Had a bit of cabin fever today and went to Home Depot to check things out. They have new dowels . Not Brazilian "Birch" ramin but just a dowel that says "hardwood" made in China.They are 4' long. Surprisingly, they were pretty darn straight. The label says 3/8 but they looked smaller. I bought six and guessed at spine. Got home and measured them with my calipers and they were dead to nuts 11/32. I spines them and 4 were from 50-58# and the last two were light at 40#. I cut the best 28" sections from the 4 and weighed them. They were a bit heavier than my sitka shaft I used to compare to.
I made up the 4 into arrows for my self bow and shot them. They flew real well and pretty much no compensation needed on shooting them.
I'm guessing they are some sort of birch. Anyone else tried them ? BTW the grain is very easy to read, unlike ramin.

Not a fan...found them nowhere near the quality of a good ramin dowel. But it looks like you've found a good supply, so my point seems kinda moot...

im heading to HD this week I'll have to check em out and maybe grab a few heh.

I have thought about taking my spine tester to HD and Lowes to see what the spines are on the dowels. They would probably thing I am nuts.

Eric, you'll get some looks for sure.  Unless you come to the HD that I work at part time in the lumber dept.!
Flinttim, if you found something you like, you better go back and buy all they have.
Dan

Eric,
They don't mind. I brought both my spine tester and my grain scale in and worked on finding shafts for two hours and no one said a thing. Just go on a slow day.

Just as a side note, you can buy birch dowels from American Woodcrafters Supply (internet) for around $25.00/100.

Dunno what those Chinese dowels are, but I'll give 'em a look.
Thanks

This is the Government - Somehow there has been an oversite within our well oiled revenue collector. Please send your unpaid shaft tax to:

692 Wescrewu Blvd.
Washington, DC.

BTW its .43 per shaft.

I bought some China shafts from Walmart to make up some Arrow of Light arrows for some scouts, to keep the cost down.  They where a bugger to straighten even with a heat gun.