PETE WARD

"WELCOME TO MY OUTDOOR WORLD"

Gear Review

PREMIUM 36" POPLAR ARROW SHAFTS

www.rudderbows.com

Jim Boswell
8120 Parke Creek Rd.
Ellensburg Wa. 98926
Tel-509-968-3051

 
e-mail lavonne@elltel.net

Review:

This review is for the 36" long 11/32 poplar arrow shafts from Rudderbows. The blue text and chart are copied from the rudderbow site.

Made from Premium 11/32 premium poplar, these shafts are excellent for premium arrows.

comes in spines from 35-40 up to 60-65 and everything in between , just let us know in the space provided  what your desired spine is. Shafts are  36" in length.Poplar is easy to straighten, and costs considerably less than cedar. If you want the best without paying the most give poplar a shot.

Considerably tougher than cedar and only slightly heavier these shafts are the best choice for making hunting grade  high quality arrows.

 

For this review I received 3 dozen premium Poplar shafts in 3 different spines. a set of 45/50 50/55 and 55/60 in order to get a good idea on how they would be.  They shafts arrived somewhat straight, as would be expected. They are not perfectly straight and I did not expect them to be. It is not common in my experience to get raw wood shafts that are perfect without paying a lot of money. Even then we can expect to do some straightening.

 The rudder shafts I received are acceptably straight and with a little effort I had 3 dozen straight arrow shafts ready to be made into arrows. To straighten them I tried several methods all with good success.

 The first way I tried was by hand bending and rubbing the shaft with my hand to make corrections as needed. The poplar responded very well to this.

The next attempt I made was to use a 3/8” pulley I can hold in my hand. I use the pulley wheel to roll and compress the high side of shaft into being straight by rolling the pulley over the bent portion against the table. Again straightening was easily accomplished. The shafts responded well to this way and required little effort to become straight.

The third way was to use a stiff wire hook and draw it over the part to be straightened while supporting the shaft against the table and in my hand. This is my least favorite way to straighten wood shafts, and although it worked well I prefer to hand straighten and roll the shaft on a table to inspect the results as I watch TV. 

Many of the long draw shooters will welcome a 36" shaft. Often it is difficult for them to find a wood shaft that is long enough without using a footing. For me I like the long 36" shaft because I can select the straightest portion I want to use for my arrow, and if I do break a shaft while straightening it I can possible still have 29" of good wood. I did break one shaft during the hand bending and it was still long enough to make an arrow. A bit of luck is a good thing.   

Here is a breakdown of the shafts I received. All arrows are fletched with 3 feathers and a 125-gr. point.

    45/50                               50/55                                   55/60

high=522gr                         =516gr                                =552gr

low=442gr                          =472gr                                =472gr

spread=80gr                        =44gr                                  =80gr

 1. 522                               496                                      488

2. 492                                 506                                     520

3. 506                                          476                                                506

4. 462                                 516                                      520

5. 442                                 478                                      534

6.  460                                500                                      472

7. 466                                 486                                      512

8. 494                                 486                                      502

9.  506                                472                                      498

10.  448                              506                                      552

11.  514                             502                                       526

12.  446                             506                                       530

 

The shafts take stain well , and come smooth, but still should receive a light sanding before you stain or finish them. For a finish I use poly Urethane, and brush it on with those cheap foam brushes we buy for 99 cents. Since making these arrows  none have gone crooked again.

 It would be nice to have them available weighed and spined, however at this price, {$22 a dozen, Jan. 2010} we have to live with spine sorted only. Miy impression is these are a premium quality shaft. The grain is straight without run outs, and they require very little straightening. When straightening is needed they respond easily and stay straight.

 Poplar is a white wood that looks good with just a clear finish or with a stain under the clear coat.

Arrow Length: From string groove in nock to back of point.

These are some suggested weights

Bow Wt @ Your Draw
25"
26"
27"
28"
29"
30"
31"
30 lb
25
30
35
40
45
35 lb
25
30
35
40
45
50
40 lb
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
45 lb
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
50 lb
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
55 lb
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
60 lb
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
65 lb
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
70 lb
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
75 lb
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
80 lb
65
70
75
80
85
90
95

In closing I do like these shafts. They made good quality arrows that I will enjoy shooting.With light wight 125 grain points I have arrows that are heavy enough for all my hunting needs. With some of the heavier points and broadheads available today, {250 gr glue on} we can add another 125 grains to each arrow if needed.

Pete Ward

"Welcome to my outdoor world

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