You know I just picked up a few new blades for the Tru Taper too .....but Home Depot has a Ryobi belt/disc combo for not much money so Im gonna snag one tomorrow,  as well as order the block from 3 Rivers.  I just got to get to making these arrows up the wood looks so good....gotta shoot them and see!  I use 4 coats of satin poly over a medium brown stain rubbed on as a fade-out type cap dip you could call it,  shield cuts 2 brown barred that match the stain,  1 hot pink with a white classic nock.....they'll come out pretty!

All the fir shafts I have ever used to make arrows I have used a simple pencil sharpener style taper tool. The taper might be a bit ruff but not so much to affect flight. I usually have bought tapered fir and have found them to be very straight. As far a durability, wood is wood, it is not carbon so expect to break some arrows from time to time. But don't you just love the smell of those shavings when you put the taper tool to them  

Yes! Love the smell!  For a while,  I was saving all the shavings from the Cedar .... made a great air freshener!  The fir doesnt quite have the same smell I will say.

Yes cedar is a wonderful smell ... years ago I did some business with a company that made cedar shaving dog beds, they sold a product that was a cedar oil spray and they gave me a big spray bottle full. I still use it to put the cedar scent on my hunting clothes and in my pickup truck cab.