As you might know from some of my other posts, I've been learning the 'ins and outs' of wood arrows. After buying some shafts from a retail store and then getting some sample shafts from Surewood Shafts, I very quickly learned that 'arras aint arras'. Enter Wallace Woods... after a suggestion on this forum I sent off an email to Sue Wallace to see if they could help with some good quality shafts.
Well the top notch shafts I received from Steve and Sue were just the tip of the iceberg. They've been a mine of information and help... and they've done it with a smile and generosity. I caught up with Sue and Steve at the recent archery expo and the advantage of having such good gear available locally was multiplied still further. Not only did Sue talk me through the different timbers, their characteristics and try to sort out what might work best for me... she let me bring in an arrow from my spine testing set that was flying the best from my bow so that Steve could match the characteristics. Now that's something you can't do easily with suppliers on the other side of the planet!!
On top of all that, Sue also helped me out by designing and making a custom take-down bag for my riser and multiple sets of limbs. A couple of emails to give Sue measurements and lickety split, I have the first of a couple of bags... padded and perfectly sized.
The shafts I ordered in the end were Oregon and arrived very fast. Unlike the 'tomato stakes' I'd picked up from the local shop, these shafts are immaculately made and as straight as... well... arrows
I'm part way through making them up. While they won't be works of art like Steve's own arrows or a lot of the others I see on this site, I'm confident they'll improve my shooting. They've already been nicknamed my 'parrot sticks' after Sue recommended 'polywantsacracker' as a good finishing option. The Polyurethane I used as a substitute has worked well and after 3 coats the finish is beautiful. I'll cheat with capping and used wraps and then some Lorikeet coloured fletching and I'll post a pic of my amateur handiwork applied to some fantastic shafts.
Great to have found another top notch local with great products and great service (and a great sense of humor too). Thanks Sue and Steve.
Cheers, Tony
