Butterfly Bush, Crape Myrtle and Ironweed?

[Sleep Junkie]

Just curious but has anyone used any of the above mentioned materials for arrow shafts?  I did a forum search and didn't come up with much.  The only reason I ask is because the Crape Myrtle and Butterfly Bush are growing in my mom's yard.  Right now the Crape Myrtle is small but it has very long straight shoots on it and I thought that maybe if it got big enough, it would be serviceable.  I couldn't resist cutting a few of the Butterfly Bush shoots.  A few are drying now.  My dad, for some reason, had chopped them all off about waist high awhile back and where he chopped them off, each branch sprouted like three or four new shoots and they are all really long and straight.  You should have seen my mom's face when she saw her bushes.  She was pissed because she thought they were going to die.  They now look better and are thicker than ever, so in the end I guess she made out okay. 

I have never heard anyone mention using Ironweed shafts either, so I thought I would ask.  The pipeline behind my house has tons and tons of them.  I was able to find a good many that had shafts at least 1/2 in diameter, but I don't know how strong they will be or how much they will shrink.  I hope it was worth it because I got into a batch of poison ivy!  I never used to get poison, so I didn't know what it looked like.  I never worried about it.  After spending the past few days itching like I have never itched in my life, that is something I have remedied.  From what the doc told me, there have been a lot of people around here coming in with poison ivy and claiming that they never used to get it.  Maybe it is a new strain or something, but I know I never want to get in that again.

[mullet]

 There are thousands of Crape Myrtles in the town I live in.  The city gives them away and plants them everywhere. One time a year you can find, literally thousands of shoots in trash piles anywhere in town.I've never tried them , but Crape Myrtle makes a tough bow. I have a few staves left over from the 2004 Hurricanes.

[Jmilbrandt]

I'm not positive but I think that ironwood makes great arrows.

[Hillbilly]

Haven't used any of those yet, but I've experimented with many, many types of shoots. My educated guess would be: Crape Myrtle- yes. Butterfly bush-probably. Ironweed-would probably make an arrow, but why if you have something else. It would probably be similar to horseweed, which I've made arrows from, but they're light, flimsy, and just not up there in quality at all with woody plants.

[PeteC]

I tried crepe myrtle from pruning our trees along the drive.I did'nt end up with a single good shaft.Way too brittle.I hav'ent tried them again .I've eyed the butterfly bush in my wife's perennial garden,but that would be akin to suicide if I fooled with it . Don't know about the ironweed. God Bless

[hedgeapple]

My wife has butterfly bushes, also.  She cuts them down to about 6 inch stubs in the fall so they will be bushier next spring.  I think the trimmings will go to me this year instead of to the compose pile.    But, with all the river cane here in KY, it's hard to think of anything else as shaft matterial.   

[JackCrafty]

Crape Myrtle won't stay straight for me.  Otherwise it's a fine shaft material.  Haven't tried the others.

[PeteC]

I hear you on the cane Dave.The only reason i cut hardwood shoots anymore is to plug the ends of my cane shafts.   God Bless

[hedgeapple]

I use different size dowels as plugs for cane shafts.  If one is a bit big for the hollow, I cut about a 4 inch section, put it in my drill and hold a file to it, thus creating a "hand lathe".   They stay pretty darn round that way.

[recurve shooter]

I use different size dowels as plugs for cane shafts.  If one is a bit big for the hollow, I cut about a 4 inch section, put it in my drill and hold a file to it, thus creating a "hand lathe".   They stay pretty darn round that way.

added to my little baggie of tricks.