Speed seasoning shoot shafts

[RAU]

I've never made any natural shoot arrows. I always bought spine and weight matched dowels of various hard and soft woods. I've got the itch to make a batch of shoot arrows and located a patch of viburnum. Think I can get a few ready to hunt with this year (beginning of October) if I cut them this Sat June 27? Any advice as to how to speed season without excessive checking would be greatly appreciated. If you all don't think it's doable, I'll just hunt with my regular dowel arrows and play with making the shoot shafts this winter.
Thanks,
Don

[fiddler49]

You can take any juicy green shaft and make an arrow very quickly. As soon as you take the bark off, run the shaft back and forth over a stove, gas, elect, charcoal, for about 8 to ten minutes. Don't char the shaft.
Put them up till the next day. They will dry out more, over night without checking Next day you can heat them up again and straighten them out. I've done this lots of times with summer green wild rose, high bush cranberry, willow and elderberry.

[Pat B]

Viburnum checks easily and readily if the bark is removed too soon. IMO    I'd let them rest a month first then remove the bark. You will use heat to straighten the shafts and that will help them dry out.   After I straighten shoot and cane shafts I go back over each one, from one end to the other, turning the shoot as I move from end to end over the heat. Be careful at the far end as the steam that will come out will burn you.  This is a good time to add color decoration from the heat by scorching. 
 While heating and straightening lay the hot shoots on a flat surface to cool before messing with them again.
  I have heard but not tried...if you leave an inch or so of the bark on both ends of the shoots they say they will not check while drying. You might try this on one or two of the shoots to see if it works.
 You should have plenty of time to have reliable shoot shaft arrows by hunting season.

[bowmo]

Depends on the plant just like bow wood. Cut a honeysuckle shoot a while ago, debarked immediately and had a finished arrow out of it in 5 or 6 days. But, I also cut some dogwood a few weeks ago that I debarked immediately too and it checked to the point of absurdity. Never had it check in the past from it but it's been crazy rainy here and there was water flying out from under the bark when I scrapped it off.

[DC]

I would plan on doing it Pat's way but I would cut one or two to try Fiddlers way. Can't lose

[Pat B]

I use sourwood for shoot arrows. With sourwood the bark can be removed immediately and it will not check. It is the only wood I've used that wouldn't check. A few years ago I made an arrow in 3 days. I cut and stripped the shoot, placed it under my wood stove(winter time), straightening a little each day and made the arrow the third day. Like bow wood good arrows are made from well seasoned shoots. You can make a quickie arrow but will probably have to keep hand straightening it. A well seasoned arrow will stay straight in most cases.

[fiddler49]

High bush cranberry here in Alaska is a very dense hard wood and will check bad in a half hour after taking bark off but I pre dry over the gas stove right after taking bark off with no checking, just don't wait at all.

[make-n-break]

Made a half a dozen basswood shoots once in 24 hours. Harvest, debark, rotate over a fire for 10 minutes or so, straighten, carved grooves in the shaft, heated and straightened again over the fire. Repeat process until shoot felt strong and dry. Let them sit inside overnight and fletched them the next day. Still got 3 or 4 left, the ones that I didn't break stumping.

They'll warp a little from time to time as they cure, but they were easily straightened. I also harvest them about 36-40" long to account for any checking from the fire but they didn't check much, maybe the first inch or two on each end.

[crooketarrow]

  Viburm cut to lenth, paint ends like a stave.  Leave the bark on put in a hot box. Put it on as low temp as it weill go and crack open the top.  Leave on the bark. I don't have any real times 24 hours works fine. Let them air cool a couple hours, hand straighten.

   Back in the hot box for 12,15 , hours, air cool again, straighen again. I do this twice again no real time. Now I debark and bundle let season a month of the weather. Viburms solf after a month you will be able to restraighten and get most out easy my hand. I make sure I've taken out all bad curves and kinks before I debark and let season for that month.

   Like I said viburms a solf wood I won't have to use any heat. Use heat now you'll just put in what you've taken out.
 
  I do'nt have a problem straightening cold at the end.
  Viburn was another little secert (NOT REALLY) It has a completely open pit ot center. Perfect for adding weight,nails or lead wire.