Tuning Bamboo Arrows.

[Prarie Bowyer]

I got a new bag and I'm going to make some better arrows for me.  My understanding is that if you are using a bow with an arrow shelf then the window on acceptable spine weight is larger.  This makes some sense if you think about it.  The arrow needs to flex less to get around the bow.

For the primitive handles it's more important to be accurate.

So when I get my bag o shafts from Walmart invariably some are way under weight (I thought but turns out they fly decently), some are a club and some have dry rot.  Then there are some that are kinda heavy.  That is what we are talking about here.  The onese that are a bit heavy and the ones that are a bit light.  In the past I've used scrapers to drop the spine weight but it took alot of scraping and I felt like I had little good rind left.  Is this an acceptable thing to do, sand the shaft to reduce spine weight for a bamboo shaft?

Then what about the ones that are a tad light?  Could toasting them a tad stiffen them?  Or is it a source thing?  If I get shafts from a source that can get them all to me in the same range is that the best route?  I'm determined to have better arrows for the next time around on the 3-D course next month.  Which means making new arrows.

Usualy I try to use the spine tester to determine the best section of the shaft.  If it's skinny I measuere from the fat side and if it's heavy I measure from the skinny end.  A longer shaft can compensate for higher spine weights BUT then I'll be dealing with higher overal arrow weight and other dynamics change.

Just thinking.

[H Rhodes]

I think that it is easy to overthink it....  I make a lot of cane arrows.  The stuff grows everywhere here in L.A., ....(Lower Alabama).  I don't spine them, weigh them or weigh my points....   Maybe I am not doing something right, but I like the way they group and the way they fly.  I cut them and bundle them about three feet long,  with the fat end measuring about 3/8" diameter - about a dozen to the bundle.  Let them dry about three months and then I cut them about thirty inches...  a little long for my 28" draw.  I sand the nodes down and get the shaft all slicked up.  Self nocks are filed in near a node.  I heat them and hand straighten them on my stove. When they roll good and look straight, I glue in a foreshaft of oak dowel with a point tied to it for hunting arrows or a cut down 30-06 brass for a blunt is glued right on the cane.  I don't make too many target points.  I practice on a round bale of hay and the blunts do fine.  I do try to pay attention to which side of the arrow is the stiffest and fletch it accordingly...  If they fly good I put them in the keeper quiver.  If not, I put them in with those other guys.....  I can put most of these "keeper quiver" arrows in a place big as my hand at 20 steps which is good enough for me.  I use turkey feathers and a piece of leather made into one of those primitive fletching jigs and a little thread and glue.  I have stopped having to repair fletching very often since I started tying on feathers.   Some arrows just fly better than others, so I have made enough of them till I get a set I like.  The ones that aren't flying so well out of one bow, will usually fly great from one a little lighter or heavier.  That's how I have been doing it. 

[Prarie Bowyer]

That is what Iv'e been doing but I have a collection of arrows that fly fairly differently.  I wanna try to work with a set of spine matched arrows. 

[Little John]

When I buy tomato stakes I just plan on culling most of them and only use the best ones and still get a few that don't fly to suit me. It takes a lot of work to get a matched set that all shoot the same, they sure are sweet when you do get a batch, makes you be real careful with them. Enjoy and have fun.

[mullet]

Locating and orienting your nock with the stiff section of cane is very important. If you have arrows flying all over the place I'd bet that's part of the problem.

[H Rhodes]

I made some cane arrows a couple of days ago and learned something new....  First, I cut them to length and straightened them on the stove.   I put some of my quickie blunts on for a point (30-06 brass sawed into at the shoulder).  Then I cut my self nocks in and went to the hay bale and bareshafted them a few shots.  That will tell you right quick how to orient your fletching and which side of the arrow you want next to your bow....  With the stiff side facing wrong,  you hear the arrow whack the bow as it's leaving and the arrow careens off toward aunt nancy's house....  When it's right, it will fly pretty good,  even without feathers.  I marked which side I wanted toward the bow and took it inside and fletched it.  Those arrows fly like darts.   

[Tom Leemans]

You can support both ends of the shaft and hang a weight in the middle (say 2 pounds like a spine tester) and rotate the shaft. When you see that it is bending the least as opposed to a straight line, well then there's your stiff "side"of the shaft. That goes against the bow. I've found that bamboo/cane arrows will shoot great out of a lot of bows. I have some that spine out near 100# and my daughter shoots them out of a 45# selfbow with great flight. I mostly go with a shaft that ends up 3/8" at the fat end (maybe a hair less sometimes) and cut it so my fletching falls in a good area. They're pretty forgiving. If you did a good job getting them straight, I doubt you'll see a lot of difference vs a meticulously matched set. Either way, it's addicting to make them. I just did my first southeastern two fletch arrows a couple days ago and they fly better than anything I've ever made before... and quiet!