Arrow wood choice

[joeymack]

I am looking for information to help with deciding to use Port Orford Cedar, Sitka Spruce, or Douglas Fir for a set of arrows. I have an ELB that I built and would like to build a set of arrows for it. I have built arrows for my flat bows via trial and error and would like to avoid building three dozen to get one that works. If any one has experience with these three arrow woods please let me know what the different characteristics are, positive and negative.

[Thesquirrelslinger]

If I were you... Fir for an ELB.
Fir- heavy, strong, durable. Like hardwoods. Good with a heavy bow like an ELB.
POC- light, not very strong, more like pine. Its good for a fast bow, but not a heavy bow.
Sitka Spruce- a bit heavier than POC, much stronger, but still light. Good for a fast bow. Sort of a stronger POC.

Fir or better yet hardwoods. Ash shafts aren't that costly.

[Pat B]

All three will make good arrows. How heavy is your bow? Fir or spruce will be stronger than POC but any will work for even heavy bows, maybe not a 120# war bow.

[JW_Halverson]

The only positive I can find for POC is that they smell good when they break....and they do that if you look at 'em funny.

I have made hundreds of arrows from sitka spruce and I have had excellent luck keeping the straight and having the shafts survive.  Twice the strength of POC (Port Orford Cedar, piece of crap? You pick.  Getting the sense that I am opinionated on the subject?)

I have made some wonderful Douglas Fir arrow's too, at least a 8-10 dozen.  I got all mine from a guy that was making them out of planks that were ripped and milled in 1910!!!  These boards had cured out rather well and I only needed to straighten one of two of every dozen.  They were a little brittle due to age, but I dearly loved them.  Some of these old growth babies had over 50 rings in a 23/64th shaft.  I had to slice them off at a steep angle and count the rings using a hobby microscope.  What I would give to have a couple thousand more of those shafts, but they guy used it all up.  *sigh*  Oh, and from age, they had turned a deep orange/brown color.  A touch of shellac and they looked like old yew heartwood.

[joeymack]

Gentlemen,
  Thanks for your comments. I'll let you know how they turn out.