[Archers] Making arrows

[michael sheppard]

Hi Mungo!

Regarding Ash, "...Saphir bought the last of my unused ash shafts. He seems
to like ash...,"  I used the last of those shafts some time ago, and found
them too heavy and did not stay straight long enough for my liking
(regardless of the bow i shot).    I much prefer 5/16, 45-50 Sitka Spruce
(when I can find them!), German Spruce, or POC.  No Ash for me!!  LOL!

YIS,
Saphir

On Mon, Nov 28, 2016 at 2:07 PM, Garth Groff <sarahsan at embarqmail.com>
wrote:

> M'Lord Ivarr,
>
> Short answer: As good as you can make them ;-) , but they do have problems.
>
> Long ago I experimented with 23/64" ash shafts. Talk about heavy. With
> that much mass, they flew like a magnet to the center of the target with my
> 40-pound bows--at 20 yards. Beyond that, they sunk like a stone. When I
> quite messing with ash, my Royal Round scores jumped about 15 points. I
> think if I had been shooting 5/16" ash, they probably would have flown just
> fine.
>
> Saphir bought the last of my unused ash shafts. He seems to like ash, but
> his bows are heavier than mine, and that can make all the difference.
>
> Just recently I cut down the last of my 23/64" ash arrows to make crossbow
> bolts. It will be interesting to see how they fly. I've been shooting some
> 3/8" poplar bolts, and expect that the ash will weigh about the same.
>
> I've tried a lot of woods and walked away from most of them: ash, hickory,
> poplar, oak, birch and pine. Every one of them has problems, usually mass,
> but ash, birch and oak are all very hard to straighten, and ash and oak are
> both prone to shattering.
>
> Most cedar shafts are now fresh-cut and kiln-dried instead of those
> wonderful 100-year old sinker logs salvaged from old mill ponds Acme used
> to use. Either the salvage wood is all used up, or it has become too
> expensive for arrows (think artisan flooring or indoor house trim). The
> kiln-dried cedar bleeds pitch, which requires an extra step to remove
> before you sand. If you don't take it off with acetone, your stains and
> sealers won't soak into the wood properly.
>
> So my solution? I've become very partial to Sitka spruce. It is now about
> the same price as cedar, weighs just a bit less, and is very strong. I
> can't tell the difference when cedar and spruce arrows are mixed in my
> quiver. It is lovely wood to work with. My only gripe is the grain is so
> fine it is hard to see for aligning the nocks.
>
> I've also tried some German spruce from Kustom King, but I think it is
> much too light. I haven't shot those arrows yet, and probably won't until
> my current set of Sitka spruce is all banged up.
>
> Yours Aye,
>
>
> Mungo
>
> On 11/28/16 11:46 AM, thaduck wrote:
>
>> Greetigs.
>>   Hope all had a good Thanksgiving.
>> Question. How good are arrows made from Ash shafts?
>>
>>  Ivarr
>>
>
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