Hi all. I have some bamboo shafts I'd like to try for stump shooting and was wondering how others prep these for arrows.

Does anyone sand them? The areas around the nodes on mine could use a bit of work as they are raised compared to the other parts of the shaft. I was wondering if anyone sands the entire shaft?

Also I have seen people use heat to straighten the shafts and was wondering if this is the best method?

thanks Toms

I really enjoy watching this video. You'll need to turn the volume off, this guy definitely knows what he's doing.

https://youtu.be/D_5Ha1qyFDo

PS I have some Japanese pseudosasa Arrow bamboo in my backyard. I bought a little plant on eBay about 15 years ago, and I've had all the bamboo arrows I need for 10 years or so now.

I start with straightening the nodes, then straighten between the nodes. I keep going back and forth until the shaft is straight. Next I sand the nodes down. If I am going to stain the shafts I scrape the rind down on the shafts so they will accept stain. I leave most of them unstained.

Remember the nodes are the weakest part of the cane. Heating the node area and compressing it is better than sanding them down. Trick is making a jig. I used a cheap small vise from HF and took some flat aluminum and a round file a made a groove on two pieces. Then JB’ed them to vise. I use a heat gun to warm the area then clamp in vise till cooled a little. I use same setup for making bamboo fly rod strips. Yeah, lots of work so it’s your call.

All of the bamboo shafting I’ve bought has arrived stained/sealed and relatively straight. Just a little hand straightening is all I’ve needed so far.

Why would you want to sand down the nodes? I find no issue with them. I make the small end the nock. These are naturally tapered and you don’t have to worry about the grain/nock alignment because they are natural shoots. Plus they are tough and 5/16” diameter.

My experience has been the same as Kellys.

I looked at the other shafts and it seems as if the one I was playing with was the only one with rough nodes.

Mine will still need some straightening. I don't have a heat gun so will likely just use a candle.

Thanks for the input thus far.

You will need a heat gun, Harbor freight sells a good one for about $10. A candle won't provide diffused heat

They can be sort of rough and still work. You can just smooth the nodes leaving them proud not ground away or squozed down.

Some of us still make our own bamboo arrow shafts from scratch, though they're widely available from China now.

Thanks for the info on the jig Gunner, that sounds very handy. I tried heating and compressing nodes once and it didn't do anything.

I bought a bag of bamboo skewers from the dollar tree. I insert about 3 inches of bambooskewer into each end of the shaft using Titebond 2 or 3. This strengthens the ends a bit and allows you to use a tapering tool on the nock end if you want without tearing up the end with the taper tool. Some don't think this is necessary but it certainly doesn't hurt to beef up the ends a bit this way.

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