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Author Topic: Eastern red cedar for arrow shafts?  (Read 5863 times)

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Offline toomanyknots

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Eastern red cedar for arrow shafts?
« on: December 04, 2013, 04:53:56 pm »
I got about 10 nice eastern red cedar shafts turned out using a jig similar to the lee valley dowel cutters you can buy. None of them have knots I think, but the grain is not perfectly straight. They were tests really for the jig I was making, but they turned out so good I am definitely gonna try them for arrows. Surprisingly, I got zero tear out and a pretty clean finish off bat (where all the doug fir I tried had tear out). Maybe because the cedar is so soft, and cuts to easily. Just wondering if anyone has tired em out ERC. They are really light, and are spinning pretty low for 3/8" dia, maybe 50 to 40 or so spine.
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline vinemaplebows

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Re: Eastern red cedar for arrow shafts?
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2013, 09:58:53 pm »
Never tried eeastern red cedar, but if you want a tough as nails shaft, make some black locust very strong, and stays straight from my limited efforts with it.


VMB
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Offline toomanyknots

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Re: Eastern red cedar for arrow shafts?
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2013, 08:35:50 am »
Quote from: vinemaplebows on December 04, 2013, 09:58:53 pm
Never tried eeastern red cedar, but if you want a tough as nails shaft, make some black locust very strong, and stays straight from my limited efforts with it.


VMB

I might just do that.  :)
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline Jim Davis

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Re: Eastern red cedar for arrow shafts?
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2013, 12:57:57 am »
I made a couple of shafts from ERC.  I found them too weak in spine and too heavy in weight. I guess it could work for heavy barreled shafts.

Jim Davis
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Jim Davis

Kentucky--formerly Maine

Offline PatM

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Re: Eastern red cedar for arrow shafts?
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2013, 02:59:25 am »
Made one ERC arrow. Never again. Too floppy despite being sizeable in diameter and barreled. It was a heavy bow shooting it but the general behavior just wasn't what I look for in an arrow.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Eastern red cedar for arrow shafts?
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2013, 08:20:51 am »
That makes sense. It takes a good hunk of ERC to make a bow. Why wouldnt it take a fat shaft to make a 50# arrow.
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Offline toomanyknots

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Re: Eastern red cedar for arrow shafts?
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2013, 12:26:57 pm »
I agree with everyone, it makes sense really. I have had a similar experience with erc bows sort of. It is a really light wood, but it also seems to take a good bit of it to make a decent weight bow, so much that it seems the lightness doesn't really benefit cast as much as you would think. I think so though with the couple I have made, maybe the tru oil finish was too thick and weighting it down too though, or just not the best piece I used...  ??? Thanks for the info yall, I will keep the little bit of erc I have left for bows.
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline Thesquirrelslinger

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Re: Eastern red cedar for arrow shafts?
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2013, 10:33:49 pm »
Quote from: vinemaplebows on December 04, 2013, 09:58:53 pm
Never tried eeastern red cedar, but if you want a tough as nails shaft, make some black locust very strong, and stays straight from my limited efforts with it.


VMB
+1
ERC is a soft, weak wood, but it is DENSE for its strength.
it is fairly durable. Black locust is a heck of a lot more durable, and a lot lighter for a given spine.
It is probably my favorite arrow-shaft material besides rivercane(because I am lazy and don't like carving shafts..)
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"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"
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