Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: Buckhorn47 on July 14, 2009, 04:48:56 pm
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Could I ask for some help from some learned members here. 1. Does spine weight work the same with bamboo arrows as it does for other woods? 2. The nock end: Presuming the use of a self nock, does a filler have to be added and if so, where can one get something to fit in the often erratically sized hollowed ends. If there is a "how to" for bamboo arrow construction, I have not found it, so any help would be appreciated. I do make my own hickory, spruce, cedar shafts but am interested in the bamboo. Thank you
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Tom Mills has a good tutorial on youtube I don't think river can is exactly like bamboo, but since they are both grasses I would think it's close enough. http://tillertree.com/tutorials/arrows/making-primitive-cane-arrows-by-tom-mills
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Thanks, Michael
Great tutorial - showed it all.
Frank
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My personal bamboo arrow tutorial. (http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/23526)
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Tom's tutorial (if it's the same one I'm thinking about) is for Arundo donax (giant reed) instead of actual river cane like we have in the Southeast. River cane is a native true bamboo. The Arundo (called "river cane" out west where they don't have the native stuff) is an invasive exotic grass, and is much weaker and less woody than true river cane, and will be a bigger diameter for the smae spine. The same general principals apply except that real cane doesn't need to be foreshafted, it's much stronger than the wood you're making the foreshaft out of. Tom's tutorial is a good one, though-he explains the process well. If the bamboo/cane is thick walled, you don't really need to plug it. If you have a good-sized hole, glue in a piece of bamboo skewer or drill it out and put a section of 1/4" dowel in it. I don't usually plug the nock end, but I usually try to make the nock just behind a node and wrap in front of the nock with sinew (always a good idea with any shaft material.) Spine works much the same, except that with tapered cane shafts with the big end forward, the effective spine range seems to be greater than with paralell shafts-the same arrow will shoot better out of a greater range of bow weights.