Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: bushman on January 14, 2012, 08:18:39 pm

Title: Old Dry Dead Trees?
Post by: bushman on January 14, 2012, 08:18:39 pm
Has anyone ever tried to make arrows from old dead dry trees (standing or laying above ground), the ones that are all checked on the outside and gray, bone dry and not rotten yet? I have always been thinking that it would be easy to make abo arrows from them, would be easy to get pieces split off of them, they would be straight and already dry. Thanks.
Bushman
Title: Re: Old Dry Dead Trees?
Post by: Pat B on January 15, 2012, 01:09:12 am
The only way to tell if it is sound is to make a shaft and give it a good bend test.  What kind of wood is it?
Title: Re: Old Dry Dead Trees?
Post by: bushman on January 15, 2012, 02:49:51 am
One I'm not sure on, ever Fir or spruce, hard to tell cuase its all gray and bleached/oxide on the out side, other one was a big o' Fir that was fire killed a long time ago, what wasn't charred is covered in a thin layer of pitch so it preserved it.
Bushman
Title: Re: Old Dry Dead Trees?
Post by: crooketarrow on January 15, 2012, 11:36:21 am
  Dead wood is just that dead. There's different degree of dead the longer it is dead. The mosre things attact it we can't see. Plus dead wood dosn't have memory or at least it's aready there and it's hard to change.
  Not like heating straighting ,tempering where after sealing the memory will stay ingrained.
 Sure you can make arrows from it. But to me it's not really worth the time and effort you put into makeing a shafe. To whee maybe it will be ok. Live shoots I know will be ok.
  But I have made arrows once from standing dead HAZZEL SHOOTS. That the whole stand  had died and never came back to life in the spring. They seamed to be ok. But I didn't have them long enough to tell. I shoot and miss alot.
Title: Re: Old Dry Dead Trees?
Post by: JackCrafty on January 15, 2012, 02:10:49 pm
Yep, I've made arrows from that stuff.  Too much work.  Usually has bug holes exactly where you don't want them.  Get some shoots.   :)