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David Ruff wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid20051116063142.64939.qmail@web61018.mail.yahoo.com"
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<div>I
am wondering if archers out there have an opinion about using other
woods then cedar for arrows. I make shafts in the 3 woods above and its
been my experiance after shooting all three woods that all of them fly
the same. Cedar seems to lose on the toughness part as dougfir and ash
seem to take abuse better. </div>
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<div> </div>
<div>With
the laws putting a tax on cedar shafts (wonder whos brillant idea that
was) it seems to me that cedar - while nice - is unnessasary for a
match set of target or hunting arrows. </div>
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<div>Whats your thoughts?</div>
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<div> </div>
<div>Input please - good, bad or indifferent</div>
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<div> </div>
<div>Ulrich</div>
<div> <br>
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</blockquote>
<br>
I have used Port Orford Cedar (really an aromatic Cypress and not a
cedar at all), Chundo (Chundo is a marketing term as is simply a Native
American word for lodgepole pine), Ash, Douglas Fir, and Sitka Spruce.
Here are my thoughts.<br>
<br>
We know the benefits of PO Cedar, it is lightweight, straightens
easily, and smells nice. The downside is that is breaks easily. Miss
the target and hit the frame/stand and it will likely snap wright
behind the point.<br>
<br>
Chundo is also lightweight and is tougher than cedar so ya dont break
as many shafts. However, my experience is that is doesn't stay
straight as long, seems to be more sensitive to humidity, and is harder
to straighten that Cedar but still not too hard.<br>
<br>
Douglas Fir is heavier than the above but not too heavy and also
stronger . It also seems to want to stay straight better than chundoo
but seems to me to be even harder to straighten and get straight to
begin with.<br>
<br>
Ash is heavy and strong. If ya need a heavy shaft to balance a heavy
point then its a good choice and is a good choice for hunting arrows so
ya get the penetration ya need. Of course because of it's density is
is harder to straighten.<br>
<br>
Sitka Spruce I have grown to like the best. Sitka spruce was used to
build wooden airplanes because it has about the best weight to strength
ratio of any wood. It is very light and very strong. It is also very
uniform in weight. It straightens easily and stays straight. I love
it.<br>
<br>
Now as far as tax is concerned....<br>
<br>
It doesn't just apply to Cedar, it applies to ANY arrow shaft of any
material and also to lots of other archery equipment such as points
broadheads, quivers, etc. <br>
<br>
The Federal Excise Tax (FET) has been around for decades. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service describe Federal Excise Tax's role in the
following excerpt*:<br>
<br>
"The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, popularly know as the
Pittman-Robertson Act, was approved by Congress on September 2, 1937,
and begin functioning July 1, 1938. The purpose of this Act was to
provide funding for the selection, restoration, rehabilitation and
improvement of wildlife habitat, wildlife management research, and the
distribution of information produced by the projects. The Act was
amended October 23, 1970, to include funding for hunter training
programs and the development, operation and maintenance of public
target ranges. Funds are derived from an 11 percent Federal excise tax
on sporting arms, ammunition, and archery equipment, and a 10 percent
tax on handguns. These funds are collected from the manufacturers by
the Department of the Treasury and are apportioned each year to the
States and Territorial areas (except Puerto Rico) by the Department of
the Interior on the basis of formulas set forth in the Act." <br>
<br>
It is used to fund wildlife conservation , hunter education, etc. It
is one of the few taxes that you pay where the money is earmarked to go
to specific programs. The FET also applies to guns, ammo, some fishing
supplies, etc. There is somewhere around a 11% FET on almost all
archery equipment that is to be paid by the manufacturer. In the past
this FET was only paid by domestic producers and imported good weren't
taxed. That changed and now imported archery equipment gets taxed as
well.<br>
<br>
If you make and sell bows or crossbows as a manufacturer then you are
supposed to collect the FET and submit it to the government. If you
are not doing that then you are in violation of the tax laws.<br>
<br>
In the past shafts were not taxed. It was deemed that shafts alone
were not a piece of archery equipment. The needed nocks, and points,
and fletches before there were an arrow (broadheads are taxed
separately). So often it was not until the completed arrow was
assembled that a tax was payed. This was why when you bought arrows
from some places they would come complete except without points and the
points just came loose. These people where trying to get around the
law by saying that they were selling you components rather than
completed arrows.<br>
<br>
If you make a sell completed arrows or bolts you should be collecting
the FET and submit it to the government. If you are not doing that
then you are in violation of the tax laws.<br>
<br>
Legislation last year changed some things. First it got rid of the Tax
on youth bows (the classified that as bows under 30#). It also
corrected things and started taxing imports as well so that the burden
was not placed entirely on domestic arrow producers. And, it changed
the tax so that now there is a 39 cent tax on every arrow shaft.<br>
<br>
If you make and sell arrow shafts then you gotta pay that 39 cent FET
and submit it to the government. If you are not doing that then you
are in violation of the tax laws.<br>
<br>
So, if you go buy simple doweling from the local lumber yard, or raw
lumber regardless of what wood it is from, and make arrows from it, you
just manufactured arrow shafts. Keep them for yourself and there is no
tax to be paid. But if you sell them you are supposed to collect the
FET.<br>
<br>
Arrow shaft manufacturers complain about the new changes to FET because
it puts all of the burden on them and substantially increased the cost
of their products with a $4.68 FET applied to every dozen of raw
shafts. <br>
<br>
Archery stores, distributors and anyone else who assembled the
components into completed arrows may or may not like the change. They
were supposed to be collecting the tax all along. However, many of
them were not. Now the cost of their raw shafts have gone up and it is
eating into their profits so if you are a big distributor then you
probably dont like the changes either. But if you are a small shop
that doesn't manufacture any raw components then you no longer have to
bother with the FET since it has been paid before it gets to you. In
the past when you assembled and sold a completed arrow you were liable
for collecting the tax.<br>
<br>
Look at it this way. If a completed dozen arrows cost $45 from a
fletcher. The old 12% excise tax that should have been collected would
have amounted to $5.40 or 45 cents per arrow. Now there is a 39
cent FET on the raw shaft from the manufacturer and the fletcher
doesn't have to collect the FET.<br>
<br>
Oh yeah, did you notice earlier that I said quivers were taxed. Yep,
thats right if you make and sell a quiver you should be collecting the
FET and submit it to the government. If
you are not doing that then you are in violation of the tax laws.<br>
<br>
For the average Joe the price of arrows went up because imported
archery goods are now being taxed and there are fewer loopholes to get
around paying the FET. Personally I dont care because these funds are
earmarked specifically for good programs and a portion of them come
right back to my state every year in ways that I can see.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
<font size="+1">HL Eadric Anstapa</font><br>
DSEM CA<br>
<a href="mailto:eadric@scabrewer.com"><i>eadric@scabrewer.com</i></a>
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