Privitt Hedge Shafts

[hillbilly61]

Heard this past weelend that privet sprouts make good shafts. Is this right? Our pasture is surrounded by privet and honeysuckle

[ricktrojanowski]

I've made a few from privet.  Just leave the bark on when drying, and leave them extra long when drying.   I found they check really easily with the bark off.  Jackcrafty did a stone age arrow buildalong with privet.  Check it out it's in the How to section.  It is a great build along.

[Hillbilly]

Privet makes good shafts, heavy and tough. I've made quite a few from it over the years. If you can get back in the middle of a dense thicket of it, you can get some straight shafts without a bunch of knots and twigs. Those knots are heck to plane through without them tearing on privet. as Rick said, they check easily, I usually cut and bundle them and let them dry a couple months with the bark on.

[Pat B]

I concur with Hillbilly and Rick.

[hillbilly61]

 Thanks Hillbilly. OHHH I can get waaayy back in these...lol  Do you seal the ends while they dry?

[Mark Anderson]

Privet does make some good solid shafts. I usually take all the bark off except at the ends to keep them from checking. It's worked for me so far. I do it that way because once it's dry you got to do a lot of scraping to get it off and as long as there is about an inch or so left on at the ends till it dries it has done well for me.
Mark

[Badger]

  Are you guys picking larger diameter and planing it down? I picked a bundle several years ago but it seemed the spine was a little low, diameter may have been too small. Steve

[Pat B]

Steve, like with most shoot shafts you want to be sure the shoot is at least 2 years old. Year old shoots are generally pretty flimsy.

[hillbilly61]

 How do you tell the diff between 1 and 2 year old shafts?

[PeteC]

Privet makes a good heavy shaft,thus,a good hunting arrow.Spend a little extra time selecting straight shoots,with the little twigs up and down them.These are the older shoots and wii give you an arrow with sufficient weight to spine ratio.It is fairly easy to get 600-700 grain arrows in the mid 50# spine range. God Bless

[Pat B]

Hillbilly, generally the first growing season a shoot grows it will have leaves along the shoot. During the second season small branches grow from the leaf scars where the leaves were the year before.

[hillbilly61]

Thanks y'all Got nuttin better to do today than enjoy it. I straightened 14 river cane shafts allready and now I guess I'll go out and cut some privet. Have 50 more cane shafts drying. If I don't get to hot, might straighten some of them too. life's good when you're trying to get your mind off a failed bow 

[Bill Skinner]

Not your Boo Backed Osage?  Another thing you can do is work on them every night.  Striaghten them each night, when they dry, all you have to do is scrape and then sand with a sanding block.  Cut them as long as you can, the base has a swelling, and if it checks, you can cut it off.  I have found the ones I worked every night didn't check near as bad.  Bill

[hillbilly61]

 Bill. I have to get a few irons out of the fire Got 2 boo backed Osge board bows to try and NOT screw up And have another IPE to work on. Got 14 cane arrow shafts finished Now all I have to do is fletch them and put points on um Oh. Forgot the other 2 dozen cane shafts to straighten I think I need to retire so i'll have more time