Tonkin bamboo arrows

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Mark in England

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I'm making up sets of reference arrows at 26, 28 and 30 inches long in a range of spines. It will be interesting to see how these shoot from different bows.
 

Mark in England

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Would also be great to get hold of some slow motion video of bamboo arrows. Do they paradox the same as a parallel timber shaft or not? Slow motion may be the only way to tell but I can't afford a slo-mo camera!
 

Berny

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Kyudo arrow in flight

Would also be great to get hold of some slow motion video of bamboo arrows. Do they paradox the same as a parallel timber shaft or not? Slow motion may be the only way to tell but I can't afford a slo-mo camera!
This video shows a Kyudo arrow (bamboo?) in flight .... I'm sure there are others, but whether they're tonkin or something else I dunno.
I'm sure there must be some Kyudo proponents out there - Chidokan?
 
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Mark in England

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Interest in long 39 inch shafts?

I wonder what interest there may be in extra long 39 inch (I metre) tonkin shafts?

A few people (warbow and Kyudo archers) have asked if I can supply these, so I purchased a stock. I've sold a very few (well 12!) to a Kyudo archer but not enough to make it worthwhile. Now thinking of cutting these down to a more conventional length.

Thoughts?
 

Chidokan

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Thanks!! :D you just reminded me I forgot to call you... (been busy !!)so dont cut them just yet! The arrow in the video is an aluminium one by the looks of it... (cant see any nodes) good video though!
 

Si2

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I got the arrows today; beautiful.
Very smooth, very straight, very light, hmmmm, anything else?

I'm really looking forward to making these up for 100/80 yard shoots.

I'm not sure if I should go for 100 or 125 grain points...

Will start with 100 I think.
Si
 

Si2

New member
I have been progressing quite well with my first cane arrows.
I've got half a dozen to trial the build process.

First step was to line up the nodeson the nock ends and trim so they are all the same length. I did this to make sure I had a nice section to fletch on to.

I trimmed the sticks with a razor saw, cutting around rather than through.

I then measured and cut to length.

I drilled both ends out to 4mm and fitted some sections of cane dowel I just happened to have. I've no idea where it came from, but there was an eight inch section in my pen pot...

So I used it.

I inserted 15mm in the pile end with araldite to hold it - I was very gentle pushing in the dowels as I didn't want any splits.

Left this over night and then tapered with a pencil sharpener type taper tool I had to wrap masking tape around the shaft to get a good fit, as the cane shafts are smaller than my normal 5/16th.

Then I fitted some nice black Sherwood modkins, again with two part epoxy.



I then popped up the nock end, again fitted dowel - only 10mm this time though.
Left this to dry and then rounded the ends off.
I then drilled a hole for the self nock - did a 3mm hole, but started with a 2mm pilot, again trying not to split anything.
Then I drilled 1.5mm holes in a line out to the tip and filed the slot out. Then sanded a taper and tidied it all up. I then wiped some poly varnish over the lot and left to dry.

I fletched with white natural feathers and I'm not 100% sure that I like the shape. I will have a few experiments until I decide on something that looks nice and isn't too high profile.



Althogether enjoying the experience of working with new material and looking forward to seeing how these fly.
I'll be finishing them off with black silk ribbon around the self nock area and in front of the fletchings.





Have great weekend
Si
 

Si2

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I finished the arrow off with black silk ribbon tonight and measured it.
It comes in at 373 grains and 45lb spine. That's for a 29" arrow.
My normal POC ones are all about 450 grains, so a useful 80 grain saving.
When I've got all six done I'll have a shoot - probably one evening this week.
And I'll post up a pic of the set.
Si2
 

Si2

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I shot my Tonkins tonight, did a new national.
I have to say I was very impressed.
Shooting at 100 yards I was on the top of the boss.
My normal 5/16 POCs are normally about another boss height up and in the trees.
I noticed on arrow shot to the left - number 4 of 6.
I shoot four ends to get a sight mark that worked and then popped in a round.
I managed 86 which is not as good as my best with POC (128) but for a first effort, I was happy.
I adjusted for number 4 in the end.
My score was damaged by a dire 80 yard session, which was bad because I was trying to work out where my sight mark should be for the first two ends...
It ended at the bottom of the legs in the middle. Might have to use POCs for that range as they are nicely point on gold.
So, I feel I need to invest in a nice dozen now.


Si2
 

Genghis

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This is a useful thread :cool:

I have a quick question: I am planning on trying some self nocks on a few Tonkin cane shafts I am building and wondered if there is a specific direction I should cut them...?

I have made spruce shafted arrows before and, obviously, the nock has to be cut at 90? to the grain - anything I should know about cane arrows before I continue...?

Thanks
 

Berny

Active member
Self nocks for tonkin boos

No special directions as boos "grain" if you can call it that runs perpendicular to the sides of the stalk, although you may want to glue in a plug to reinforce before cutting.
....but have you read the Archers Review article & build-along?

My first set of self-nocks I just bound with thread to stop it splitting down the stalk from the nock - never had any probs. with this.
 

Genghis

New member
Thanks for the prompt reply Berny.

I am planning to glue in bamboo plugs before cutting and binding with thread so all sounds good. Thanks for the link - I had seen it before but a re-read will probably help...!
 

Mark in England

New member
As Berny says the grain of the bamboo power fibres runs down the shaft in much the same way the carbon fibres run down a carbon shaft. There is thus no grain to cut with or accross, no orientation in which the shaft is any more or less likely to split. A well made self nock with binding removes any need to consider which way the nock is cut in terms of splitting the shaft on release due to string pressure.
Though less pronounced than with a machined timber shaft there is usually a stiffer side to a bamboo shaft. In the US where river cane (similar to bamboo) is used a lot for hunting arrows many archers believe that the nock should be cut so that the arrow flexes around the bow in it's stiffest orientation.
I'm not 100% convinced this is necessary. Naturally tapered boo shafts shoot in what I would call a spine toerant way and I don't feel orientation makes significant difference.
This does however mean that a bamboo shaft allows a fair degree of spine "tinkering" when making arrows up. A degree of spine adjustment depending on where in the length of the shaft the arrow is made up and also some adjustment in terms of rotation.
Si, for future arrows I would advise longer plugs. Perhaps on gently used target arrows hitting grassy ground and straw targets the impact will be small and you'll be OK. Should you hit a target leg or stone you really want the plug seated deeper than the seat of the point to help absorb the impact and to stop the shaft being crushed and the point pushed back. Similalry, if a plug is glued in at the nock end I would advise one longer than 10mm which is almost only the depth of cut of the self nock itself. The plug helpd support wher it is in front of the nock and is not only there to fill the hole and allow the cut of the self nock itself. Noce neat nocks you've made though.
Best wishes,
Mark
 
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