arrow shafts and moisture

[bigozzie]

I want to take some lodgepole from my property and run it through a router to make shafts.
At what point in the woods moisture do I want to do that?
when the road dries out I have access to green standing, dead standing, and a small deck of logs I felled last summer.

I will likely be making a couple of dozen shafts to see what spine and weight I get, hoping for a few that are usable. 
I am not sure how moisture will affect the machining process, too wet they would be fuzzy just like planing lumber? and would warp as they dry just like lumber, too dry would they splinter or be brittle as arrows?

thanks for the input, saving me from learning from mistakes.
oz

[TSA]

cut boards, seal ends, sticker n' stack  and dry nice and slowly- until they stabilize to your shop humidity, then you might have to take them in and get them down to about 8 or 10% thats about best for most of the softwood. too dry and they will shatter- too wet, and they will warp and twist as they dry.

another issue with too wet, is that wood shrinks the greatest on the edgegrain side! in other words- the greatest shrinkage is along the actual growth rings.
so making a shaft when it is too wet, as it dries it will actually end up oval shaped- that will lead to inconsistent spines over the different axes, and will be real tough to crest- if they are not nice and round within a thou or two

holler if there is anything else i can help you with
cheers
 

[bigozzie]

wow thanks for the quick response. 
Would you mill 2" lumber to sticker and stack then rip it down to 1/2 " blanks to run through the router?
so would 2" be wise to dry out in the barn, then rip it to blanks and move to shop to acclimate?
What is a good product to seal the ends with?  Paint? or a specialty product?
Thanks again I think you may have saved me months of trial and error 

oz

[TSA]

the thicker the boards- the greater the stability- but conversely, the longer they will take to dry.
what is your ambient humidity there?
you can seal with some old paint, some folks use white glue, there are some commercial products like " anchor seal" . all you are trying to do is to slow down the release of moisture for the "severed arteries" in the wood- as that excessively fast drying is what will cause checking.

i think your drying plan sounds good! i wouldnt rip to the 1/2" blanks, until you are ready to run them through your jig- they will take on a life of their own, when you cut them down that small  - just keep it out of direct sunlight as that will dry faster and check.
 just watch that the standing deads are sound- pine- like other soft whitewoods, can start spalting( blue stain) and decomposing- even while they are standing.

lodgepole makes great shafts- known in the industry as "chundoo"

good luck chap!

[bigozzie]

Not sure on the ambient humidity.
I would consider it a dryer climate,  mid day 70% in winter and mid day 30% summer.
20 inches of annual rainfall.

I appreciate you input, excited thinking this will be a fun project.

oz