresting dipping, spliced fletching etc..
They fly beautifully, are quieter than aluminum or carbon and satisfying to make. I like mine simply stained, sealed and fletched but the sky is the limit for cresting, dipping, spliced fletching etc..
Gonna try the wood only route this year... Just feels right... Can't explain it... I dig building 'em... Love the smell when they break... And as stated above, very quiet for hunting... Will be an interesting year to say the least.
... mike ... :archer2: ...
I'm going back to wood, just love the look and how a nice wood arrow leaves the bow in silence.
So how do you woody guys tune your woodies, bare shaft em, how ya do it....?
Quiet,and just seems right.I bare shaft
I've shot wood for 50 years, but have begun to shoot some carbons in the past few years. Wood has a wide range of spines, so you can buy the spine you need. May need to try a test pack, i.e., several spine steps, to get dialed in, but after that, it's just a matter of buying more of the same spine.
I don't bare shaft. I buy the spine I think is right for my bow, cut them to the length I want, one inch beyond the back of the bow at full draw, fletch up the arrows and shoot. Depending on how the arrows act, I fiddle with point weight, brace height and/or nock point. As a last resort, I might need to move up or down in spine a little.
I love to shoot wood arrows, that's all I have shot this year. :bigsmyl:
Who wouldn't want to shoot them...... :)
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f60/stabow/null-464.jpg) (http://s45.photobucket.com/user/stabow/media/null-464.jpg.html)
Doug Fir arrows are all I will ever need with my longbows, strong, strait, quiet and heavy. Once I started shooting them I new I would never go back.
I could never say that about POC's
Tracy
I know it was said by one of the greats that you can not make a silk purse from a pigs ear but I can make wood arrows tune better then I can make carbons tune. And there is something about crafting a wood arrow with your own hands and then flying it to the target be it living or just a bulls eye on a piece of paper. What better satisfaction can there be in archery then to craft everything that you are using?
What is the general rule that most of you have found for estimating the needed spine? 5 or 10 pounds of spine over bow weight?
Shhhhhhhhush. Don't tell my bows. All they have ever known is wood. They don't even know that any other arrow material exists. I kinda like it that way. LOL
JDunlap. I am always the weird one in the bunch, but I tend to shoot a lighter spine weight say 5# under to even money on longbows and even to 5# over out of my recurves.
Well i am thinking on getting some shafts from RMSG..and see how they do......
Thanks elkhunter45, My problem is my rer's are cut to or past center...and so shoot some stiff carbon arrows 300's and 340's -- w/ about 225 total grains on the end. I figure it will take some fairly stiff woodies.
I do. Nothing beats a beautifully decorated set of wood arrows .
I like wood for just about all the reasons already stated. I like the looks, the performance, and the nostalgia. Also, I find them fairly easy to tune. Besides, I am one of those guys who feels that a Hill bow is just supposed to shoot woodies.
Wood just seems more trad . It's also enjoyable to experiment with different stains and such .
:archer:
Shot Easton for the first time this year, cause all my woodies were broke and don't have time to make more. New Big River Longbow will not see anything but wood, I hope.
JDunlap, If you need stiff spine to shoot heavier broadheads try some hardwood shafts.
I switched from aluminum to wood 21 years ago and will not hunt with anything but wood. They are just all around a better arrow IMO.
All I've made and shot for the last 26-27 years. They just feel right!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/treekiller/bows%20and%20arrows/DSC_0611_zps32603044.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/treekiller/media/bows%20and%20arrows/DSC_0611_zps32603044.jpg.html)
That's all I have shot for about the last 15 years. I can get nice heavy arrows for my short draw length. They are very quiet to shoot. They look good too. I enjoy making arrows. Putting together a dozen matched footed arrows is just fun.
Made the transition back to woods with my Maulding longbow in '82. They are part of archery means to me.
QuoteOriginally posted by Florida bowhunter:
So how do you woody guys tune your woodies, bare shaft em, how ya do it....?
I do best with paper tuning. It's pretty easy to come close to correct spine, but shooting thru paper shows me exactly what the bow and I need.
