cedar or fir

[butch]

i have 3 old porch post,6"x6"x7'. its redish in collor and smells like cedar but ive never seen a red cedar or fir wood.. straight grain, quarter sawn and looks like it might make good arrows. can anyone tell me how to identify this and does fir make good arrows.   thanks..

[Pat B]

Butch, Where do you live? I guess it could be western red cedar or fir. In either case, I believe you can use it for arrows. I have not made many arrows like this so you had better wait for someone that knows.
  Pat

[butch]

pat-- thanks for the reply. i live in green country. okla. is devided up by names like that but im west of tulsa 30 min. these post are rough sawn  and painted . probably over 100 years old. i think they came from one log, comercial timber. the grain runs of to the side about 20 degrees but there clean with no knots. i dont think its local wood. at that time N.E. OK. didnt have mutch timber. could be arkansaw. i
 i like your postings and have learned a lot from you and the others. do you know why our licence plates say OK. is ok   . its because an okie cant spell mediocur . thanks     butch                   

[Pat B]

Give some a try. Well seasoned wood like that can make excellent arrows. I believe Jamie used some old salvaged wood for arrows not too long ago.  I guess it could be ERC also.  Give it a try.    Pat

[duffontap]

It could be either.  I've used salvaged fir to make some great arrows with high spines.  I've even made an arrow or two out of some Port Orford Cedar that I found on the beach.  Western Red Cedar is a little soft for arrows but it can work.  Good fir makes superior shafts.

          J. D. Duff

[PeteC]

Butch,all the other guys replies may be right on,but my guess,since it's in OK.,that it could be eastern red cedar,which is a very tough wood,and also makes strong,heavy spined arrows.I live in E. Texas,but many old home places around here have used ERC in construction,especially porch posts.I still see some trees in the 60' range that are straight,both the bark,and the trunk itself,and the bottom limbs 20'-25' from the ground,which would make for a very clean piece of timber. God Bless,  Pete C

[butch]

thanks pete,  at last i learned what ERC means. now if i can learn what those letters on the bowsite stand for. somewhere in TBB #1 there is a test for bow wood useing a 1/4" strip of wood and i ran a piece of this thru the test , i was suprised  at its qualities. it might make a backed bow.
                 
          thanks for the blessing to..
                  butch

[PeteC]

If it is ERC,it will make a good backed bow.Just steer clear of knots.Man that cedar can explode if it decides to fail!! God Bless,Pete C

[Justin Snyder]

Trick question.....   Western Redcedar (two words not three) is not a cedar.  It is a cypress.  It grows along the coastal region of the NW and up to Alaska.  I would wager you have a ERC  which is not a cedar either.    It is a juniper.  Justin