I've been straightening some ash shafts. How do you keep them str8 or are they just a poor choice for heavy shafts? JF

I found they are tough, heavy and crooked!!

I never had a problem with them. I haven't had any troubles keeping them straight. Here are some I made a while back that haven't needed re-straightened. They are tough, and can be a little on the heavy side.

So, good for kindling. And stop waisting my time? JF

I've been thinking about getting some for years but held back because of that rumour, LOL!

I just may try some anyway.

I don't want to hijack this thread but does anyone know a good place to buy some fairly straight ones?

They looked fairly straight when I bought them. What method is best for straightening the rest of the way. JF

years ago I used to get them from Silent pond- were great- little more straightening than cedar , but never bothered me could try heat ? never needed to

they were heavy and lasted super- did havesome trouble stumping with judo points- the impact would loosen the hot melt,

got around this by mounting with hot melt then drilling a hole through judo and shaft and riviting with a finishing nail worked like a charm Shot much heavier bows back then and they took a beating but held up

found Hickory even tougher , but not much The ash really stained nice too

Straighten them with heat. Either a electric heat gun or stove. Get them fairly hot and then seal the right away. Stand them up too cool in a cardboard box or PVC tube. Of course the quality of the shaft will also be a determining factor. Straight grain will be much better than grain less than straight.

Bob

The best way to straighten them is with carbon. :-)

Depending on humidity and temperature they're stable or not. Were far too heavy for me but I never hunted rhinos.

If they are at least 30" long please don't use them for kindling. Send them to me. They look nice. That sure was a lot of cresting. >>>-----> Ken

They are 31" and only one is done. Black Walnut on the rear and Osage stain on the front. I sealed it with Big Jim's Buffalo gloss epoxy before cresting band 4 coats after. The others I'm still working on straightening, more. JF

That the best you got Matt? LOL. Carbons...will do this, so I wouldn't chide too much.

that would make a great artificial flower George

All I shoot is ash and birch. I use a hook to staighten mine, same as Mike at Silent pond used. I live North of him and would drive down to buy his shafts. I really like birch but have several dozen ash shafts from SP that will go me the rest of my life.

Use the wheel on a pulley from something like a clothesline. Find one the right size and you will be amazed, heat and roll them straight. shawn

Lol I guess Jeff in not in the mood. Mr Stout thats impressive! I have never had that happen. Knock on wood. Get it :-)

I buy ash shafts from 3 Rivers. never had much of a problem with any being crooked. A little tweaking here and there to keep them straight. The current batch weighs 675 gr @ 28" with a 150 gr BH. Cant think of a better combination for elk.

If ya want heavy and hard to keep straight try hickory, it is tough, though not as tough as laminated birch! Shawn

I shot ash for a few years. Then I got tired of getting stomped at 3d shoots by my friends who were shooting carbon. I switched and suddenly became a competitor.

I've still have a few fond memories of those days, including some incredible penetration on some deer, but I've had much better success with the carbons that replaced the ash.

TMBB

I normally shoot carbon, bit wood feels and sounds so much better out of these woo or wood and glass bows. Plus I had them laying around. Since that's all I found I can do right now, with one arm strapped to my side. I thought,let's build some wood arrows. Matt you're correct, replace them with carbon ;) JF

These cedars are fine and staying straight. JF

Your right about the laminated birch being tough and HEAVY. Mine run around 730 gr finished. A bit much for a 55# bow.

Try this link.

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000060

I like my ash arrows, they group better for me than anything else I have shot.

bOught a hundred from silent pONd and like them fOR a heavy shaft> I haven't had tht much trouble straightening but it is awfully dry here in northcentral Montana> my lONgbOw likes em, likes em a lOt>

I'll keep going back to check and spin and straighten them. I don't give up easily. I have been using all the above mentioned methods. I've see a ton of YouTube? videos. I haven't found any specific straightening methods for hardwoods except compression and heat. JF

If you can't get them straight after all the methods above, they just aren't quality shafts. The grain isn't straight. Hardwood is a LITLLE more difficult to keep straight then other woods, but not significantly so,.

I use Ash exclusively and have found that it is more durable than any other arrow shaft material, other than Hickory. I bought several dozen every year from Allegheny when they were still in business. They had had a huge selection at their booth at Denton Hill. I would buy them in spine groups 5lbs heavier than the spine my bow required, and then hand taper the nock end ten inches from 23/64 down to 5/16's with the bowyers edge tool. They would be perfect at that point. I used them for stumping with no judo loss in farm country, but in the rocky environment of the Pocono mountains, I would lose a judo when they struck a rock and the judo was launched to parts unknown. The shaft would stay unbroken. I solved that problem by adding a small length of shrink wrap over the shaft and judo at the tip.

I have lost many and the ones that have broken have done so while being transported at high speed throughs the woods sideways, with a sharp grizzly broad head, protruding at a right angle on the opposite side of a whitetail that has just been shot.

For traditional bowhunting and my personal ethical bowhunting distances of 25 yards and under they work best for me.

I am running low and need to find a good source. TLM

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