Sourwood...too big?

[JustinNC]

I'm a newbie to the whole traditional game. Trying to put together the best possible traditional setup that I personally can build, from native NC material (which stopped me from collecting some privet and autumn olive shoots today lol) as well as buying shafts (not to mention associated costs of bying shaft material). I do realize I won't get off cost free, but would like to keep the materials as "North Carolina" as possible. Been spending a lot of time reading and reading and reading a little more. I think I have just about worn the search function out on the site. Planning on collecting some sourwood for shafts but not sure what what is too big to get and get planed down.

Seems Mr Pat B and Hillbilly are the experts here on sourwood. Would like to hear their input on how big is too big. Most of the second year growth stuff I saw today was about the size of a penny or so. I understand that it shrinks considerably when dried, however, knowing what the upper limits on what I should collect would be would aid considerably in my cutting or finding. Not sure how much sanding and planing one can do to it?

Collected some black locust bow wood this past weekend and plan on searching for hill cane this fall as well. Also have a bug in a buddy's ear that is in charge of a tree trimming crew contracted for work down in the Raleigh area for bow wood.

Anyway...as with anybody that knows me, I'm ramblin as usual. But yeah, about the sourwood shoots?

[Hillbilly]

that sounds maybe a little big. About the size of your pinky or smaller is good. Like you said, they'll shrink some. I like to cut mine a little big and plane them down to diameter, seem to stay straight a little better.

[Pat B]

I normally also have to -plane down sourwood shoots sometimes. A $10 thumb plane from Tru-Value or ACE hardware will do the trick.

[JustinNC]

Probably should wait until winter or spring when the first year growth hardens and the second year growth isn't too big such seems to be the case right now? Everything the size of my pinky or smaller was bright green first year growth.

[Pat B]

You should be able to cut now and get good shoot material. You can scrape the bark off of sourwood and it not check.  Once they are dry and reduced to size they will make great arrows. Sourwood is my favorite shafting!
  You may need to locate another source for your sourwood. Another location. I have found trees that produce thicker shoots and others that produce short shoots. My best source is along a road bank that is maintained by NCDOT. They usually cut these banks every 3 to 4 years. Two years ago they got ahead of me and ruined my stash!    I scoped them recently and this looks like a good shoot crop year.

[JustinNC]

Shouldn't be too hard, just seems that most of the "second year" shoots in the area I was in today were really thick. Even the bright green new growth was about as large as what ya'll say I need. Good thing is it shouldn't gain too much before the end of the growing season now and should be nice and hardened by the end of winter.

One of the advantages of my job is I ride around the county all day long and get to scope out a lot of potential wood and shaft sources. Still on the lookout for a good hill cane patch.

Pat, I see you're in Brevard. Went to college (Haywood CC) with a fellow from Brevard.