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Arrows from boards?

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TreyNC:
I know I have read an article some where about doing this. Could some some direct to some directions please. I have an unlimited supply of western red cedar and doug fir I can use currently from scrap at work, but my time working here may be limited and I want to stock up soon.

Thanks
Trey

Pat B:
Trey, With straight grained wood you split out billets about 1/2"x1/2" then reduce them by removing the 4 corners with a plane(cheap thumb plane works fine) then remove the 8 corners then 16. Now you should be able to sand them round. You may have to reduce the diameter more and the thumb plane will do that also. You can also saw out your billets to about 3/8" square and reduce the same as above.
   There are other methods and better explanations about this method so lets wait to see what others say.     Pat

JackCrafty:
Haven't tried cedar but Douglas Fir has worked well for me.  There is some variation in boards, though, and I like to choose the ones with the highest number of growth rings.   These boards seem more dense as well.  IMO, arrows made from dense boards with lots of growth rings are tougher and more consistant (in weight/spine).

I rip the doug fir on a table saw and then plane down the edges and then sand them round with an orbital sander.  Not very primitive but it works.  It takes me about 8 hours to make 100 raw shafts.  I've seen others use doweling jigs to make the shafts round but I haven't tried this method....it's probably faster.

I've had some trouble with doug fur heating up too much and burning while ripping on the table saw.  I think this is caused by high moisture content.  My advise here would be to make sure the boards are very dry before you cut them.

TreyNC:
Thanks guys. I have ripped the some fir with out it burning but dont' know about the MC, I think what I had has been inside for a while. I tried a steel plate with holes decreasing in size and used a drill to spin the billet but had no success, not sure what I did wrong. I assume that a dryer board will have less tendency to warp the shaft due to further drying. I am eying more wood than I could reasonably use. I guess I'll get on it tomorrow.

Pat B:
Trey, Where in NC are you. You should have river cane or switch cane near you.    Pat

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