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Author Topic: Doug fir shaft material  (Read 2852 times)

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Offline Eric Krewson

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Doug fir shaft material
« on: May 01, 2019, 06:37:08 am »
Back in the day I made arrow shafts on a router shaft machine, finding quality wood to run through my machine was difficult. I would usually buy a doug fir board from Lowe's and could only make 13 shafts from it, the board cost $6 and none of the spines or weights would match.

I was in Home depot yesterday and noticed 4X4X8' doug fir posts for $12. All of the posts had knots but there would be sections of clear wood 36" long in the post. Going through the pile I found a few posts with very straight grain and at least 20 grains to the inch, perfect shaft material.

I have gotten lazy in my old age and buy or trade for shafting material but wish these posts had been available back in my shaft making days.

Just a heads up.
« Last Edit: May 02, 2019, 06:03:02 am by Eric Krewson »
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Offline Deerhunter21

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Re: Doug fir shaft material
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2019, 08:59:41 am »
thanks! now I know where to get my shaft material!
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Offline Hawkdancer

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Re: Doug fir shaft material
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2019, 10:03:48 am »
And veterans get a military discount!  At Lowe's, too!
Hawkdancer
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Offline Knoll

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Re: Doug fir shaft material
« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2019, 08:07:40 pm »
Though was just there yesterday, may have to make the 15-mile trip again soon to check em out.
Thanks for heads up.
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... alone in distant woods or fields, in unpretending sproutlands or pastures tracked by rabbits, even in a bleak and, to most, cheerless day .... .  I suppose that this value, in my case, is equivalent to what others get by churchgoing & prayer.  Hank Thoreau, 1857

Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: Doug fir shaft material
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2019, 06:08:24 am »
And they reserve a nice parking spots for vets near the door at both Lowe's and Home Depot, kinda' makes me feel special when I pull into my "reserved" spot.

No one will question my right to use the spot.

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Offline Woodely

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Re: Doug fir shaft material
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2019, 08:09:17 am »
I know what you are saying about finding and digging thru lumber yard material, it can be difficult to obtain good stuff.   This is why I use Hemlock most stufff is knot free the grain is very straight and out of 40 shafts I get at least 20 that are spined 3# within each other.  On another note I hand plane mine from square blanks and finally sanding them to 11/32" ..  I End up with very straight shafts, I was buying my shafts from a Professional before and he made them using the router drill method and to many of them were cock-eyed and they had bad grain.

Nice car plate.  :)
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Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: Doug fir shaft material
« Reply #6 on: May 09, 2019, 06:20:49 am »
Another footnote; the wood I mentioned is wet on the inside, I have been making bee traps out of the 4x4, when I drill the center hole the sawdust from the center has a lot of moisture in it. One would need to rip the 3/8" blanks and let them dry a bit before turning them into arrow shafts.
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