Wooden Arrows

A natural product with a long tradition

Wood was used as an arrow material in most ancient cultures. And even at the beginning of the last century, when archery was rediscovered and became a popular sport, arrows were made exclusively from wood. The wooden arrow is as old as the history of the bow. It was only recently, with the modern possibilities of arrow production, that products made of carbon, aluminium and fibreglass came onto the market.

Today, wooden arrows are used in particular for traditional archery, e.g. with a longbow. When shooting with modern recurve or Compound bows, aluminium, carbon or a mixture of both are preferred. Ultimately, the arrow must fit the bow and the archer in order to ‘achieve’ an optimal hit pattern.

Wooden arrows in beautiful designs

Wooden arrows are available in a wide variety of materials and designs. Here you have the opportunity to give your enjoyment of archery the right visual expression. Do you like it a little more eye-catching? Then how about cresting, for example? With cresting, the wooden shafts are covered with a patterned plastic film, which is available for you to choose from in a wide range of colours and patterns in our online shop. Cresting gives a plain spruce arrow, for example, a very unusual look. If, like many traditional archers, you would like to make your own arrows, you will find all the materials and equipment you need at archery-shop.co.uk. Our range includes an extensive selection of wooden shafts, feathers, tips, nocks, crestings and other accessories.

Wooden arrows - customised arrows from our in-house arrow manufactory

Would you like to have your wooden arrows made to your specifications? Our experienced arrow makers will be happy to create your customised arrow with great attention to detail and top quality. Around 300,000 arrows leave our arrow manufactory every year. Each arrow is a handmade UNIQUE item, consisting of a high-quality, hand-spun wooden shaft that has been checked for cracks, reflex tested and aligned. Depending on the type and draw weight of your bow, you determine the shaft thickness, Spine and type of wood as well as the arrow length. There are many options to choose from for feather shape and colour, nock type and colour and arrowhead. A colour-coordinated yarn winding gives your arrow a further individual touch.

Collectors and hobby historians will probably be interested in our wooden arrows in fantasy or medieval style. For example, our ‘Legolas’, ‘Medieval’ or ‘Raptor Old Style’ wooden arrows may be just the arrow design you are looking for. The latter was used in the Til Schweiger film ‘1 ½ Knights’. After just a few days, you can hold your favourite arrow from the archery-shop.co.uk arrow manufactory in your hands and enjoy a very special archery experience.
Collectors and hobby historians will probably be interested in our wooden arrows in fantasy or medieval style. For example, our ‘Legolas’, ‘Medieval’ or ‘Raptor Old Style’ wooden arrows may be exactly what you are looking for. The latter was used in the Til Schweiger film ‘1 ½ Knights’. After just a few days, you can hold your new favourite wooden arrow from the archery-shop.co.uk arrow manufactory in your hands and enjoy a very special archery experience.
What you need to look out for when buying wooden arrows

To make sure you buy the right wooden arrows that are perfect for you and your bow, you should be aware of a few technical values. They may be a little confusing at first if you've just started archery, but don't worry - visit us, give us a call or write to us, we'll be happy to help you!

The spin value for wooden arrows - ATA standard

The spin value of arrows made of wood and other materials indicates how much they bend when fired. If the string pushes the arrow forwards, it is compressed. If the flexibility is not right, it hits the bow and flies uncleanly - this affects your aiming accuracy (and possibly your fun in the end), which is why the value is so important.

With wooden arrows, manufacturers often state the spine value according to the ATA standard (Archery Trade Association standard), i.e. in lbs, which tells you pretty much straight away what draw weight in lbs the arrow is suitable for. Note, however, that the value applies to a glass-covered straight longbow with a Dacron string, a parallel 28-inch arrow shaft with a tip of 125 grain and a draw length of 28 inches. For longer and shorter, heavier and lighter arrows as well as other bows and draw lengths, you must adjust the value up or down accordingly.

Harder shafts have a higher spine value and are therefore intended for bows with a higher draw weight. Conversely, wooden arrows with a low spin value are suitable for weaker bows.

Caution: With carbon arrows, it's the other way round - a high spin value means a high degree of flexibility, while a low value means a firm arrow.

Things get tricky when you want to calculate the spin value yourself. The best way to do this is to use our practical spin value calculator or get in touch with us. If you want to understand the theory behind it better, stay tuned:

Draw length standard at 28 inches

• more per inch of draw length - plus 5 lbs
• per inch of draw length less - minus 5 lbs

Peak weight standard 125 grain

• per 25 grain more - plus 3-5 lbs
• per 25 grain less - minus 3-5 lbs
• tapered and bamboo shafts - plus 5 lbs

Bow standard a glass-covered straightness longbow with dacron string

• Selfbow - minus 5-10 lbs
• recurve bow with Dacron string - plus 5-10 lbs
• recurve bow with Fast-Flite string - plus 10-15 lbs

The total weight of the wooden arrows: gpp

The gpp, or grain per pound, describes the ratio of the weight of your wooden arrows to the draw weight of your bow. Sounds complicated? It's not at all! The gpp is important so that you can determine the perfect total weight of your wooden arrows and thus avoid damaging your bow when shooting. An arrow that is too light will damage the limbs in a similar way to an empty shot - at best, the manufacturer's warranty will be invalidated, at worst, your bow will break. An arrow that is too heavy will ruin your shots.

You only need two values to calculate the optimum total arrow weight: your draw weight and the gpp that bow manufacturers usually specify. A gpp of 9 to 10 is recommended for selfbows, but bows made from modern materials can also tolerate a lower value. The lighter the arrow, the faster it flies. This is why professionals usually aim to use the lowest possible gpp. Contact us and we will help you choose a wooden arrow that suits your bow.

A sample calculation to illustrate this:

• 1 g equals around 15.43 gn.
• You have a draw weight of 38 lbs.
• You want a gpp of 9 for your bow.
• Formula: 38 lbs draw weight × 9 = 342 gn
• Your wooden arrows should weigh around 22.16 g in total.

Please note: For the gpp, you use the total weight of your wooden arrows - including the nock, fletching, arrowhead and any other arrow accessories you use. In other words, the weight with which you shoot the arrow at the end.

The length of the wooden arrows: Inches

How long your wooden arrows should be is determined by your draw length. And this of course depends on the length of your arms and your height. You can have it measured professionally in our shop or ask a friend to help you with this while you draw your bow using a thin stick as an arrow replacement. Alternatively, use the span of your arms - stretch them out loosely to the side and determine the distance between the fingertips of your middle fingers. Divide this value in centimetres by 2.5 in the first step and by 2.54 in the second to convert the centimetres into inches. To be on the safe side, add 1 ¾ inches.

As a beginner, you should use slightly longer bows, as you tend to draw the bow differently with each shot at the beginning. An arrow that is too short will slide off the front. But don't worry - with practice comes routine!