looking at making some "primitive" arrows i have access to hazel and wayfarer tree shoots for shafts Does anyone have experience with these? Usually I shoot 11/32 shafts on 45 and 55 pound bows. what diamater shaft should i be looking at with shoots. I'll probably just take what's there and experiment but it would be nice if anyone else whose tried these woods could give me some advice.
arrow shafts
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A freind of mine has just made some very nice hazel arrows. I'm sure he won't mind me showing you these:
They are footed and pointed with Brazilian Redwood.
I've made a few hazel arrows and I have some shafts seasoning now.One of the problems is keeping them straight as they season.
Forget trying to spine them. Compensate by making them long with big feathers. I'd look for sun shoots that are about 3/8"
Peel them, straighten them and shove them somewhere to dry off for 6 months. Inspect them now and again and keep straightening them. You'll see that Mark has heat hardened his a bit with a blow torch.
Elder shoots work too if you can find some straight ones. And elder is harder and more stable.
They are footed and pointed with Brazilian Redwood.
I've made a few hazel arrows and I have some shafts seasoning now.One of the problems is keeping them straight as they season.
Forget trying to spine them. Compensate by making them long with big feathers. I'd look for sun shoots that are about 3/8"
Peel them, straighten them and shove them somewhere to dry off for 6 months. Inspect them now and again and keep straightening them. You'll see that Mark has heat hardened his a bit with a blow torch.
Elder shoots work too if you can find some straight ones. And elder is harder and more stable.
I completely disagree about the elder, bent stick, but it may be due to different species.
I always make my arrows a little longer and approximately match them to my bow by first shooting them without fletchings and points. If they shoot too much to the right I cut off a little of the arrow or add a heavier point. If to the left, then you have already cut off too much.
Narrowhandled bows are more forgiving towards poor matching with spine. Centershot bows can't have too stiff arrows. All of my bows have either narrow handled or centershot.
To ensure uniformity of size I use a sizer of antler and scrape down the arrow until it all goes easily through.
Good luck!
I always make my arrows a little longer and approximately match them to my bow by first shooting them without fletchings and points. If they shoot too much to the right I cut off a little of the arrow or add a heavier point. If to the left, then you have already cut off too much.
Narrowhandled bows are more forgiving towards poor matching with spine. Centershot bows can't have too stiff arrows. All of my bows have either narrow handled or centershot.
To ensure uniformity of size I use a sizer of antler and scrape down the arrow until it all goes easily through.
Good luck!
6 months! i was thinking about a month...but great info and some really nice looking arrows they look like they are fletched with turkey. I have been thinking about trying to use the feathers of wild birds I used pigeon on my atlatl darts and it worked just fine looked a bit daft though. probably too thin and weedy for an arrow though!
I make my shafts in one day, straightening them over a fire. No need to wait 6 months, although they will stiffen over time. After a week the fire-straightened shafts are probably so seasoned that you will not notice much difference later. Especially if you have the more forgiving narrow handled bow.
torjusg said:
Elder wood is useless for most things but straight stems, well seasoned will work. I had a flint tipped arrow fletched with swan primaries. It deflected off a tree and shattered. You need to be careful re-inforcing the nocks. Something built up with sinew is best.
It's much more stable than hazel when it is dried.
I've even seen a bow of elder with a groove running down the limbs and a hollow pipe right through the handle where the pith has been removed.
G
gwing
Guest
torjusg said:
If they are too whippy & going to the right you'd need a lighter point there rather than a heavier?
torjusg said:If to the left, then you have already cut off too much.
Heavier point, or alternatively it is surprising how much effect just scraping a *little* more from the centre of the arrow has.
torjusg said:I
Narrowhandled bows are more forgiving towards poor matching with spine. Centershot bows can't have too stiff arrows. All of my bows have either narrow handled or centershot.
To ensure uniformity of size I use a sizer of antler and scrape down the arrow until it all goes easily through.
Good luck!
stovie said:Yeah! But was it any good???
In the hands of the maker it was beating the longbow class at a field shoot.
That's good enough for me
I was surprised at how tough the wood was when it had been seasoned.
gwing said:
My understanding of this is that a heavier point adds more momentum in front, thereby increasing the flexing behind that point. Or in other words a heavy point decreases spine, but I may be wrong. I am not too good at the science of this stuff.
G
gwing
Guest
torjusg said:
You have the right idea, perhaps it was justt a typo in your iriginal post? To stiffen arrow shorten it or decrease pile weight, to make it more flexible add pile weight or scrape the shaft a bit, particularly in the middle.
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