Strip bamboo arrows

[DC]

I was reading over Alan's bamboo strip arrow build-a-long this morning. Fascinating stuff but one thing kept popping into my head. Why does this method produce better/stiffer arrows than just using a bamboo cane of the same diameter? It just seems like you're disassembling a cane and then gluing it back together.

[Del the cat]

Ah, you leave out the hole. The hole is very floppy, unless you can get special stiff holes, but they are hell's own job to fit 
Del

[Hawkdancer]

The devil's own design?
Hawkdancer

[PatM]

They can be barreled and have the node sections staggered.  Plus the glue lines provide stiffness.

[willie]

OK, so wayne, the previous arrow section sponsor, that manufactures hex shafts from hemlock doug fir spruce etc, claims better spine for a hex shaft over a comparable arrow made from the same wood in normal process.

[avcase]

I double-tapered the strips so it would form a barreled arrow.  Tonkin cane has a higher elastic Modulus or stiffness than any wood, so it should theoretically be possible to make a same-stiffness arrow that is slightly less diameter than a wood arrow.  The downside is that it requires precise work in order to get the wall thickness just right.  If the strips are too thick the arrow will be too heavy, or have to be made so thin that it is no longer stiff enough. In recent years, I have seen arrows made from some exceptional Douglas fir that is just about as good and a lot easier to make. The hard part is finding these super boards.

Alan

[JW_Halverson]

Ah, you leave out the hole. The hole is very floppy, unless you can get special stiff holes, but they are hell's own job to fit 
Del

I still have those used holes for sale from when I bought that dry oil well in North Dakota and pulled the hole out of the ground. The holes are cut in 36" lengths but are 6 inches in diameter. I suppose one could pare them down.  Or they could be cut in triangular cross section pieces and glued up into "hex-holes" to make stiffer holes.

 

P.S. the shipping is nothing because the holes have no weight!

[DC]

I double-tapered the strips so it would form a barreled arrow.  Tonkin cane has a higher elastic Modulus or stiffness than any wood, so it should theoretically be possible to make a same-stiffness arrow that is slightly less diameter than a wood arrow.  The downside is that it requires precise work in order to get the wall thickness just right.  If the strips are too thick the arrow will be too heavy, or have to be made so thin that it is no longer stiff enough. In recent years, I have seen arrows made from some exceptional Douglas fir that is just about as good and a lot easier to make. The hard part is finding these super boards.

Alan

There's lots of old growth Doug Fir around here. Maybe I'll look around an old logging show for some chunks.

[bownarra]

I've made quite a few of these arrows and they are amazing Thanks so much for the build-a-long on Paloeplanet Alan.

[willie]

There's lots of old growth Doug Fir around here. Maybe I'll look around an old logging show for some chunks.

one quality to consider is a stiffness to density ratio of the wood. it varies quite a bit. not all fine ringed doug fir is the same. something I tried to make sense about in a thread a few threads back.

[avcase]

I've made quite a few of these arrows and they are amazing Thanks so much for the build-a-long on Paloeplanet Alan.

It is good to know you have had success with it.  It really takes some commitment to get the most out of making arrows this way. 

There is an interesting relationship between the stiffness and density of the arrow material and the properties of the bow. I feel that real sweet spot for split cane arrows is with very heavy bows shooting short arrows. For example and 100#+ horn bow using an overdraw.  Even a completely solid-section split Tonkin cane arrow is going to be hard to beat for this application.

I find it most challenging to make split cane arrows for lighter bows that shoot long arrows. For these, there is a very fine line to balance between weight and stiffness of the strips. It only takes a few thousandths of an inch to make the difference between great and failure. For these kinds of bows, it is much easier to make a very good arrow out of more traditional materials like high quality spruce, fir, or some types of pine. Do you agree?

Alan

[DC]

It's sounding like it's not worth doing for my bows. I'd still like to try it though. It would give me a leg up if I ever decide to make fishing rods All I have is Moso Boo but I'll keep my eyes open for some Tonkin.

[bownarra]

The moso may work out better for the lighter bows.  DC once you have the hang of them you can make the most amazing target arrows too. Alan's idea of gluing alternate coulred pieces at glue-up and putting a twist in them has turned many heads over here
Alan you are right my split cane arrows are for 80# bows and up. Eventually I will dig out my flight shooting machine and get back at the distance shooting :0 I've never found any really good softwood over here.....

[DC]

Alan's idea of gluing alternate colored pieces at glue-up and putting a twist in them has turned many heads over here

I've not seen that unless it was in the build-a-long and i missed it. You wouldn't have a link would you?

[willie]

You wouldn't have a link would you?

multicolored and twisted? candycanes?
a pic would be awsome.