I love collecting arrow shafts

[aznboi3644]

Hey just wanted to show my stock of arrow shoots I've cut through the summer and fall.

Some viburnum...a lot of bamboo from my back yard...and some other shoots I have no clue of (big bundle)

Here are the select bamboo shafts on the right along with all the pickings from the year.


Close up of the unknown shafts debarked and some straightened.


Select Bamboo


Second graded bamboo...most of these shafts are atleast 4-5ft


bundle of unknown shafts


My first two piece arrow made from some hollow shaft I cut and a viburnum forshaft.


Arrow on display...thats a 48" red oak bow above it for size comparison.


Viburnum shoots


Heavyweight unknown shoots for war arrows

[markinengland]

Nice. Collecting arrow shafts is always fun. It's not really like you can have too many. My house is well insulated due to the arrow shafts in my loft space!

[crooketarrow]

   SWEETTTT   I also love the collecting part as much as the makeing. I firnd myself walking in to my stands or while I'm there.Checking out the shoots. I've caught myself lately marking shoots to go back and get.

[sonny]

yea, it seems there's something that just feels right about having a few newly collected arrow shafts
in my quiver along with finished arrows..........

Nice collection you got there.
   

[George Tsoukalas]

Those are  really nice. Nothing like a natural shaft. Jawge

[aznboi3644]

thanks guy...most of these were collected while doing landscaping at ppls houses...some customers had woods in the back and I'd just sneak off for a few minutes running like mad through the woods chopping shoots and throwing them in the back of the truck lol.

Shot the 48" arrow yesterday a few times from 45lb maple bow I was shooting in...from 15 yards its very accurate.  Shoots just where you point this monster.

I think I'm in love with long arrows.  I gotta weight this monster...should be fairly light as the main shaft is hollow and maybe 1/8" wall thickness...stiff though.

[aero86]

i just cut a bunch of river cane shafts from my spot.  its hard to stop.  im like ill just cut 12 or 18.  think i ended up with 36 or so!  lol.  always thinking, what if im missing a good one!  lol

[Pat B]

Here is a mess of shoots I have collected over the last few years or folks have sent me. There is a little of everything here; sourwood, silky dogwood, red osier, red twig dogwood(from Germany), gray dogwood(from Canada), salt cedar, hill cane, river cane, switch cane, bambusa and others I can't think of now.

[JackCrafty]

Very good collection.  I also love collecting and working with natural wood shoots, cane, and reed.  One can never have too many.

[stringstretcher]

Pat, you just posted that because you knew my truck was broke down and I could not "back up, snatch, and run".   

[Pat B]

Charlie, That is just half of them. I'm thinking about sending you a box load of shoots when I get to sending the feathers. With the weather we've been having I can't work so getting the feathers ready to ship is in order.

[aero86]

dang pat!  that wide bamboo doesnt fit in.  just send it to me because it doesnt belong!  lol

[stringstretcher]

Thanks Pat.  I will be looking for them.

[broken arrow]

I love collecting shoot shafts too.  I have one area where the Ocean Spray ( Ironwood) is located in 20 ft firs and makes them reach for the sunlight and are really straight . I cut them about 36 in long and seal the ends with glue and bring them into the house . Over a few weeks they dry slowly through the bark .   I leave them on my work table where I must walk by them regularly and straighten them when they are still green. Daily or weekly tweeking will give a really straight shaft .  The bark dries very hard and does not have to be removed .    I push the round part of a screwdriver up and down the shaft , when the shaft is drying. This does two things, it polishes the bark and flattens out the nodes. With a piece of sandstone I lightly sand out nodes that will not compress. The bark is dark brown when it's dry and requires no finishing material  to water proof it.

Winston

[JEB]

I see some salt cedar in one photo. How does that work for arrowshaft material.  I am in an area where i can get plenty of shoots.