ERC arrows.

[twisted hickory]

Hello all,
There are a couple of clear cedar boards at Home Depot does ERC make good shafts? It seemed kinda light compared to the poplar
Any suggestions appriciated,
Greg

[Pat B]

Is it ERC for sure or could it be Western Red cedar, more common?  Both should make good arrows.

[twisted hickory]

Thank you Pat.
I will be in to get them tomorrow. Now that I think about it wasn't a bright red that I recall ERC having. Either way I am going there tomorrow after work as two boards were totally clear and no grain runout for about 40 inches. The one board had only 1 grain runout in 8 foot! If they spine out low they will make good kids arrows.

[JW_Halverson]

You can probably split out the stock and follow the grain flawlessly, too!

[Thesquirrelslinger]

Ceder makes a good arrow... but it is expensive in board form.
I like making arrows from ERC pieces too small to make a bow, they spine average but shoot great! I don't do it often though, as I don't work ERC much.

[autologus]

Ceder makes a good arrow... but it is expensive in board form.
I like making arrows from ERC pieces too small to make a bow, they spine average but shoot great! I don't do it often though, as I don't work ERC much.

I would love to see your ERC arrows Ill bet they are very pretty post em for us.

Grady

[Thesquirrelslinger]

Ceder makes a good arrow... but it is expensive in board form.
I like making arrows from ERC pieces too small to make a bow, they spine average but shoot great! I don't do it often though, as I don't work ERC much.

I would love to see your ERC arrows Ill bet they are very pretty post em for us.

Grady

Will do as soon as I get back from vacation.

[lostarrow]

The only cedar they have at the Lowes here is Western red. It will make arrows but not very durable.  quite brittle.

[Newindian]

Do you think there will be a difference between heart and sap wood?

[Josh B]

Do you think there will be a difference between heart and sap wood?

Let me preface this with" I have never made erc arrows".  This is mostly speculation, but I would think that there is a difference between heartwood and sapwood when making arrows from erc.  There is definitely a difference in properties between the two that should be considered when making a bow from it.  Given that difference, I would make sure that your shafts are either all heartwood or all sapwood.  I would guess that a shaft that was part sapwood and part heartwood would have a pretty funky spine and probably wouldn't come off the bow well at all.  Once again, this is just thinkin out loud.  If you try it, be sure to post your results.  Josh

[Pat B]

I've never seen Western Red Cedar with sapwood. It might be ERC you have there if it has sapwood.

[mullet]

I've never seen Western Red Cedar with sapwood. It might be ERC you have there if it has sapwood.

I'm with Pat, All of the Western Cedar I've seen in H D is heartwood.

[twisted hickory]

I think it is heart wood but not sure. By next week I should have at least 2 dozen shafts ready for thespine tester (which I gotta build yet.) I made a simple jig out of a block of hickory and a wood chisle that makes great shafts. So far I have run out 1 1/2 dozen red osier shafts with it. Works great

[Bryce]

Ceder makes a good arrow... but it is expensive in board form.
I like making arrows from ERC pieces too small to make a bow, they spine average but shoot great! I don't do it often though, as I don't work ERC much.

I would love to see your ERC arrows Ill bet they are very pretty post em for us.

Grady

I would like to see them as well.

[Jim Davis]

The mechanical properties reports on the Forest Products Laboratories site bear out my experience with E. red cedar and western red cedar: very wimpy wood. ERC is about half as stiff as POC and wrc  is about 11/17 as stiff as POC.

If you leave them a full 3/8 diameter, they will still be pretty weak. If it were otherwise, all arrows would be made of western red cedar--it's plentiful and wonderfully straight.

JimDavis