Red osier dogwood shafts - help please

[Andrea S]

Hey guys! I went turkey scouting the other day, came up miserably short on turkeys, but managed to discover the holy mother lode of red osier dogwood. It seems like a popular shaft choice, and will achieve a nice, heavy hunting arrow, but there doesn't seem to be a solid build-along for them that I can find. I'd be happy to write one up if I can get all of your collective wisdom to add to the bits and pieces I've found in this forum. Since I have such an abundance available,  I'd like to take people's variations in methods (dry bundled, dry debarked, debark all but last inch or two, etc) and test them on a dozen or so shafts for each method. Hopefully, by this fall, the experiment will end with a handful of usable arrows for hunting.

Lay it on me! Pictures encouraged!

[Pat B]

Red osier makes great arrows. With most shoot material I do not scrape the bark but bundle them and put them up to dry. Once dry I scrape the bark and start the straightening process. I have heard some folks will scrape all but an inch or so on each end and bundle to dry. With sourwood I can scrape the bark as soon as I cut them and they never check but others I've tried this with have checked.
 An open end 3/8" wrench makes a good gauge for determining which shoots to cut. Be sure the shoots you cut are at least 2 years old. They will have small branches on them and not be jus bare shoots.
 Experiment with a few different drying methods and see which work best for you.
I'll be happy to contribute to anything you write.

[crooketarrow]

  I also leave the bark on all my arrow shoots.

 I do all my shhots this way.

I seperate and bundle per size. Straighten and rasp down while green set aside let season 6 months. Straighten and rasp down again wait 6 months
.
  I bundle really well,duck tape. Store and let season some times 4,5,6 years.  When I'm ready I'll straight and rasp down. I use;ll have to straighen and rasp the 4 th time. Like most shoots longer they season better they are and the longer they'll stay straight.

 I've never left red osier longer than 6 years. Have some (50) drying but still have a couple years to go. Thats what I've really heard about sourwood. I've read sour wood dos'nt even come into play untill 10 years.

[IndianGuy]

Skin them, semi straighten while green, roast on your grill once or over stove several times, wear gloves and restraighten as the cool. You can go from green shaft to finished arrow In a day...or you can wait six months or 4,5,6 years like previously stated.
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[Pat B]

I have made a sourwood arrow in 3 days from cutting the shoot by scraping the bark and placing it under my wood stove, hand straightening as I go. I haven't tried this with any other shoots so I have no other experience there. I do know a 1 year(from cutting) old shoot makes a better arrow than a newly cut shoot and a 2 year old shoot is even better. Just like with bow wood dry and seasoned are two completely different things. I'll take a well seasoned shoot shaft or bow stave any day over just dry ones.
 I only spine test shoot and cane arrows to find the stiff side which goes against the bow. If you check spine on your shoot shafts they will stiffen as they season so keep that in mind. Personally I don't worry about it.     

[Sockrablur]

I worked with red Osier dogwood for the first time last year. I really enjoyed it. I read everything I could here, learned a lot and lots of people answered many questions. Cutting dogwood shafts from the woods led me to try many other things I had never done... making pine pitch glue, processing and using sinew, making a quiver out of sticks, making bone, glass, and obsidian points. One thing seemed to flow into the next... I'll add a few photos for fun...

[Sockrablur]

[bubbles]

What's that red wrap on the last few?

[Sockrablur]

Thinned cherry bark.





Draw indicator compliments of my pretty red headed girlfriend.

[Andrea S]

Sockrablur, those are some gorgeous arrows! Thanks for sharing!

I've cut and bundled several dozen; half of these will season for next year, the other half will season the next four or five months for fall hunting season. In addition, I am taking a dozen (well, I started with that many, we're down to 9 now, hoping for 6) and using the oven-bake method to dry them more quickly so I have some options for spring turkey this weekend. I'm also working on some boo arrows while I turn, dry, and straighten these.

I weighed one shaft (note they are oversized at 34" to make straightening and drying easier) and it was just under 500 grains. Hopefully with 145gr points they will all come out finished at around 600gr. I'm very excited to have some solid, heavy hunting arrows to go with my hickory bow I just finished!

[Pat B]

There is more than one way to skin a cat.    You have an advantage over most of us, Andrea, you are the wife and most wives wouldn't allow such abuse of her oven.