Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: wolfsire on October 24, 2007, 02:09:02 pm
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Yesterday, with some time to kill, my daughter and I went abo exploring around vacant suburban lots here in Las Vegas and discovered a couple of Desert Willows. They are not true willows.
DW are native to the SW, including southern Nevada. I have lived here all my life, and to my knowledge have never seen one before. But, they are riparian and the local creek dried up (wells) almost a century ago. The ones I found are certainly the wild offspring of transplanted ones.
I’ve read that the local Indians, the Southern Paiute, used this plant for bows, and I would guess arrows too.
This looks like a full quiver in the making! In the area I found a dry twig of suitable arrow size and worked it. I think it was of DW. The bark was very difficult to remove, but it heat bent every well. Maybe this plant will grow a bow in the next year or two.
(http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/wolfsirebella/vol2007.jpg)
(http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/wolfsirebella/vol2005-1.jpg)
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Ive never used willow for arras,almost every thing Ive read on the subject, willow is the last resort for a arrow shaft.So if anyone has used willow with any success please jump in, Ive got tons of it on my place. Auggie.
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An important thing to consider is that the desert willow is not actually a willow, so the same rules do not apply.
On actual willows, i have heard that they are not any good for bows, but you can use anything for arrows. Considering that a bow has to bend and an arrow only has to fly, that sounds right to me. You should make some willow arrows and see how it goes.
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Ive wonder if there is desert willow at wetland park next to the archery range. Have to look around. marlon
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I work for the county and live waaaaay to the north, like 215 north wiith 3 kids, so it would be easier for me to ask someone in the countys parks dept. than actually make it down there.
As a up date, I cut one stick to work for an arrow and picked up a few dry. I threw away the dry as they were too difficult to work. The wet was, obviously a lot easier, but it has so many small knots that it makes it hard to keep round. I also worked about 3 tamrisks today aged a few weeks. Debarking was a little more difficult but they look and feel like they will make much better arrows. Desert willow will work, but Im sure now tamarisk will be better.
I know there is a threat here or over at paleo about working a desert willow into a bow that indicated the wood was only so so, but I still would like to give it a shot. But it if it is in the part, I am sure they would frown on cutting it. I would bet they would let cutting of tamarisk though.
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Yes tamarisk its all over the valley and behind the archery range. marlon
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For reference purposes
This link discusses making a bow from Desert Willow:
http:// p081.ezboard.com/f paleoplanet69529frm63.showMessage?topicID=81.topic
Per this link, http:// waynesword. palomar.edu/plsept99.htm, Desert Willow, or Chilopsis linearis is a Medium Heavy Wood with a SG of 0.59.