Author Topic: Phragmites arrows?  (Read 2366 times)

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Offline eastcreekarchery

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Phragmites arrows?
« on: October 19, 2020, 09:17:04 pm »
I have access to a large stand of Phragmites australis. Has anyone had success with this species?

Offline JackCrafty

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Re: Phragmites arrows?
« Reply #1 on: October 19, 2020, 09:33:09 pm »
Where are you located? Not all phragmites is created equal.

I've made a lot of arrows from phragmites but I'm on the edge of a desert in west Texas at about 2000 ft elevation. The phragmites we have here has very thick walls.

Phragmites from wet lowlands tends to be very weak and not suitable for arrows, in my opinion.
Any critter tastes good with enough butter on it.

Patrick Blank
Midland, Texas
Youtube: JackCrafty, Allergic Hobbit, Patrick Blank

Where's Rock? Public Waterways, Road Cuts, Landscape Supply, Knap-Ins.
How to Cook It?  200° for 24hrs then 275° to 500° for 4hrs (depending on type), Cool for 12hr

Offline eastcreekarchery

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Re: Phragmites arrows?
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2020, 09:44:15 pm »
Yea i watched your video where u mentioned that. Im in NY. I think i will give them a try nonetheless and see how they perform.

Offline JackCrafty

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Re: Phragmites arrows?
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2020, 09:47:33 pm »
You should be able to get your hands on Viburnum up there. I grew up in New Hampshire and that's the stuff that makes the best arrows, in my opinion. I've tried all kinds of dogwood, cherry, oak, and lots of other random shoots but Viburnum blows them all away as far as flexibility and durability.
Any critter tastes good with enough butter on it.

Patrick Blank
Midland, Texas
Youtube: JackCrafty, Allergic Hobbit, Patrick Blank

Where's Rock? Public Waterways, Road Cuts, Landscape Supply, Knap-Ins.
How to Cook It?  200° for 24hrs then 275° to 500° for 4hrs (depending on type), Cool for 12hr

Offline eastcreekarchery

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Re: Phragmites arrows?
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2020, 09:51:11 pm »
Ive used plenty of viburnum for arrows and it works great for me. Im always looking to try new stuff though.

Offline JackCrafty

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Re: Phragmites arrows?
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2020, 09:58:39 pm »
I see.

One wood that I haven't tried for arrows is yew. We had a few trees in the woods back then, but it was too much work for me to cut and split the shafts out of the trunks. I'd be curious what your opinion is of yew for arrows, if you've tried it.

I tried juniper once but the shafts would not stay straight. They reverted back to their original shape no matter what I did.
Any critter tastes good with enough butter on it.

Patrick Blank
Midland, Texas
Youtube: JackCrafty, Allergic Hobbit, Patrick Blank

Where's Rock? Public Waterways, Road Cuts, Landscape Supply, Knap-Ins.
How to Cook It?  200° for 24hrs then 275° to 500° for 4hrs (depending on type), Cool for 12hr

Offline eastcreekarchery

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Re: Phragmites arrows?
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2020, 10:32:57 pm »
Ive never tried yew but it seems like it would work as its a very resilient wood. However ive found it difficult to straighten arrows cut from seasoned lumber. I find that wood that is straightened when its green stays straighter than wood straightened when its seasoned, even with heat. I like to straighten natural shafts when they are green everyday for week after i cut them. If you look at wood arrows that you can buy from three rivers for instance, youll see that the arrows have some grain runoff, indicating that they aren’t cut along the grain but rather for straightness, the wood just happens to be very straight grained, and thats why you can cut excellent arrows from those boards. This is just my personal experience though.

Offline eastcreekarchery

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Re: Phragmites arrows?
« Reply #7 on: October 19, 2020, 10:47:40 pm »
Ive mentioned that bit about wood arrows cut from boards to try and explain why your juniper arrows may not have stayed straight, assuming u cut them from a board. You might try cutting them straighter from a straight grained piece of lumber.