Shaft Materials?

[Pat B]

Steve, I have a bundle of sweet shrub in the utility room but haven't made an arrow from it yet. I'll have to give it a try.     Pat

[Hillbilly]

I think you'll like it. Smells good when you're working it, too.

[huntertrapper]

ive found good arrow woods, by just cutting some small shoots and found they make good arrows. not sure what this wood is but it is strong and straightens well, but i knwo ash is good, hickory, im sure any wood will work and depending on what you plan on using it for.

[hawkbow]

We have  a wood here called salt cedar (I think).. heavy and hard as nails.. I am going to try and cut some next time i get down to the Greybull river.. has anyone tried it ? Hawk

[JackCrafty]

Since you have access to nearby woods, I suggest gathering shoots from as many different trees and shrubs as possible.  Peel the bark off them, label them with the name of the tree/shrub, put a date on them, and put them aside to dry (the car dashboard is NOT a good place, by the way...unless you're very impatient).

Some shoots will dry faster than others.  You can weigh them (to see when then they stop loosing water weight) but I'd just wait two or three weeks.

Try straightening the shoots by hand first (without heat).  Most shoots will not stay straight after hand straightening but if you find a species that will stay fairly straight your search is over.  Rejoice and gather more of these.  Count yourself lucky.

Here in TX, there is only one shrub that I have found that can be hand straightened:  Roosevelt weed.

If none of your shoots respond to hand straightening then use heat.  Most shoots respond to heat but some will get brittle.  Discard these.

If all the shoots you gather turn out to be "crappy"...then I suggest using birch dowels.  That's what Ishi did....

[cowboy]

Hawkbow - guess we'll have to do a search on that salt cedar to find it's proper name or whatever ya call it . The stuff growing around me that I've heard called salt cedar all my life is light as a feather when dry and don't think it's all that hard . If I had a picture I'd post it..

[jdwilltx]

Is there a website where you can look up plant species?  I have an old wildlife book but it has drawings instead of pictures and its not working out too good for me.  I found some plants on the side of the road yesterday and havent figured out what they are yet.  I wish I had pictures.  I think they would make good arrows.

Jeremy

[Hillbilly]

Mike, I've got a few salt cedar shoots that Justin gave me last year. I've made a couple shafts from them, and they seem to be a really good material. Salt cedar is Tamarix, also known as tamarisk. There are several species of it, all introduced invasives. Out of nine species naturalized in the US, the most common are T. chinensis, T. ramosissima, and T. parviflora.

[david w.]

i debar and and straightened the 1 good  spice bush shoot today i love it it works great i can twait to finish it it should make a good strong arrow

it straightens really easily and its way easier than rose