Your setup

[Petrichor]

My goal is to take a public land white tail with the 1974 Herters Perfection Itasca or the 1969 Herters International Hunter. No success last year but I feel like I learned a lot. I’m shooting really high FOC 3Rivers/Easton Traditional Only carbon arrows and Steelforce 300 and 225 grain single bevels with 100 grain brass inserts.

I’m moving into my first house this summer though and will have a sizeable workshop. I’m going to try and produce some wood arrows by the end of the month. I’m thinking 3Rivers POC shafts, probably won’t even stain the first couple batches, gasket lacquer, and fletching tape. I might get a little crazy with staining/cresting over the winter.

Any deer I could take with a 50 year old Minnesota bow and homemade arrows would be the hunting trophy of my life.

I also just picked up a beautiful Grayling Green Bear Kodiak Magnum last month from RMS Gear that is practically unshot. That is a beautiful bow that I can see being great for still hunting.

Be careful with 3rivers POC. I got some of the pre finished ones and paid a premium 59 bucks only to find they were not weight matched at all. Worst shafts I’ve ever bought and I generally like 3 rivers. I think they do offer both weight and non weight matched ones in the bare wood. I was lazy and didn’t feel like finishing the arrows. Just be careful.

 

[BTaylor]

My goal is to take a public land white tail with the 1974 Herters Perfection Itasca or the 1969 Herters International Hunter. No success last year but I feel like I learned a lot. I’m shooting really high FOC 3Rivers/Easton Traditional Only carbon arrows and Steelforce 300 and 225 grain single bevels with 100 grain brass inserts.

I’m moving into my first house this summer though and will have a sizeable workshop. I’m going to try and produce some wood arrows by the end of the month. I’m thinking 3Rivers POC shafts, probably won’t even stain the first couple batches, gasket lacquer, and fletching tape. I might get a little crazy with staining/cresting over the winter.

Any deer I could take with a 50 year old Minnesota bow and homemade arrows would be the hunting trophy of my life.

I also just picked up a beautiful Grayling Green Bear Kodiak Magnum last month from RMS Gear that is practically unshot. That is a beautiful bow that I can see being great for still hunting.

I would highly recommend ordering your shafts from Surewood Shafts. The 6 arrows in my pic have a 2 grain spread, 3 are 592 grains and 3 are 594 grains. And they are the hunter grade not the premiums. Very minimal straightening.

 

[David Kretschmar]

My setup is a 58” a Black Widow PCHX, 45@28.5. I have a Great Northern 5 arrow quiver, and shoof 30.5” Black Eagle Deep Impact arrows with 175 grain 3 blade VPA broadheads. The are fletched with 4” feathers, 4 fletched. Works for me.

David

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I would highly recommend ordering your shafts from Surewood Shafts. The 6 arrows in my pic have a 2 grain spread, 3 are 592 grains and 3 are 594 grains. And they are the hunter grade not the premiums. Very minimal straightening.

I can second this. I have purchased four or five dozen from Surewood and they have all been top notch. I have always bought the standard grade, but I have heard good things about the hunter grade. My next set will be tapered shafts.

 

[kbetts]

I would highly recommend ordering your shafts from Surewood Shafts. The 6 arrows in my pic have a 2 grain spread, 3 are 592 grains and 3 are 594 grains. And they are the hunter grade not the premiums. Very minimal straightening.

^This. I don't shoot as much wood as I should. Surewood is the only way to go.

 

[BTaylor]

^This. I don't shoot as much wood as I should. Surewood is the only way to go.

#makewoodarrowsgreatagain

 

[Petrichor]

I think I’m gonna head back to wood shortly. I miss working with the arrows.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

One of my goals this fall is to get a deer with my longbow and wood arrows. I've been very close several times. Just need it to all come together.

 

[TheBlindCat]

I would highly recommend ordering your shafts from Surewood Shafts. The 6 arrows in my pic have a 2 grain spread, 3 are 592 grains and 3 are 594 grains. And they are the hunter grade not the premiums. Very minimal straightening.

Excellent to know, I’m just looking and their stiffer spined varieties are out of stock. Where else do you order from?

 

[BTaylor]

Excellent to know, I’m just looking and their stiffer spined varieties are out of stock. Where else do you order from?

What spine were you going to order. I know they are processing a big pile of wood now.

You might check with Addictive Archery.

 

[TheBlindCat]

What spine were you going to order. I know they are processing a big pile of wood now.

You might check with Addictive Archery.

