yes please tell..  

The short explanation:  A tapered board about 2x4 size was compressed under heat and pressure to a parallel board.  After a rest, the board was cut into squares and dowelled into shafts.  By starting with a tapered board, the finished shafts had a built in weight forward effect.

That's good thinking there.
I love that idea.

Where is a good place to buy good sitka spruce arrows?Anyone tried Bearpaw German spruce shafts?

Douglas Fir from Surewood love em.

QuoteOriginally posted by Nativestranger:
Where is a good place to buy good sitka spruce arrows?Anyone tried Bearpaw German spruce shafts?

haven't tried bearpaw.

Hildebrands have been good spruce for me and the people are great.

Thanks Zradix.

np
 

Thanks Fletcher for the great explanation. You are correct that the tapered board gave you automatic weight forward, but my understanding was that Bill was more concerned about strengthening the shaft right behind the point, where many arrows tend to break. I doubt if weigh forward was much of an issue back then, but maybe someone knows more than me about that me.

Only woods I've ever messed with are Surewood Doug Fir and they've been awesome. Straight to start and straighten easily. Look great, they're available in a nivce range of mass weight and spine. They're tough ... I've shot mine into trees repeatedly ... not that I recommend it.

Also Surewood is great to deal with. I bought 100, they were a great deal ... make/get a spine tester and a grain scale and make some arrows boys ...

As you may know I sell the Doug Fir shaft, but it's hard to beat any good wood shaft whether it is POC, Spruce or Fir.  There is something "Sweet" about shooting good wood arrows.  It's part of the "Romance of Archery" that you just don't get with high tech.

Bob, you are probably right about the point strength aspect.  I've seen samples of Forgewoods where Mr. Sweetland would drive pieces of shafts into wood like a nail.  They are/were great shafts.

Rick, Absolutely right...as a young archer I saw demonstrations where Bill would shoot a completely blunt ended forgewood shaft through a piece of plywood (3/8" thick, I think.)By the way, as a young boy, I remember going over to Bill,s shop to look around and I remember boxes and boxes of those beautiful compressed cedar arrows lined up along the walls everywhere. At the time they were way to exspensive for me to even think about buying(probably around $25.00/ dz.)Anyone out there have a dozen or two lying around... I'll give you twice that much, no problem.

Surewood Bob

I shot Forgewoods for years and would still be shooting them if they were still around. My next favorite for years was Barrel tapered ash from Silent Pond Shafts...but Mike went out of business.

I finally decided on Surewood shafts and Surewood Bob did me right. These Doug Fir are one of the finest shafts I have seen in years and I just finished sealing and crown dipping them. Next week we crest and fletch. Highly recommend Surewood shafts from Bob.

I agree Joe. Surewoods are the best on the market today. If I have some 23/64"s I like to put a 4" front taper to 11/32" and a 10" back taper to 5/16". I call it the "Wilderness taper". They fly great! All my own personal arrows that are 11/32" have a 10" back taper down to 5/16"...and they are Surewood's.

After reading this thread I looked up forgewoods.
Now it looks like they are being made by Alaska Frontier Archery now.
They are making them out of Mountain Hemlock.
I see the business is for sale, but the website looks as though they are still making them.

Anyone try these?

That info is old. Steve Tanner has the equipment for sale and has for years. The real problem is the lack of quality Port Orford cedar. POC has a substance that acts as a glue when put under pressure and heat. Hemlock, as well as all other woods, does not have this naturally occurring substance in a large enough proportion to make it a good option.

Oh.
Thanks for the info Snag.
Jees..their website looks like a current company.

QuoteOriginally posted by Surewood Bob:
Rick, Absolutely right...as a young archer I saw demonstrations where Bill would shoot a completely blunt ended forgewood shaft through a piece of plywood (3/8" thick, I think.)By the way, as a young boy, I remember going over to Bill,s shop to look around and I remember boxes and boxes of those beautiful compressed cedar arrows lined up along the walls everywhere. At the time they were way to exspensive for me to even think about buying(probably around $25.00/ dz.)Anyone out there have a dozen or two lying around... I'll give you twice that much, no problem.

Surewood Bob

I have a couple dozen that were gifted to me a few years ago.  Light in spine, and I have no plans to ever make them into arrows, just keep them in my "stash".    

 

I've got a dozen 80/85's that I've made into arrows. My 56#@28" Blacktail recurve really likes them with 160gr points. Coming in at 750grs the tradgetory is a bit different than my other arrows. But they hit with authority.