i am wanting to set up a set of wood arrows for my bow...big jim 54@28. only drawing to bout 27
i have seen more wood shafts in the 60#+ range than anything.  i have never set up for wood shafts before...i am guessing that i go about it the same way i did with carbons.  do i need 50-55 spine shafts?  
what is a tough shaft?  cedar or fir or ash?

For 545@28, yer gonna need broomsticks   :D

Get on Stu Millers calculator and put the stats for your bow and point weight and such, that will get you close to start.Or just ask wingnut he is an encyclopedia of set up info.

It would be helpful to know your draw length, without it; it is difficult to choose a spine.

Since it is a modern bow with fast flight string, add 10lbs to the spine, then add 5#'s for every inch of shaft past 28".

only drawing to 27.so i should be looking in the 65# spine area?

I shoot a Thunder Stick Mag. 52@ 28. 27.5in. draw. Been shooting 55-60 cedars. 190 grain heads. The shoot great. I checked the calculator & it said I should be using 75-80 woods. Go figure.

You should be shooting about 51-52 lbs.  I think Big Jim bows are cut to center.  Agreeing with Paul at Badger arrow, that would mean a 60-64 lb spine shaft for a 28" arrow and 125 gr point.  I think you would be OK with a 160 gr point at this spine, too.

Ash is definitely at the top of the heap for tough arrow woods, but it is also quite heavy.  Fir is pretty tough, carries good weight and is a great shooting arrow wood.  POC is a fine arrow wood, but has a reputation for being less durable than most woods.  Sitka Spruce is also a good, durable arrow wood, but pretty light in weight.  My choice is fir.

I shoot cedars off my Great plains Rio Bravo 55@28".I draw 27".It Likes 55-60 with 125 up front.They fly like darts.

Fir.
Check out Braveheart Archery, Surewood shafts.
Tim is a darn good sponsor and Surewood makes an excellent shaft!!!!!
 

Have Paul set you up with some douglas fir shafts and you'll be a happy man! I'm goin back for a second time around in a weeks time I love em that much! Have fun!

ok...so douglas fir over cedar?  i see the surewood shafts are fir too.  does braveheart offer complete shafts?
we were going to get some at the hill shoot in a week or so, but i think everything there is cedar and the main seller is harrelson archery.  hmmmmm gonna have to do more research here

Cedar makes a very good arrow, but no arrow is better than the shaft it is made from and cedar has suffered from quality issues for a while.  If you find good cedar, it will make a good arrow.

Most of the douglas fir shafts are coming from Surewood.  Braveheart, myself and many others get our fir shafting from Surewood.  It's good stuff.  Braveheart is a good source for Surewood raw shafts.

I got my surewoods awhile back and am hooked! Anyone of the mentioned sponcers or people who are giving you advice are good sources for quallity arrows. Make a few calls and you'll find out that they are all good people! Good luck!
Magnus