What is the point of smoothing arrow shafts?

[Jack Napier]

I have noticed a lot of primitive bowyers smooth their arrows out using a variety of methods, such as sandstone abraders, sandpaper, etc. I find this activity slavishly time consuming and frustrating. In fact, I would not even condemn a slave to this tortuous busy work.

Recently I was looking at pictures of a bow that Sitting Bull owned:



I noticed that the arrows don't look smooth and even, like a lot modern arrows do. In fact the bow also lacks this "even" and symmetrical appearance that you see on stuff nowadays. Everything is rough, knobby and uneven.

Also, see this picture of a Khoisan arrow:





It's very snakey and lumpy looking. I have a hard time believing that actual primitive people took the time to laborously smooth a delicate piece of wood. Anyone want to share information? Is smoothness really necessary for increasing the performance of an arrow, or is it just to satisfy an obsessive-compulsive need for aesthetics?

Respectfully,
Jack Napier

[Del the cat]

Yup, all you need is something heavy and point at one and and something feathery at the other, the shaft just keeps the two ends away from each other! And if it's long enough, the spine doesn't matter too much
Sometimes we get into overthink
Del

[osage outlaw]

I hate sanding anything.  Arrows aren't that bad.  I spend a minute or so on each shaft. 

[DC]

Aesthetics. I like to smooth them out just short of looking like a dowel.

[Swampman]

I have some arrows that are really rough.  They shoot great.  I do like the look of nicely finished arrows though.

[Pat B]

Not all of my arrows are nicely finished but for safety sake I like a smooth arrow and a smooth transition between the fletching and the shaft. It only takes one rough area or one splinter to ruin your day and how long does it take, a few minutes for each arrow at the most.

[Lumberman]

I don't smooth all mine down to a pristine smooth finish but I don't find it too laborious to do so. I have a few good shooters that I cut a little too narrow and blocky in places and finished em out just for the heck of it and turns out the spine was unaffected and still shoots consistently accurate

[BowEd]

I agree most times all the smoothing out is for asthetics or for safety reasons.Although practically all my tonkin arrows are not smoothed just straightened,and many times dogwoods have wiggles in them that shoot fine too.As long as one end lines up with the other and it is'nt bowed any but has wiggles in it it will shoot like a dart if matched with the bow.We are lucky nowadays to have time saving tools & ways of making more pristine arrows that's all.Making arrows is'nt everyones' cup of tea.
Putting an hours worth of work into each arrow is a bit of work your right.That picture of the khoisan arrow looks like some of mine.

[Jack Napier]

Thanks for the information, guys. Here are some pictures of Apache and Mojave arrows from the 1800s.

[bronco611]

the first arrow looks like one of the cartoon arrows that shoot around a corner. the arrows if made correctly do not need to be smoothed or sanded since they should never touch the bow when being shot. that is just for extra safety measure and looks.

[loon]

i'd just rough sand with low grit or just use a cabinet scraper, maybe burnish and apply tung oil, maybe shellac?

[jaxenro]

I think we have more leisure time on our hands than they did

[JW_Halverson]

Also take into account that those arrows have been in and out of weather and stored under who knows what conditions.  Changing humidity over a century and a quarter would be liable to raise your grain a little, too!

[turtle]

If I had to make as many arrows as the native americans did each year I would probably make them  using the least amount of time and effort as was practical. I would imagine that to them, each arrow was just an expendable tool. As long as it was able to get the required job done it was good enough.

[BowEd]

What I mostly like is shooting them at clubs' 3D shoots where compounders are or at a range where mixed types of bows are at.If you can call a compound a bow.It's a mechanical contraption to me with a trigger to boot.
Arrows look the best in flight/flying clean and hitting the mark no matter how smooth and finished they are.