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Author Topic: New arrow wood.  (Read 5474 times)

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Offline Prarie Bowyer

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New arrow wood.
« on: February 26, 2013, 12:18:41 am »
Before I was a bowyer/fletcher I was an avid carver.  That mean being on the hunt for lare pieces of Linden (Bass) and walnut wood. 

Yesterday I was looking at one of my quartered linden logs and thinking... it's short for an arrow... unless I footed it!

So here is the deal.  Linden (bass wood) has a high strength to weight ratio.  Guy at a saw mill told me that it used to be a favorite for scafolding planks.  So I ripped off 1 1/2" slab 26" long.  These shafts are going to be light weight.  But I'll foot them, I'll taper the nocks and the grain runs perfectly straight.  The last set I made were too heavy.  These guys should be much better. 

Just need to decide if i'll use my walnut scrapps for the footing or if I'll use more Carbonized Boo flooring.  Decisions decisions.
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Offline CherokeeKC

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2013, 06:19:21 pm »
Sounds cool.  Please post pics when you have some made up!
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Offline crooketarrow

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2013, 07:57:58 pm »
  I've went that route before I started useing shoots.
  Thats a lot of work.
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Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2013, 08:39:30 pm »
I'll use 1) a band saw.  2) My "dust maker 9000" (50 grit sanding drum).  Bass wood is a soft wood ... sharp black plane will make short work of it. 

I made a set in Maple and it wasn't as bad as straightening bamboo shafts.  The thing with the shafts is that it's hard to set up a process and make several.  Here I can make 20 at a time if I want to.  So yea... 2-4 arrows might suck.  But 20!  And when I made them before they were all close to the same spine weight.  Boo shoots are all over the place.
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Offline Stefan

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2013, 09:52:38 am »
cool i like footed shafts, it would make 2 arrows to test if linden is a good arrow wood....i never heard it beiing used for arrows..
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Iron rusts from disuse, water loses its purity from stagnation... even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.

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Offline BowEd

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2013, 06:27:51 pm »
I'm with crookedarrow on this one but I'll enjoy reading the process.Have at er.
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Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2013, 10:51:28 pm »
The guy at Allegheny Mountain Arrow woods uses basswood for shafts.  He dips in MinWax Wood Hardener to create a hard "shell" on the exterior so they last much longer.
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Offline richardzane

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #7 on: February 28, 2013, 12:32:08 am »
JW
would that wood hardener do anything to increase spine weight?
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Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #8 on: February 28, 2013, 12:32:53 am »
Yeah, they will gain a little weight.
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Offline briarjumper12

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #9 on: March 03, 2013, 11:09:35 am »
I made a dozen basswood once. Got the square blanks from Allegehny. Made a dozen really nice arrows. Flew great, very light and shot much higher than the poplar and sugar maple I'd been using. Let em go with a bow to friend. Only had eleven of them when I let em go. One broke it's first flight...musta been grain out. Bounced it of the top of my rhinehart and the nock end broke of.  The rest em held up great to some tough shooting.
JY
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Offline bow101

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #10 on: March 03, 2013, 08:43:14 pm »
Apparently the natives on the Pacific West coast used Ocean Spray for arrows.
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Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #11 on: March 08, 2013, 02:50:33 pm »
so far so good.  I had one snap on a flex test but i think it had a punky spot in it.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #12 on: March 08, 2013, 04:25:16 pm »
The basswood up here is spongey, crappy, weak wood. Maybe its better where your at?
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Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #13 on: March 08, 2013, 06:25:20 pm »
it is a delicate wood and dosen't air dry easily.  it is EXCELLENT carving wood but is best kiln dried OR dried in careful conditions.  I had some spongy wood i tried to carve.  Crumbled no matter how sharp my chissles were.

finished a new carving btw.  Youtube search " carving Benedict in maple".
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Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Re: New arrow wood.
« Reply #14 on: March 12, 2013, 11:04:26 am »
Still looking good.  Arrows are 28" ish.  I need to make nocks to extend them a bit furter.  I like a 29-30" arrow.  Still square.  I've tapered them from front to back and ready to start rounding.
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