Arrows
As the title says, this page deals with arrows. Practically any stick and string can launch an arrow but only a well made arrow will fly straight and true. Good arrows needs not only to match the bow but they also need to match each other. A mixed set of arrows will give you mixed results on the target or in hunting situations. Mediocre arrows will quite often need helical fletching for them to fly straight but well made arrows will fly true with no helical fletch. Meticulous attention to details is what you need to do when making your arrows.
Here is a set of arrows made in the Algonquin way. These arrows are part of a set comprising of a bow, quiver and stone knife that were made for a display in a local in a local Algonquin office. The shafts are Meadowsweet with wild Turkey fletching and stone points of Flint and Quartz.
These next arrows are replicas of Ojibwa arrows located in a museum. The shafts on these arrows are also Meadowsweet. The fletching is Wild Turkey and Canada Goose and the points are Flint.
My preferred plant for making arrows is called Meadowsweet, this plant is a member of the Rose family. Meadowsweet is prolific where I live and makes a strong and resilient arrow. Many shoots have difficulty staying straight after being straightened but not so with Meadowsweet. Once it has been straightened using dry heat it stays straight. For the Algonquins and Ojibwa of this area this was an ideal plant for making their arrows. Here are some pictures.
Whether you are a hunter or target shooter, arrows for target shooting are a necessity. I make arrows for this purpose from a variety of materials, all my arrows are hand-made. My preferred material for target arrows is Yellow Poplar which is a strong and dimensional stable species; I make them from sawn blanks. I also make arrows from Black Ash, White Ash and Maple, to name a few, as well as a few local shrub species such as Meadowsweet, Beaked Hazel and Witherod. I've also made laminated arrows, a successful experiment that was done for a Primitive Archer Magazine article. My arrows are all hand-made much like they were made hundreds of years ago. Here are a few pictures of some of the different types of target arrows I have made
For target arrows I have a special tool that I made from 1/8" thick tool-steel 3" X 1 1/2" in size set into a handle. I use this tool for making arrow shafts from sawn blanks 3/8" square. This tool is hand-made with different size notches for different size arrows, the tool currently has several more notches than on the original shown below.
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If you have questions about arrows then you can contact me at: wistiwasi@gmail.com