Does anyone use hardwood shafts of 3/8" diameter?  Are they too big for heads or do they need tapered to work?
Thanks

I HAVE SOME MADE FROM POPLAR DOWL RODS FROM LOWS AND IT TAKES A LITTLE TAPERING THE ENDS BUT THEY FLY GOOD.  WITH A LITTLE INGENUITY YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.

If they are the right spine, they should be fine. (ha! - I'm a poet)  
I 've made arrows with 3/8" dowels (ramin and poplar), and just made the point taper longer.  Aside from some comments from carbon shooters about my "telephone poles" no one really noticed.  They did tend to notice the thump when the ramin arrows hit a target - they were pretty heavy.  Not much fun on the 3d range though.

I'd think penetration might suffer with that bigger shaft.

not if you start with high spined shafts and barrel taper down to the spin you need as the usually end up below 11/32 .will never go back to POC , the ones o make fly well as good or better than any comercial shaft .i sell shafting so can shoot what i want but will go with my 3/8" ramin dowels . a heavy shaft less than 3/8" will give you great penetration .also if i can make them anyone can and for 35 cents a shaft , can't beat the price --- herb

I was thinking Herb it would be like sticking a 5lb sausage in a 3lb bag. Kinda tight. Dr Ed states the smaller the shaft the better the penetration. Even tapering, you'll still hit a point were the shaft is 3/8's.

Here's a 3/8" ramin shaft that got enough penetration.

Yeah that's right that a skinnyer shaft might give a bit of advantage in penetration,...but c'mon now, lets not get so hung up on minor details, 3/8 arrows have being killing stuff for ever, If i recall right Pope and Young didn't do to bad shooting 3/8 birch arrows

Ok Manny, you're right. Not hunting buff or anything like that. How the weather?

Thanks for the responces.  I just picked up a dozen maple 3/8" dowls and 4 poplar dowls of the same diameter last night on a 1/2 price clearence at Paxton's and was hoping I could do something with them archery related.  Now to straighten them.

Hi all

I used quite a few 3/8ths shafts for arrows.  I bought a full box of hardwood dowels off of **** a couple of years ago.  A hundred dowels it seems like.  For approx $40.00 including shipping. I sorted them for defects or bad grain. Then seperated by spine.  
Used a bunch in the 90# range out of my Osage longbow tipped with 190gr grizzlies and four fletched.
Flew and penetrated really well.  And got quite a bit of attention at the shoots.

BigArcher

hey gentlemen how would you get those poplar
shafts straight, and here is the kicker I
have no prior knowledge and only the basic
wood working tools