Some shoot shaft arrows

[BowEd]

Thanks neuse....My goal was to try other shoot shafts from different parts of the country.The hill cane and sourwood came from South Carolina.The ocean spray came from Oregon.The bamboo anybodies guess is as good as mine.All I know that it does'nt grow locally.The rest were all local.

[Swampman]

What a great bunch of arrows!  Thanks for taking the time to post them here.

[BowEd]

Thanks Swampman....There's still a heck of a lot of other types of shoot shafts out there.

[Tracker0721]

So how long do you season yours? I’m cutting ocean spray, red osier, wild rose, and there’s some what I think is another variety of dogwood.

[BowEd]

A good 3 months for sure.After collecting enough over supply of them I like to let them cure for up to a year.I don't lose many arrows any more nowadays.Might sound like a long time,but after any little final heat straightening they usually stay straight.
I find most all my dogwoods here generally come out close to the same as each other.Ocean spray is very close to the same as dogwood.My multi flora rose is generally thicker in diameter at same spine as dogwoods,but mass weigh at least as much or more than dogwoods or at same diameter of dogwoods they are generally 5#s' weaker in spine.
That's figuring they are all the same length.[30" overall].It's the way I like my arrows but is not for everybody,and will still shoot fine.
If a person has a rock solid anchor it does not matter.

[Tracker0721]

Awesome, thank you! I’ll just keep collecting, dating em, and bundling then to the side like yours.

[BowEd]

Good...You'll like them.They are very tough shafts compare to split timer shafts.Remember to prestraighten them every other day or every 3 to 4 days.Then rebundle them all the while in between[I use bale twine length or rubber bands or zip ties].Most times I bundle them butt to tip every other one in bundle.
Picture of straightener used for stiff end areas.I wear gloves straightening most times as shaft is very hot.


Eventually you'll see the bark begin to shrink.That'll take at least a month though.Bark can be removed also to hurry up drying if shafts are long enough [36"] to cut off any checking.You can seal ends if you want but I have never needed to.It won't be much anyway.I had a couple multiflora rose check length wise after bark removal,but not any dogwood though.
Trick for less work is to harvest them very close to diameter that you want for less work,but eventually most can be made into useable shafts.The final weeding process for keepers is shown when you shoot them.

[Pat B]

Good stable arrow wood is like good stable bow wood, the longer they season the better the end product will be.
Also, I've found that if you remove the bark too soon on most shoot shafting they will check. Give them a month or so before removing the bark. Viburnum may need longer than that.

[BowEd]

Good comparison....I agree.

[Mafort]

So I got cane near the house but I have had some seasoning for about 7 months or so now and it’s still green. Am I doin anything wrong?

[Pat B]

Put the cane in the sun and it will bleach out to the typical tan color.

[BowEd]

The hill cane I got I got from Pat B.They were seasoned a few months before I got them I think.I let them season a few months more before making arrow shafts from them.
Most are a combo of light tan to light green now.The color of them never really bothered me that much.I don't think just because they look light green after 6 months means that they are still too wet yet to make shafts from.
7 months sounds long enough to season to me.

[backtowood B2W]

Very nice collection!!
I cutted dogwood, hazel, plum, and service berry this Winter.
Plum seems to be heavier and maybe not so easy to plane down.
Could only get two serviceberries shafts, but imagine they would make great arrows too.
Thanks for showing your work. Only the ones who made arrows of shoots know how much work this is.
B2W

[BowEd]

Thanks backtowoodB2W.I agree about the plum here too.I did'nt show the hazel but overall here they make same spined shafts like dogwoods too but slightly larger in diameter.
I guess I use dogwood shafts [maybe most are familiar with them] as a comparison standard to all the others.My preference is for as narrow a shaft as I can get that fills that bill with dogwoods/sourwoods/and ocean spray coming in second.

[archeryrob]

Multiflora is the only wood I have used that you can start on them green. I've made arrows in less than a  week out of it.

cut the stock,
knock the thorns off with the back of the knife.
Use blade of knife to scrape off the bark.
Lay them in the truck bed in the sun and hand green straighten heavy the first day and light second day.
Heat straighten over candle with bacon grease and a wrench like you showed.
reduce to spine, nock, fletch and point.

The stuff green straightening well but doesn't like hot straightening on aggressive bends. When trying to do so I've had it split with the grain.
tried that with other white woods and they split length wise shortly after you remove the bark.