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Your setup

I don't have any ASLs so my bows are cut almost to center to beyond center. I have noticed the most tuning difference as noted in previous post with western larch. Good shaft material but definitely slower to recover in my experience. I have shot for, pine and larch since the mid nineties. I've always had to be careful making assumptions on how arrows are going to fly based solely on static spine.
Larch seems most unforgiving in heavy physical weights. My 2 cents.
 
Phopkins said:
I don't have any ASLs so my bows are cut almost to center to beyond center. I have noticed the most tuning difference as noted in previous post with western larch. Good shaft material but definitely slower to recover in my experience. I have shot for, pine and larch since the mid nineties. I've always had to be careful making assumptions on how arrows are going to fly based solely on static spine.
Larch seems most unforgiving in heavy physical weights. My 2 cents.
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You ever mess with hickory? I made up a dozen one time and could not get them to fly right at all. They were a pain to straighten too and needed a good bit of it. They ended up a touch north of 900 grains and hit the target like a mack truck. Out of the bow I was shooting at the time I think they were flying at somewhere around 25-30 fps lol.
 
BTaylor said:
You ever mess with hickory? I made up a dozen one time and could not get them to fly right at all. They were a pain to straighten too and needed a good bit of it. They ended up a touch north of 900 grains and hit the target like a mack truck. Out of the bow I was shooting at the time I think they were flying at somewhere around 25-30 fps lol.
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I made a few years ago from hickory. What most remember about them was they wouldn't stay straight much like the ash I toyed with in the era
Hickory was heavy!
 
JSEXTON23 said:
This is making me want to try wood arrows. It’s just so daunting to think about.
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It's not all that difficult. You need a saw, a good tapering tool, some sandpaper, some polyurethane dip, maybe some paint, and a couple of dip tubes. A good fletching jig is a must. I recommend a Bitzenberger (buy once cry once). Buy some precut feathers and some Duco cement and some nocks. Lots of good videos on how to make then online.
 
NMSbowhunter said:
It's not all that difficult. You need a saw, a good tapering tool, some sandpaper, some polyurethane dip, maybe some paint, and a couple of dip tubes. A good fletching jig is a must. I recommend a Bitzenberger (buy once cry once). Buy some precut feathers and some Duco cement and some nocks. Lots of good videos on how to make then online.
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Ewww pre-cut fletch! I’m kidding. I’ve been building arrows since I was a kid. I own all the gadgets for that. I also cut my own fletch.

Most of my concern is getting arrows spined without breaking them. Thar and having enough space for all the dipping equipment.

The attractive side is glue on broadheads. I find most broadhead adapters lacking in design. Nothing more I hate than a shoulder of the adapter sticking out the back of a broadhead.
 
JSEXTON23 said:
Ewww pre-cut fletch! I’m kidding. I’ve been building arrows since I was a kid. I own all the gadgets for that. I also cut my own fletch.

Most of my concern is getting arrows spined without breaking them. Thar and having enough space for all the dipping equipment.

The attractive side is glue on broadheads. I find most broadhead adapters lacking in design. Nothing more I hate than a shoulder of the adapter sticking out the back of a broadhead.
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Ha! Good for you. I didn't want to throw fletch cutting it there too early and scare you off.
 
JSEXTON23 said:
Nope, a rotary cutter and a template is my method. It’s great.
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That's what I have been using. I was tempted to get a young feather burner, but I just don't do enough quantity to justify it to myself, and that burned feather smell might be a bit much too.
 
NMSbowhunter said:
That's what I have been using. I was tempted to get a young feather burner, but I just don't do enough quantity to justify it to myself, and that burned feather smell might be a bit much too.
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I tried a diy burner and didn’t much care for it. Not saying it couldn’t be sweet but my ocd kicked in when I couldn’t get the wire “perfect”.
 
So, for you professionals, 28.25” draw, 180 grain head, what spine ranges should I start with for testing? My current 2 bows are shooting almost identical arrows. 47# and a 51# ASL which these would likely be for.
 
Not a professional but I would guess in wood a 45 to 50 spine and carbon a 400...?

My 56# ASL shoots 55-60 spine wood with a 190 Grizzly up front, about 680 gains total. For carbon I shoot a 500 spine with a 190 grizzly on a 100 grain steel adapter with a 100 grain steel insert for about 650 grains.
 
NMSbowhunter said:
Not a professional but I would guess in wood a 45 to 50 spine and carbon a 400...?

My 56# ASL shoots 55-60 spine wood with a 190 Grizzly up front, about 680 gains total. For carbon I shoot a 500 spine with a 190 grizzly on a 100 grain steel adapter with a 100 grain steel insert for about 650 grains.
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I’m currently shooting a GT trad classic .204 500 around 30” with 300 up front and I might be a touch stiff.
 
JSEXTON23 said:
Ewww pre-cut fletch! I’m kidding. I’ve been building arrows since I was a kid. I own all the gadgets for that. I also cut my own fletch.

Most of my concern is getting arrows spined without breaking them. Thar and having enough space for all the dipping equipment.

The attractive side is glue on broadheads. I find most broadhead adapters lacking in design. Nothing more I hate than a shoulder of the adapter sticking out the back of a broadhead.
Click to expand...
So dont use dip tubes. Plenty of other finish options that dont require them. The finish I switched too requires more steps(coats) but so far is a bullet proof finish and I use a small jar to mix finish in and it is wiped on and 0000 steel wool between coats. The only draw back if you want to call it that is the finish is glossy. I think I am going to try spraying a top coat of matte finish over the top for hunting arrows.
 
BTaylor said:
So dont use dip tubes. Plenty of other finish options that dont require them. The finish I switched too requires more steps(coats) but so far is a bullet proof finish and I use a small jar to mix finish in and it is wiped on and 0000 steel wool between coats. The only draw back if you want to call it that is the finish is glossy. I think I am going to try spraying a top coat of matte finish over the top for hunting arrows.
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What I have been doing and it may be wrong, lol, is sanding, clear coating with poly then dipping the back end in a white paint to about 14 inches, sanding then clear coating again. That way I have a natural finish that shows the wood grain on the front and a white dipped section on the back and use white feathers. I like the visibility.

I tried a lacquer last year and it took forever to dry and then the coating would crack if the arrow took a hard glancing hit. It looked like a car's windshield that shattered. I didn't like that lacquer coating.
 
I dont know why that wont work at all. Something I have done rather than dipping paint is tape the shaft where the cap needs to end and using a rattle can. Start the pray off shaft and then spray over while rotating. 2 light coats and steel wool has worked well for that. You could also do a white wash stain for the cap that would keep the grain through the cap. My current arrows are 3 different stains and rattle can crest that I tape off and spray. Then 6 coats of the wipe on finish.

Certainly dont have to get that in depth though. Tons of ways to build out some woodrows.
 
BTaylor said:
So dont use dip tubes. Plenty of other finish options that dont require them. The finish I switched too requires more steps(coats) but so far is a bullet proof finish and I use a small jar to mix finish in and it is wiped on and 0000 steel wool between coats. The only draw back if you want to call it that is the finish is glossy. I think I am going to try spraying a top coat of matte finish over the top for hunting arrows.
Click to expand...
What finish poly do you use?

What taper tool and other tools would a guy need to just get started?
 
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