Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: agd68 on February 19, 2009, 04:55:38 pm

Title: Garden stake arrows
Post by: agd68 on February 19, 2009, 04:55:38 pm

 Has anyone made arrows from those bamboo  garden stakes ? Are they any good ?

Title: Re: Garden stake arrows
Post by: Pat B on February 19, 2009, 05:24:10 pm

Lots of folks have and the good ones make very good arrows.

Title: Re: Garden stake arrows
Post by: mullet on February 19, 2009, 06:13:21 pm

 They work pretty good, just go through them and pick out the best.

Title: Re: Garden stake arrows
Post by: DanaM on February 19, 2009, 07:14:16 pm

Usually their Tonkin Cane which is great arrow material.

Title: Re: Garden stake arrows
Post by: koan on February 19, 2009, 07:22:25 pm

Just finished one with a two-fletch and she works purty good. The ones I get at Lowes arent tapered very much and were purty straight....Brian

Title: Re: Garden stake arrows
Post by: 1/2primitive on February 19, 2009, 08:57:20 pm

Yep. :)
As stated before, pick out the best ones, and you'll be in good shape.
     Sean

Title: Re: Garden stake arrows
Post by: madcrow on February 19, 2009, 10:26:52 pm

Get the natural colored stakes.  The green dye on the others is a pain to get off.  It takes alot of sanding and alot of cussing.  If you stick with the green color, seal them really good, or the dye will rub off on anything and everything.  Oh, yeah, I would buy the 6 foot stakes, there is more room to play around adn get the best arrow.

Title: Re: Garden stake arrows
Post by: TRACY on February 20, 2009, 12:24:55 pm

Bought a bale of 500 last fall from a landscape company. It's 1st cut tonkin and has a lot of usable shafts that shoot very good.

Title: Re: Garden stake arrows
Post by: agd68 on February 20, 2009, 08:03:17 pm

I'll give them a try. I read here about how good cane arrows are but we dont have it growing up here.Do you sine em like other woods ?

Title: Re: Garden stake arrows
Post by: TRACY on February 23, 2009, 10:41:50 am

Spine them like any other wood shaft.

Title: Re: Garden stake arrows
Post by: srt on February 26, 2009, 04:32:00 pm

i ordered a bundle of 500 4ft long x 3/8" dia from bamboosupply.net. they shipped me 3ft by mistake. when i contacted them about the error they shipped me the 4ft i had originally ordered and told me to keep the 3ft bundle, no additional charge. i am pretty happy with their customer service.

started culling thru the 4ft bundle last night. i sorted them into 3 piles, rejects, good, and maybe...out of the 50 or so i went thru so far, only 8 or 10 were rejects, the rest were approximately half good / half maybe. pretty good ratio in my opinion.

i have gone thru about 10 of the 3ft stakes and 6 were rejects. i dont think i looked at a large enough sample to draw any real conclusions but the ratio does not seem to be as promising for the 3ft stakes. make sure you order at least 4ft long stakes.

after i finish making some arrows i will probably order some 6ft x 1/2" dia from them for atlatl darts.

steve

Title: Re: Garden stake arrows
Post by: huntertrapper on February 26, 2009, 05:26:37 pm

yep made a rabbit arrow out of one, just two fletch with a slate head, shoot pretty good, real thick, maybe too thick...