small knots shoots...?

[nsherve]

If you're trying to make arrow shafts with shoots/saplings (whatever you call the little young growth), what do you do about the small knots? Wouldn't sanding/shaving them down weaken the shaft?

[Pat B]

Generally with the sourwood shoots I use mostly the knots are at the nock/fletching end and not affected shooting the arrow. Most of the bending stresses is towards the center. I've made lots of shoot arrows and never had a problem with knots affecting the durability of the arrow. I've never had a shoot arrow break when shot. I've used sourwood, blackhaw viburnum and a few different types of bush dogwoods.

[nsherve]

I was shooting one today (privet, without feathers), that has small knots up and it...It did seem fine. Also, it flew straight which surprises me. This is the first time I've tried it...

[burtonridr]

In my experience, sanding down the knots does not seem to hurt anything. Typically wood is stronger and more dense in the area around a knot, so sanding shouldn't weaken it in relation to the rest of the shaft, it will likely still be stiffer than the rest even after sanding. This has been my experience with red dogwood anyway.

[BowEd]

Making shooting shafts from shoots is like shooting a little tree in my mind.Dog woods are very elastic as most shoots are except for most bamboos but they are tough as a hickory knot too.Shooting too weak of spine for a bow though will have it's consquences.Sanding knots have never been a problem on dogwoods for me.Even planing or sanding the small wiggles out of dogwoods have not been detremental.