QuoteOriginally posted by JDunlap:
What is the general rule that most of you have found for estimating the needed spine? 5 or 10 pounds of spine over bow weight?
There really isn't a general rule. It was pretty easy when recurves were cut to center and longbows 1/8"+ out, but now depth of cut has to be figured for every bow. One of the great thigs about wood shafts is that there is such a wide variety of weight and spine that it is possible to pick the arrow length, weight and point you want to shoot and find just the right shaft and spine to make it happen.
For someone who really likes to shot wood, I suggest a good set of test arrows with spines in 2-3 lb increments marked on the shaft. Test arrows in 6 lb spine groups are confusing and borderline worthless.
I have a long draw 30 1/2 inches and 17 lbs over is a good starting point for me.
Wood only.
I shoot Dan Toelke Super Ds with the supplied 8125 bow string. I draw 29"s and they are I believe, cut 1/8" from center. With arrows 30" throat of nock to back of point and 125 grain points I add 5# for the draw length inch past 28", 5# for the fast flight string and 5# for being near center shot for a total of 15# over draw weight. Thus on my 58# at 29" bow I get great flight from arrows spined 70-75 pounds, (58 plus 15 = 73). I have found that for each 5# spine range you go up you need to increase point weight by app. 35 grains and with 160 grain points I shoot 75-80# spine groups and with 190 grain points 80-85# shafts fly well. I did paper tune and have shot into a large target covered with black plastic to visually check flight.
I'm sure it subconscious, but I shoot wood arrows far better. They feel alive whereas alum feel like inanimate objects (never shot a carbon). Im shooting 10# over on spine with 100g points, 31" 47#.
Always been Ash man but experimenting with grass (bamboo).
been shooting mostly wood this past year and enjoy it. One additional plus is no need to re-tighten field points when shooting. :)
I love to make them. Sanding them to the right spine, painting and fletching.I haven't wanted to put the money out for carbon yet. Home depot dowels cost me $0.90 per shaft + ~$1.20 fletching + $0.40 for a tip. I break an arrow, it costs me less than $3.00. I will feel really good once I get my first pig or turkey with an arrow I made(for the most part). It's nice to have people comment on your arrows at 3D shoots too.
Gets to be habit forming I have a whole garage dedicated to building arrows . :help:
Wood only here....primarily douglas fir shafts...but have shot hickory, ash, maple, sitka spruce and chundoo.
Most of my arrows currently in quiver are douglas fir with a few red balau I got from Forrester to try.
Would think of shooting NOTHING else from my recurves, longbows and especially selfbows.
I am also now dabbling in bamboo shafts which is a grass not a wood...but may be my new selfbow arrow material...just because I like straightening them over heat, sanding the nodes, making self nocks and then mounting heads with pine pitch. :)
I just love to handcraft my own wood arrows using my own personal designs. When testing, I use the bare-shaft method I shoot 62 pounds at 29.5 inches, I use 23/64" shafts to make my arrows and theyvare spined for 70-75 pounds.
My wife and I shoot wood, exclusively. Started with wood the first few years,tried carbons for a season or two and didn't enjoy the experience.
Decided to go back to wood; bought the tools needed to build 'em.
Much more satisfying, and just plain feels better, for me. Spruce or Doug Fir. Gotta say, like so many here, it's pretty much just premium Doug Fir's for me.
So i guess douglas fir is the best shaft material.
Wish I could afford to shoot wood.
Wood only here, mostly cedars but also douglas fir and Sitka spruce.
Not to spoil this fine thread but I do not agree that wood is superior to carbon actually...no offense. Carbon is stronger, straighter, as quiet off the bow, will out penetrate and you can manipulate it (EFoC, FoC etc.) in more ways than wood. Also you can bare shaft tune carbon all day long whereas wood does not always lend itself to this.
Having said this, I have shot wood for nearly 30 years now have pales filled with my own custom cedars, Doug firs, hickory, maple, etc. I love wood arrows and their ambiance. Have shot lots of deer with wood with mostly good outcomes. Wood shafts are most vulnerable just behind the point or BH; on a hard impact they will break there first where carbon will not usually, especially when an outsert is incorporated.
Use wood because you love it and understand it.
Kris