Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: TRACY on July 19, 2008, 10:31:51 am
-
I'm new with working cane and have just been building a few arrows to try different methods etc.. I just can't get over how well these things shoot! I plan on hunting with them this deer season and have been trying to find the right mix. I whittled a piece of scrap osage to make a plug/field point and fletched turkey feathers with deer sinew. Suggestions and criticism welcome.
Thanks Tracy
[attachment deleted by admin]
-
Good looking arrow. I like the osage field point. You might want to do a sinew or thread wrap at the base of the shaft next to the field point, to help keep the shaft from splitting if you hit something hard.
-
Good Job!! Like already stated....wrap the Shaft at the Point end also....and you may want to try and spiral the wrapping through the Feathers next time...it makes them lay better to the Shaft....how does it fly?? Is that tip heavy enough to keep it on track?? I tried one out of Walnut before...and it seemed too light and it would hit sporadically....switched to a Steel Field Point and it was awesomely accurate
-
Not that it matters a great deal but with the height of yer fletch and the gap between the fletch and shaft
I'm wondering is it noisy in flight? Nice arra :)
-
Nice arrow. You are gonna find that these cane and bamboo arrows are tougher than all get out. In a shoot last spring, I hit the steel portion of a bonus target at 20 yards with one of mine on target #22 of a 40 target 3-D shoot. It just bounced off and I was able to finish the shoot with the same arrow. All the wood, carbon, and graphite arrows that hit the steel wound up in splinters.
-
Thanks for the input.
I agree with sinew on the point cheapshot.
El Destructo, it shoots great, but I wondered about the front of the shaft being light too. Surprisingly the fletch is fairly quiet with all of the gaps btwn shaft and fletch. This is a weak point for me. I feel like a one armed paper hanger getting the fletching in place :D. I'm gonna have to do my homework on on doing the spiral method for the future.
Dana, I left the fletch at 5.5" and trimmed it down. I thought it would whistle but it is pretty quiet. I expected it to sound like a flu flu in flight.
Majsnuff, I've worked wild rose shafts and some hardwood shoots and liked them, but cane is easier to straighten and is fun to shoot.
-
Looks good, you could probably trim that fletch down a bit lower. I made a few osage tips just like that a while back, and they shot pretty good. I found they did better on longer arrows to get a bit more weight. Looks like you're getting it all figured out, nice looking arrow.
-
Tracy, arrow looks great. One thing I would add to the other suggestions, the shaft looks green. If you flex the shaft it should go back to straight, if not than it still needs drying and or tempering.
take care,
Donnie
-
Donnie, It might be the lighting but they are definitely seasoned. I have some green ones and there's no mistaking them. Thanks Tracy
-
Gettin some good advice here - nice arra :). Practice, practice - they get easier as you go..
-
Yeah, cane dries out to that greenish color if you keep it inside-sunlight will turn it yaller-tan.
-
Interesting job done. What is river cane exactly? Kind of reed? Bamboo sort? I`m interested in this. Is anybody willing to send me a few as a donation? Sorry about my boldness! ;)
Regards Uwe
-
Uwe, River cane is one of 3 native North American bamboos (Arundaneria sp.). They are A. gigantia(river cane), A. tecta(switch cane) and A. appalaciana(hill cane), all of which can be used for arrows. There are a few Asian bamboos in the same genera.
Steve Parker's (Hillbilly) article(ArCANE Knowledge) in the newest edition of PA will give you good information about our native canes. I would be happy to send some to you but it will be later this fall or winter before I harvest any. Pat
-
Cool! I just made my first (see my other post here). I want to try to make points now (I just used an old .38 brass to make a blunt).
How did you make that osage point?
-
Thanks Savate. I used some scrap osage and whittled it to size and then shaped the sprue to fit inside the cane as a foreshaft. It
shoots great but I questioned the forward weight before shooting it. Loading the front of the shaft with a longer plug would help.
Tracy
-
@ Pat B: Thank you very much for the explanation and specially for the willingness to send me some to Germany!
If there are any costs or if you have a wish what I can realize, pleaase let me know!
Regards Uwe
-
Tracy, is the cane naturally hollow, or did you have to drill it out?
~~Matt
-
Matt, It's hollow between the nodes and the has a very woody potion at the nodes. How's the arm? Shooting yet?
Tracy
-
Actually it was just the hand. Got the cast off finally and am working on range of motion and re-stretching my sinew ;D
I hope to be full shooting-strength by squirrel season and working on bows before that. I have my black locust bow I've started picking at again but it has helicoptered on me for some evil reason, and I'm fighting with it to straighten it out. Then I don't know what to do next, finish my ash longbow or start on my Hop Hornbeam D bow.
~~Matt