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Offline Iowahedge

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Bamboo shafts
« on: June 22, 2017, 11:46:34 am »
Going to try my hand at some wal-mart special bamboo shafts. Ive read several on line how tos. Tenbrooks being the best one. How straight will the shafts straighten out.  Its my first try at making them and tried a couple out and with heat gun it isnt horribly hard to get them bending. The "straight" section between the nodes are fairly easy to get "straightened" but how much do the nodes need to line up. I can post pictures later of what i got so far.  Or if anyone has a picture of a straightened shaft at a angle you can see all the nodes before any nodes are sanded or rolled flat that would be great.
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Offline loon

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2017, 12:20:40 pm »
it's really difficult. heating the shaft and then bending it while pressing/burnishing(rubbing against something hard) the high side seems to help with the worst bends
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Offline mullet

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2017, 12:44:58 pm »
I sand the nodes down if they stick up too much.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2017, 02:58:42 pm »
If when you spin the arrow on its point and the nock end and point spin nicely, they will work. Regardless of the wobble in between. If the nock end or point end wobbles, they wont fly nice regardless of how straight the shaft is in between. Hope that makes sense.
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Offline DC

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #4 on: June 23, 2017, 10:29:57 am »
Make sure you wrap the nock area with strong thread. I use Kevlar. One of mine unwrapped and I never noticed. It split right up past the fletching with just a 40# bow. I had also glued a bamboo skewer insert into the nock area.
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Offline Iowahedge

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2017, 11:02:58 am »
Got some silk thread hopefully that will be strong enough.  Saw bamboo skewers the other day and was thinking/wondering if they would work for inserts on the point when I taper them or if i need something a larger diameter like a 3/16-1/4 dowel
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Offline DC

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2017, 11:15:46 am »
Normally I get away with 1/8" bamboo skewers but for the occasional piece with a larger hole I got some larger(maybe 3/16") from Walmart. I glue them in with thick CA or good 5 min epoxy. I got some silk thread and it doesn't seem as strong as I was expecting. Others swear by it. Maybe there is different grades. If you strip the wax off scraps of Fast Flight(xylene works great) you can use that.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2017, 11:16:16 am »
I wrap mine with silk and super glue. Never had one split out. The key is to have a node just below the nock end. Say 1.5-2". That bolsters that area somewhat.
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2017, 12:07:30 pm »
If you wrap with sinew there is no need for inserts but some do it anyway. If you use a sander to make your tapers you don't need inserts either.
 Don't sand the nodes until after you've straightened the cane. I've had them break while straightening after sanding. Once straightened it's OK to sand them smooth although instead of sanding the nodes I prefer to heat and roll them smooth(almost) with a flat piece of hardwood on a hard, smooth surface.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Danzn Bar

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2017, 01:49:30 pm »
Only time I use a bamboo skewers is when I use traditional glue on points or nocks on cane/boo shafts, the insert provides more solid gluing surface.

I have a different thought about node placement...........I do not like the nodes to be close to the point or nock end of the shaft.  The node is the hardest part to get straight.  Understanding the arrow straightness is about a natural centerline running from point to nock.  I have not had any nocks split out as long as they are wrapped with a strong thread about 1/2" long and superglued.
DBar
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Offline Pat B

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2017, 06:00:22 pm »
I like to put the fletching on an internode so I have a uninterrupted area to glue them down and having a node below the nock isn't necessary as long as you have a good wrap below the nock. 
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Danzn Bar

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #11 on: June 23, 2017, 06:55:02 pm »
Pat ... if you wait to trim the fletching after you glue or wrap the feathers the nodes or uninterrupted areas doesn't make a difference....
DBar
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Offline Danzn Bar

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #12 on: June 23, 2017, 06:59:37 pm »
Pat.....It's all about the final product......Thanks for the cane you gave me at the Classic ..............
I can tell I need to make you a few arrows ....:)  ;)
DBar
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Offline Pat B

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #13 on: June 23, 2017, 10:42:23 pm »
Enjoy it Bill. I'm in no rush so at your convenience.  :OK
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Iowahedge

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Re: Bamboo shafts
« Reply #14 on: June 25, 2017, 06:03:48 pm »

Hope this picture is ok to post cause there a long way from primitive that everyone else posts. Thank you for all the tips and advice got 6 made that I kinda spine tested with a couple nails and 2lb weight. Starting with some carbon arrows to get a rough idea how much bend I would need. And picked through alot of walmart special stakes to get the half dozen that bent fairly close to each other. 3 have self nocks and 3 have bohning nocks. Pictured is the one that turned out fairly decent.  Cant wait for the fall to get some natural feathers from winged critters.  The point is a duplex nail and the wrap is black silk thread.
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