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Arrow shaft material in Michigan?
Lee Lobbestael:
Thanks guys! Denny, do the small stuff comin up around the base of trees have much spine to it?
sailordad:
when i go get shaft material,wether its osier or just any ol shoot i can find
i get it so the at end is 1/2" - 5/8" thick,it will shrink some when dried
and lose a little diameter when the bark is removed
just make sure your getting second year growth no matter what the material is ;)
denny:
I agree with sailordad , , pick it somewhat large,,3/8 to 1/2. You will see the difference in spine as they dry out.Wood is wood. That being said, Hard woods work better than soft.We have alota dogwood in our area, but no river cane. I have gone to Homedepot and bought bundles of tomato stakes ( bamboo) for about 4.00 and choice the narrow ones and made some great arrows. They come in 6 foot length, so one cane will give two arrows . And they are very straight and slender.AS for choice of suckers at the base of the trees, Red oak and hickory and ash are my choice. We have sugar maple , which is hard rock maple. This Makes a good arrow. Got lotsa wild roses along the yard. But with all this arrow material, I haven't seen many Indians. lol Denny
Buckeye Guy:
Mich. Has plenty of wild cherry ,it's shoots make some mighty fine arrows!
There is also some northern arrow wood growing there but some what scarce you may have to cultivate it some If you can find it!
Its all fun!!
JackCrafty:
When I was in Indiana, there was red osier all over the place. You can't miss it, it's red ;D and sometimes has critter bite marks on it...especially if there are beavers nearby. But red osier is a bit weak and will not stay straight.
If you are able, and you can't find stiff shoots, I would split or saw some blanks out of hickory and plane those down.
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