I have made willow shafts from finds along the river bank that the beaver cut and chewed off all the bark,leaving teeth marks on the wood, I thought that just looked cool, (Natural Mojo ! ) gotta be selective,in that you get a little shrinkage when they dry,and of course they have to be pretty straight and long enough and not taper too much (Pretty consistent diameter) . I generally cut them down to 36 inches,dip the ends in any old paint I have lying around so they don't crack as they dry, let the paint dry and then start hand straitening them while the wood dries over the next week. cut to length light sand(Leave the tooth marks) seal with some sealer (Poly ?) and when they are needed,I make a display arrow/Medicine arrow with them with wild fletching and a knapped point. Some spine heavy enough and some don't depending on the bowweight you use. I have had some come out stiff enough and be good shooters for my 50lb longbow. Most any wood will make a good shaft if it is staight,not too brittle and heavy enough for what you are using it for. Targets,stumps,small game ,big game. In hunting,the arrow delivers the point accurately and with enough umph to penetrate the target sufficently. Those are the primary considerations for any arrow. ' Frank