I need to get a test kit, but I have a 29” draw and would like to shoot 160-190 grain broadhead with a 65lb longbow, so I’m probably going to need a +80 spine arrow.

 

[BTaylor]

What kind of longbow? You might need weaker than you would think if it's not center shot. But I agree it is prolly going to be up there pretty good.

 

[TheBlindCat]

It’s a Herters Perfection Itasca built in 1974, it’s pretty close to center shot. Fun old bow.

 

[BTaylor]

I need to get a test kit, but I have a 29” draw and would like to shoot 160-190 grain broadhead with a 65lb longbow, so I’m probably going to need a +80 spine arrow.

Sent Carson a note and he said they are running some 23/64 shafts now that are going to have some 80# shafts.

 

[TheBlindCat]

Sent Carson a note and he said they are running some 23/64 shafts now that are going to have some 80# shafts.

Awesome, I’ll look for them. Couple questions since you seem to have more experience with this:

1. When I buy a test kit, like 3Rivers has, and if it’s in POC. Find a spine/point weight that works. Does will that spine work in another wood, like Douglas fir or spruce and if it’s a different diameter? Will it be close enough? I’m just looking at some of the exotic stuff on Forrester Wood and wondering if a POC test kit is all I need.
2. Broadheads, do you have to do anything special to mount most glue in broadheads on 23/64 shafts? It’s all a 5 degree taper, but none of the manufacturers I see say if they’re designed for 11/32 shafts or what. Does it matter?

Thanks.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

For mounting glue on broadheads I haven't found anything better than this. It had removable inserts for different shaft diameters. The one thing I will say about Douglas Fir shafts is take your time cutting the tapers. Fir seems to have a slightly coarser grain that POC but it is not a problem at all. I prefer Douglas Fir shafts. I think they are a bit heavier and denser than POC.

Tru-Center V2 Taper Tool for Wood Arrow Building (3riversarchery.com)

 

[BTaylor]

Awesome, I’ll look for them. Couple questions since you seem to have more experience with this:

1. When I buy a test kit, like 3Rivers has, and if it’s in POC. Find a spine/point weight that works. Does will that spine work in another wood, like Douglas fir or spruce and if it’s a different diameter? Will it be close enough? I’m just looking at some of the exotic stuff on Forrester Wood and wondering if a POC test kit is all I need.
2. Broadheads, do you have to do anything special to mount most glue in broadheads on 23/64 shafts? It’s all a 5 degree taper, but none of the manufacturers I see say if they’re designed for 11/32 shafts or what. Does it matter?

Thanks.

Spine is spine so it doesnt matter what the shaft material is, wood carbon or aluminum. Like @NMSbowhunter said Doug Fir is going to run a little heavier than POC and it is a fair bit stronger imo. You can also order a test kit from Surewood Shafts. It will have 3 different spine ranges and 4 shafts in each range. The issue with broadheads is that most seem to be built on an 11/32 ferrule, I know Zwickey does some 5/16 as well but I have never looked for 23/64 heads. Might be able to make an 11/32 head work but the shaft will be slightly larger than the head so the head will not full seat in the ferrule. Now I am curious about that so I will look around a bit and see what I find.

 

[BTaylor]

A quick look shows Ace, zwickey, eclipse and grizzly 3 blades to all work for 23/64 shafts.

 

[Phopkins]

I disagree about wood arrow spine translating the same in all species. What is tested on a spine tester is static spine (deflection) but dynamic spine is the bending and recovery as the arrow is shot. Not necessarily the same thing.
I have found larch and to a lesser extent Doug for to be less forgiving at the same static spine as lodgepole or poc. Meaning recovery is slower.
Just my experience fwiw.

 

[BTaylor]

I disagree about wood arrow spine translating the same in all species. What is tested on a spine tester is static spine (deflection) but dynamic spine is the bending and recovery as the arrow is shot. Not necessarily the same thing.
I have found larch and to a lesser extent Doug for to be less forgiving at the same static spine as lodgepole or poc. Meaning recovery is slower.
Just my experience fwiw.

No experience with larch or lodgepole and I havent shot DF and POC out of the same bow enough to be able to discern a difference. I agree that there could certainly be some difference in dynamic spine reaction with various woods but I would not anticipate much of an issue there unless trying to tune an arrow on the edge of being too light or too stiff. I am curious what bows your observations are from. Thinking your post, the point you make could certainly be influenced by the tuning difference between a center or past cut riser and something like an ASL riser where you would need a softer spine. Having only shot center cut or past risers, I had not considered the variance you mention. Interesting point for consideration.