This photo shows some the tools I'm using to make shafts out of shoots. I use a Swiss army knife to saw off shoots and slice off twigs, as it fits into a pocket when I'm out on a bike ride or walk. I use concave cabinet scrappers to reduce diameter and also a little hobby cut off saw to cut the shafts to length after initial drying.

More pics to follow.

Joe

I use a spokeshave, set very fine, to reduce really fat shoots but now try to avoid the fat ones.

I thought my cabinet scraper idea was a possible first, given my intellectual superiority. However, ancient indigenous people used they too! This is proof great minds think alike!

Joe

The above pic is not mine. Forgot to mention I got it off the web.

If you buy the cabinet scrapper set, the one with the big "bites" is actually the most useful. The small cutouts are only used for final reducing.

Joe

Jawge uses a small "thumb" plane. I think it's a great tool but do not yet own one.

Joe

Good stuff Frisky. I use a thumb plane as well because I don't own a spokeshave.

Frisky thumb plane s are good .I prefer an English Record 09 1/2 adjustable throat block plane.I have owned it now for 40 years .The blades are tungsten vanadium.It get used a lot as I am on my third blade now.That plane has made a couple of thousand arrows in 40 years.Get yourself a thumb or block plane.I would be lost with one.Best arrow making tool there is.

It should have been ( lost without one) OSR

Frisky, What kind of knife is that to the far right?

Osr144- Yes, I have to get a small plane. The little scrappers do work like a plane. They take off beautiful curls. However, you have to wear a glove, as they hurt the hand.

Joe

Neuse- It's a small, fine toothed hobby saw used to cut model railroad track.

Joe

Speaking of smoothing shafts lots of aboriginal peoples used grooved sandstone blocks.Here in Australia aboriginies never used bows and arrows but used spears and spear throwers.I know of a place called Terramungamine where for centuries Aboriginies periodically camped near a river.The sandstone rocks there have hundreds of rock grooves where aboriginies sanded down various tools.The long grooves about 3/4" to 1" wide we're for straightening the high spots on spear shafts .Other grooves were for polished axe heads and others were for grinding seads and nuts for flour.They could still be serviceable today.Natives of the Americas North and South used small portable stone blocks too.Scorch and scrape methods were popular as we'll in some cultures over fires. OSR

Frisky, I ain't no Stephen Hawking, but I know this much--a pair of quality hand pruning nippers work a lot better than a knife for collecting the shoots. Good ones can snip off surprisingly large branches, say 5/8" or so. The ones I have are about the size of a pair of pliers.

Don't take my word for it, call up Stephen. Tell him Backcountry says, "hey!"

Yep. The American Indians used sandstone to smooth arrow shafts. The other day, I ran into an old classmate of mine. He used to hunt for Indian artifacts along the river. He found stones with holes drilled through them and also arrow shaft scrapping tools. He said he was hiking through the woods one day and saw a Great Horned Owl. Being a birder, he took a closer look at it through his rifle scope when a voice blurted out, "Don't shoot that owl!" He said he looked up and I was standing there in a tree with my bow, lol!

Joe

Backcountry- I have a small nippers. Nothing is as small, easy to carry and effective as a SAK saw!

Joe

The saw on a Victornox SAK is indeed very sharp and would do in a pinch, but for snipping arrow shoots, the pruners are much better.

But I am wondering how that club-like implement at the bottom of your photo is used in the arrow making process...

S$@t I thought it was a piece of fire wood but it could be a club? shoots look like they are comming along nicely though.Nice work there OSR

If Frisky had used pruning nips, he could be done by now, 'steada wasting all that time sawing those shoots.

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