Elderberry??

[laine]

I have used elderyberry with success, it is in fact much stouter than it appears. I am working on one right now 29" raw shaft wheight 25 grams (385.75 grains ish) spines 70#, 1 cm (.393 in) at the fat end .9cm (.354 in) at the skinny end. i expect it will get a little stiffer and lighter as it seasons. I dried this one in a cool dark place with the bark off with no checking (though my last elderberry shaft did check a little on the ends). some cons might be it's lightnss for hunting and it's thin walls make it hard to size down.
               laine

[GregB]

It also makes a decent wine, good jelly, and the berries would have to be good for a dye I would think...glass carbouys are badly stained after making elderberry wine and its difficult to get them clean again.

[Pamunkey]

I've made a few elderberry arrows.  Cut them larger than you think you'll need because they lose quite a bit of diameter when the bark is removed and during drying.  Also, be sure to select straight shoots to begin with, because they break easily if you're not careful straightening them.  On the ones I've made, I added both foreshafts and hardwood nock inserts (really helps with their durability).

Will