Board Arrow Woods

[Kegan]

How does red oak and poplar boards work for arrows? Heard poplar was good, and the Englsih used hevay oak arrows for war- so I thought it might work well as a temporary substitue till we got more hickory?

[Pat B]

Probably any of the hardwoods will work and lots of soft woods. Give them a try.      Pat

[Kegan]

If I can find straight grains I doubt I could stop myself .

[jamie]

kegan the poplar will come in much lighter than you are used too and not as durable either. if you like heavy i highly reccomend maple. sugar is better than the red. its a very consistent material. ive made maple boards from trees and turned out  6 or 7 dozen shafts with very little deviation in spine and weight. poplar and even the red oak can give you an 11/32 arrow that can vary as much as 50 grains and 15lbs in spine from the same board. peace

[Kegan]

Jamie- so tonight we bought some boards. I got three red oak boards, and my brother got a red oak piece for a bow and two poplar boards for arrows (he shoots about 60#). I'm not sure as to how they'll turn out, but as soon as the weather breaks I'll be getting a hickory and a maple log(from what you've said here and elsewhere, they seem to be choice) for arrows. Dry 'em in the warmer sun and wind. I really want to get more hickory, but like I said, they'll need the warm and wind to prevent warping .

[stiknstring]

I might be off base here but I was always told to keep them out of the wind to prevent windchecking and splitting.  So we always stored our splits and logs in the garage or basement. Perhaps others will chime in...

[jamie]

kegan all the primitivge split shafts ive made were done with green wood and straightened as they cured. its always easier to work it green with the stones. ive never had more than a half dozen that i burned because they twisted too bad

[JackCrafty]

Kiln-dried red oak for arrows....good.  Kiln-dried red oak for bows....not so good.
I've used red oak dowels for stump shooting and bow fishing and they are very tough and long-lasting.....but I have 1 red oak board bow (out of 3) that failed (developed fatigue cracks) after only a few hundred shots.

[George Tsoukalas]

I like white pine and poplar because I hand plane my shafts. jackcrafty, kiln dried red oak will yield an excellent bow. I've lost track of the number I've made. They key is choosing the proper board. Jawge
http://mysite.verizon.net/georgeandjoni/archer.html

[JackCrafty]

Jawge...I'm not very patient when choosing boards...and it gets me into trouble sometimes (I admit).
You're from Pelham, NH?  I grew up in Portsmouth.   

[George Tsoukalas]

Nice town Portsmouth.  I grew up in Chemsfid, MA. Actually Chelmsford. Jawge