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rose shafts

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Mark Anderson:
What Pat said is true rose will check badly if all of the bark is removed, but I have stripped all but the last inch and a half of and there seems to be no problem and it dries much faster. Make sure you cut them bigger than you need because all of the rose shoots I've cut shrink a lot.
Mark

andy thomas:
thanks guys

wood:
I'll second the fact that rose shrinks like crazy.

Qwill:
I just started using rose shafts and i have found a couple of things. First, don't cut those with green colored bark. They seem to be young shoots that have a large pithy center. Red bark and the obviously old, gnarly-gray bark shafts are much, much stronger. Secondly, remove the outer layer of bark ASAP. There is an inner layer of bark that is very fibrous (which I believe would make decent cordage if peeled off green) that seems to keep the shaft from checking. I have seen the shafts split every which way with this layer removed too soon, but have not seen a split if this layer is left on. Thirdly, I have had good luck heating the shafts after only a day or so -- sometimes sooner. With the inner bark still on I heat an straighten while there is still quite a bit of moisture in the wood. Then everything seems to dry quickly with no (or very few) splits. I guess I just can't stand to wait a month or two.

Pat B:
Experimentation and the sharing the knowledge is what PA is all about!  8)
It is good to know that Qwill. I tried removing all but the last 2" of each end and that seems to work on privet and other shoots prone to checking. Leaving the inner bark is another one I will try. Anything to speed up the drying time is good...BUT, nothing beats well cured wood for bows or arrows!
 A comment on not using the green barked rose shoots...it gets back to using only second year growth or older for arrows. Generally, plant shoots will have leaves along their shoots the first growth year. The second year small branches grow from near the leaf scar left from last years leaves. These or older shoots are what you want for arrows.

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