Dowel Arrows?

[Jacob Parnell]

Another way to get a pretty close spine on your shafts is to drive two nails into the wall at about 12" or so. Take an arrow that flies well from your bow, and put the end under one nail and hang the shaft over the other. Then take a weigh, any weight, from the other end of the arrow. mark the wall at the point where it bends. Then, do a bareshaft of the same length the same way. If it doesn't bend to the mark, it's stiff, and if it bends beyond the mark, it's weak.

You see, the arrows i am making will be the first I will shoot from that bow.

[scattershot]

Well, just experiment until you find the right spine, and go from there.

[paoliguy]

I didn't see what poundage your bow is but I've been using both poplar and oak dowel arrows for quite some some time now. The 5/16 poplar ones shoot great from my kids 40# bows that range from 20# to 40#. I am using 5/16 oak with my 45# and 50# bows with no issues. I am thinking of trying 3/8 oak with my new 55# bow.

One thing I've found is it seems important to seal them well. I made a dip tube from a piece of PVC and dip them in Wipe On Poly after they are stained and crested. The dipped arrows are pretty tough. We stump shoot a lot and hardly ever break one. Losing them ... now that's another story!

[Slackbunny]

I've used them with good results. They are convenient and accessible. I've since bought a veritas dowel maker that spins out custom dowels really quick. That is how I make all my shafts now.

[twisted hickory]

Not sure how tough ramin is but red osier is hard to beat for stumping/small game arrows.

[JB_474]

Not sure how tough ramin is but red osier is hard to beat for stumping/small game arrows.

Ramin wood is actually pretty tough (some would say it's on par with POC), but yeah... Dogwood of any variety makes for a pretty decent shaft shaft.

[Prarie Bowyer]

Dowels are fine.  Just go through them at the store and look for straightish ones with long grain runout.  I don't use anything less than 7" in grain runout.

Also those iffy spots can be cut and spliced togeather if need be with a "footing splice". 

My stumping arrows are dowels with round river pebbles lashed to them.

OR.  Get babmoo garden sticks.  They will last longer.

[mikekeswick]

Garden canes are tonkin bamboo.
You won't find  much tougher and there will be no run-off 
For your first arrows i'd look no further.
Dowels can be ok but a good arrow is only made from a perfectly straight grained board (a very rare thing!)....just bear that in mind. I'm not knocking dowel arrows but do take the advice given above.

[Dan K]

It's hard to get a true straight grain dowel.  Much more work than necessary.  If you think about it, the arrow is much like the bow as far as energy transfer/storage is concerned.  A dowel has many potential imperfections and violations to consider.  Much time and waste occurs to find a good one for the purpose.  A shoot, however, is a naturally produced shaft that, once straightened, will provide amazing results.  the best thing I've found is that they're free and unlimited!  They're also fun to harvest.  Not that much work as a dowel and much more gratifying!

[bow101]

I didn't see what poundage your bow is but I've been using both poplar and oak dowel arrows for quite some some time now. The 5/16 poplar ones shoot great from my kids 40# bows that range from 20# to 40#. I am using 5/16 oak with my 45# and 50# bows with no issues. I am thinking of trying 3/8 oak with my new 55# bow.

I think the 3/8 oak will be to much spine, they will be shooting left if you are right handed that is...........

[Joec123able]

Ive never tryed poplar dowels they seem like they have no weight to them at all and seem flimsy that's why i turned to oak instead

[bubby]

Ive never tryed poplar dowels they seem like they have no weight to them at all and seem flimsy that's why i turned to oak instead

I shoot 3/8" poplar dowels out of 60# bows all the time around 648 grains with a tip