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Offline douglasb

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wal mart dowels
« on: February 05, 2011, 12:23:51 pm »
hi,
         have a question for you guys, i want to make my own arrows but i have never tried it before , i was thinking about trying some 3/8 dowels from wal mart for my first attemt has anyone made any out of these dowels, iam not even sure if it would be safe not knowing the spine weight i dont even know what kind of wood they are, picked up six the other day with little stickers on them that say product of brazil , they were the straitest ones of the bunch and the wood is dark ,they are darker than the ones without the sticker ,but still i dont know what their made of any help would be appreciated
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Offline Pat B

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Re: wal mart dowels
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2011, 12:32:15 pm »
As long as the grain is straight and the runoffs are few and long you should be OK. You might be better served going to Lowe's or HD just because they specialize in building materials so you might have a better selection.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline osage outlaw

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Re: wal mart dowels
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2011, 03:26:27 pm »
Our local Lowes has poplar dowels.  Would that be better than the cheap ones that walmart has?
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Offline stiknstring

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Re: wal mart dowels
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2011, 03:54:00 pm »
I have had good luck with Lowes poplar dowels.  Made a half dozen for our state games a few years ago and STILL have four after various stump shooting and rabbit hunting excursions.  Check the grain carefully and get you a spine o meter of some sort and you will be in business
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Offline Pat B

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Re: wal mart dowels
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2011, 04:06:12 pm »
Poplar makes great arrows. I never used dowels but bought a 36" poplar board at Lowe's , cut to 3/8"x3/8" and hand planed them round by removing the 4 corners, then the 8 corners then sanded them smooth anf sanded to adjust the spine. Worked great!
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: wal mart dowels
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2011, 04:47:46 pm »
I pulled a mess of 5/16 poplar dowels outa the rack at Lowes a few years ago and cut them to 27" shafts.  They were all too stiff for a 50# bow.  Went back and bought another mess, and those I cut to 34" thinking I could fletch'em, put points on and then shorten them an inch at a time until they flew straight.  But they were perfect at 34" so that's where they stayed.  Pretty darn tough shafts, but a booger to keep straight.  Had to use heat every time I had to re-straighten a shaft. 
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Guns have triggers. Bicycles have wheels. Trees and bows have wooden limbs.

Offline aznboi3644

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Re: wal mart dowels
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2011, 07:21:35 pm »
The nice walmart near my house actually has a pretty decent selection of 5/16" and 3/8" straight grained dowels that make pretty good arrows.

I made a set of 3/8" poplar ones from wal mart...shafts weight between 600-700 grains.  They fly pretty well outta my 45lb hickory bow...pack quite a punch too.

as long as the grain is straight...I'd say go for it.
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Offline jeffhalfrack

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Re: wal mart dowels
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2011, 10:03:13 pm »
   Go  for it  man !!   I  call  them  cucumber wood!  you  never  really  know what  they  are  LOL!!  I  buy  a  whole  bunch  bring them home and  spine  them  (I go 10# heavier than I need)  and  bring  back  what  I  don't need,  I  taper  the last  10"before  the  nock  this  is  all  after  you read  and  know  what  to  look for in  an arrow shaft  right????  my  buddy  owns  a  hardware  store  and  calls  me  when he opens  a  new  box of  sticks  and  then I spine  and  weigh what he  and I  need   you  will  get  hooked on  arrow  making  JEFFW
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Offline douglasb

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Re: wal mart dowels
« Reply #8 on: February 06, 2011, 08:04:49 pm »
nice, thanks guys i will send some photos when i am done i have some feathers from gateway and i am going to make some of my own broadheads and put goose feathers on some from some geese i killed this year

       
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Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: wal mart dowels
« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2011, 12:27:11 am »
Fletching from geese you shot?  Mmmm, nothing better.  Big mojo.  Or at least a satisfaction of making the best use of what you have taken. 
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Guns have triggers. Bicycles have wheels. Trees and bows have wooden limbs.
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