Arrow material of choice

[Pat B]

I think sourwood is my favorite with hill cane next. I also like red osier and viburnum and the poplar shafts from Charlie(stringstretcher) 

[Tom Leemans]

tonkin cane

[twisted hickory]

I have only played with poc and red osier. The red osier wins out in the toughness department. Poc just don't cut it. I just split a hickory log from my fire wood pile to start them to drying. This winter I will straighten the planks and cut/dowel and see what I have. I gotta hit the woods this weekend and get some poplar for poplar shafting.
Greg

[Dharma]

I prefer sourwood when I can get it. The arrows I made from that last forever.

[Jim Davis]

I use what I can get in board stock. Lately that has been spruce and Douglas fir. I have also used Loblolly pine. It's heavier but pretty tough.

We have our impressions of what makes a tough arrow, but that's based on perhaps dozens of undesirable impacts and the results of those. Not very scientific or even practical. But all the woods mentioned above will work, and we have to use what we can get.

Studying wood strength charts reveals that POC has about the best mix of strength and weight  characteristics, which is why it has ruled the roost for so long. There are other woods that are as strong or stronger, but they weigh more or are not as stiff.

Red spruce comes close, as does Sitka spruce. Douglass fir's drawback is its weight. But it makes a good arrow. Virginia pine wood be interesting to try, though it would be hard to be sure that's what you were working with unless you cut the tree yourself.

In the table here:http://www.woodworkweb.com/woodwork-topics/wood/146-wood-strengths.html look toward the bottom of the page for U.S. Softwoods. The first three columns of figures are the most useful information.  The third column in particular gives some indication of how likely the wood is to break if the arrow strikes a glancing blow.

Jim Davis

[Thesquirrelslinger]

Ash, honeysyckle shoots, and cane.

I despise POC after shattering shafts just by shooting them.
I will agree POC is light though... and man, a broken POC shaft smells sooo good!

[Jim Davis]

Ash, honeysyckle shoots, and cane...

Really??? The honeysuckle I have here in  western Kentucky would be like fletching and shooting a hank of rope!

Jim Davis

[Dan K]

I'm working some red osier right now that I cut back in March.  It doesn't want to stay straight.  Do you Osier experts have any advice?

[RidgeRunner]

I use the Cain that grows on the hills behind the house.
It is free and there is plenty of it.  I have to sort through 40 or 50 of them to get a well matched dozen arrows but who cares it free.  The stuff is great for arrows.

Asharrow:  TSS is referring to Chinese Honeysuckle Bush, Not Japanese Honeysuckle Vine.

David

[robby]

Like a lot of you guys, I have made arrows from a variety of materials that are accessible to me locally. When going from standing tree to shootable arrow, I would have to go with either red or white ash. Grows straight, no knots, splits clean and forms easily. Has good weight, stays straight, and as the English used to say, "hits with good stripe"! Hickory is a close second, but it is harder to work, for me anyway. Poplar is third because it takes a lot longer to season properly and is kind of light. I have never been much for speed, the heavier arrows seem to absorb any noise upon release and turn it into energy for a hard hitting impact. Quiet, slow but sure and forceful, that's what I like. Cane doesn't grow around here or I would have tried it. I have heard so many good reports on it, maybe someday. Hah, their all good if you can make them work for you!
Robby

[BowEd]

Anything that leaves with just the nock showing as it flys away from you like a lazer dart.Each has its share that can do that.Split old growth douglass fir & spruce first,then bamboo,dogwood and sourwood as far as percentages go,but for toughness factor the later three take first place.A set of each is nice to have around.Need to try some poplar sometime.

[Thesquirrelslinger]

Ash, honeysyckle shoots, and cane...

Really??? The honeysuckle I have here in  western Kentucky would be like fletching and shooting a hank of rope!

Jim Davis

Maybe your honeysuckle is different.

[JackCrafty]

Birch is my first choice if I need to make arrows quick.  Dry, easy to straighten, and cheap.
Second would be fur.  Like birch, it's cheap, dry, straight, and ready to go in a pinch.   I made a hundred shafts a long time ago and loved 'em.  I got depressed when I had to leave them in storage and then they got thrown out.  I need to make more.

Third would be natural shoots: privet, sourwood, yaupon holly, and roosevelt weed being my favorites.
Then cane and phragmites.
Hickory is also very good but the grain has to be locked down with a good coat of shellac or poly.  The grain is easily "raised" when it gets wet.

[Thesquirrelslinger]

Birch is my first choice if I need to make arrows quick.  Dry, easy to straighten, and cheap.
Second would be fur.  Like birch, it's cheap, dry, straight, and ready to go in a pinch.   I made a hundred shafts a long time ago and loved 'em.  I got depressed when I had to leave them in storage and then they got thrown out.  I need to make more.

Third would be natural shoots: privet, sourwood, yaupon holly, and roosevelt weed being my favorites.
Then cane and phragmites.
Hickory is also very good but the grain has to be locked down with a good coat of shellac or poly.  The grain is easily "raised" when it gets wet.

You do mean fir, right? I dunno if you could make an arrow out of animal fur.
If you make an arrow shaft from fur, my hat goes off to you, sir.

[Olanigw (Pekane)]

You do mean fir, right? I dunno if you could make an arrow out of animal fur.
If you make an arrow shaft from fur, my hat goes off to you, sir.

Congratulations.  You've uncovered Patrick's first typo in months!
Have a cookie.