Wooden Arrows

[Calcobrena]

I'm not going to underestimate someone's ability whom I don't know. Personally, I definitely do not have the woodworking experience to accomplish this. However, if someone took the right precautions and took on this task, I think it would be an incredible accomplishment. I never said it wouldn't be cheap or a lot of work and a background in engineering might be useful as well, but it certainly isn't impossible. I wouldn't suggest making it out of Ramin, but I'm not going to prejudge someone else's abilities. What about experimenting with Lignumvitae? Verawood? Australian Buloke? If you can find the material and a process that gives you the characteristics that you are looking for, it doesn't matter what you make it out of. That's just basic physics. I think it is irresponsible to say it isn't possible. And if you can mitigate the risks, it could be a fun challenge to pursue if you enjoy woodworking.

[volfan]

.....and if a frog had pockets he would carry a pistol and shoot snakes.

[Calcobrena]

LOL. I'm just saying we shouldn't project our own limitations onto other people. Until we've tried everything we haven't tried anything, and we shouldn't conclude anything when we haven't tried anything.

[awshucks]

Wood arrows [@ 22/64]= Dumb idea.

[volfan]

Ami, try it if you like but if you understand anything about physics you will know that when the arrow comes under stress from the string, it is going to bend in arcs regardless of the material it is made of. Carbon and aluminum can handle the harmonics and stress without breaking but wood simply will not. It is too dangerous to play around with some things. Do you really believe that these arrow companies don't have engineers who understand this?
You do know that aluminum and carbon will retain its same characterics regardless of the weather change and that wood will not don't you. This change and unstable characteristic of wood makes it a poor choice for arrows under the pressure that a modern crossbows puts on them. Like I said, years ago they worked because the bows did not possess this kind of power but even then, even the best wooden arrows would break under the stress of the bow which usually resulted in a broken arrow with the back piece going through the forearm of the shooter.

[strum]

Wood arrows [@ 22/64]= Dumb idea.

what he said!!!!!

[Calcobrena]

So we're completely ruling out the possibility that it could just be a mass production issue? An arrow made out of something like Australian Buloke would cost a few hundred dollars per arrow. Just because it isn't practical, efficient, and inexpensive, doesn't mean it can't be done. Anywho, until there's proof that it doesn't work, then it is still just an assumption.

[awshucks]

An arrow made out of something like Australian Buloke would cost a few hundred dollars per arrow.

Voila. Have you even shot any arrows yet?

[wabi]

When I bought my first Excalibur (black Vixen) I asked the same question and was told DO NOT use a wood arrow it is dangerous and will split for the force of the launch.
I happened to have some ash (very tough) arrow shafts and just had to see for my self.
Made up an arrow and tried it. Put it on the rail being careful to keep my body parts clear of the path the fragments would take when the arrow exploded and pulled the trigger.
I was somewhat disappointed in the fact it did not explode and fill the air with fragments. Actually it shot quite well. No problems at all, and I shot it many times before I finally lost it.

I did not make more simply because I found a good buy on aluminum shafts and didn't need to.

You should be made aware that ash shafts are quite heavy, tough as heck, but prone to warping. Even with the old longbow I was constantly straightening my arrows when I used ash. Almost indestructible, but you can't keep 'em straight.

I would say with the right wood (very dense & strong) they would work OK, but with the modern materials available there just isn't a need to spend time & money experimenting.

Something else I would like to try is the old time tubular fiberglass shafts. They were heavy, but they were tough!

[Calcobrena]

Australian Buloke is 250% stronger than Ash and 400% stronger than Ramin. And I'm not even sure how easy it is to get a hold of. But my point is, there are very expensive materials that could produce a quality 18-20" bolt for someone who wants to see if it can be done or enjoys the naturalist approach. Some people want to make their own wooden arrows to save money. This probably isn't for them. But to rule it out as an impossible feat feels premature. I'm not saying someone should do it and not take EVERY PRECAUTION POSSIBLE just in case it blows up. It's certainly experimental. Anyone trying this should probably remotely fire their crossbow behind a shield. But I still think there are wooden materials out there that could handle 200+lbs. Especially when Ramin arrows have held up even to 150.

I'm not the one taking on this quest. But saying it is impossible just because the process could be dangerous is... irresponsible. We wouldn't have cell phones or the Internet or modern television or atheism or medicine or any other modern wonder if we acted like that.

[thestuz]

ai, it could be done... but why? the arrow would have to be made of a hard wood that would weigh the bolt down to the point that it would work against its self. your arrows would probably lose there integrity after a few hard hits too.

if your curiosity bugs you enough, then do it. but be very thoughtfull about the design. and make sure you wear full safety gear when trying the shots.
jmo.

[Calcobrena]

Well that goes back to my original post. Even if you could get a wood that could pull it off, durability is still going to ultimately be an issue. But sometimes it's just about the achievement and think about how much you could learn just attempting it, even if you were unsuccessful.

As for me, I'm happy with machine-made carbon arrows.

But I'm not going to be the one that says this can't be done and then look foolish when someone does it. History has enough of that. I'll stick to believing that it is a possibility until proven otherwise.

[GranvilleRose]

I tried to post a followup post earlier today and I'm not seeing it? I am new to all of this though!

Thank you all for the concerns and ideas. I have been doing some research as well. It seems My comparing the new with the old isn't totally on par. There are records of xbows back to the 1st century. There are records of extremely powerful bows. Much more powerful than the one that I have. Ash and Birch were choice woods, but the bolts or quarrels were more barrel shaped and much shorter. 15 inches being long.

It's all pretty cool to research though. I didn't mean to cause an uproar by any means either. I appreciate the support and will post any updates on the research.

[Hi5]

I tried to post a followup post earlier today and I'm not seeing it? I am new to all of this though!

Thank you all for the concerns and ideas. I have been doing some research as well. It seems My comparing the new with the old isn't totally on par. There are records of xbows back to the 1st century. There are records of extremely powerful bows. Much more powerful than the one that I have. Ash and Birch were choice woods, but the bolts or quarrels were more barrel shaped and much shorter. 15 inches being long.

It's all pretty cool to research though. I didn't mean to cause an uproar by any means either. I appreciate the support and will post any updates on the research.

Glad to see that you actually did a bit of research. Sounds as though you got some solid information. Yes, the ancient crossbows were high powered, and they certainly didn't have access to aluminum or carbon fibre arrows.

The thing is, even if the wooden arrows stand up to the high stress, they are prone to warping, weight variation and more prone to defects that are not easily visible to the eye.

Being traditional is not a fault. If you are willing to go to the extra effort to make wooden arrows, are willing to tolerate probable accuracy problems, there's nothing wrong with that. There was a fellow who came to this site that made his own flint arrow heads. They looked fantastic, and to be honest, I would have loved to have a half dozen arrows sporting wooden shafts with flint broadheads. I'd not likely ever hunt with them, but I would love to show them off. I think all crossbow arrow heads were metal, but I'd still love to the other ones as well. Conversation pieces, you know....