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Written by Dick Baugh
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Page 1 of 2
The use of heat for manipulating the shape of wood is a fundamental
Stone Age woodworking technique. Heat is and was used initially to
straighten spear and arrow shafts and also for periodic maintenance of
straightness.
Typically, the shaft material is gathered in the green state,
straightened with heat while still green and then tied into a bundle to
dry. Some shaft materials will check if they are dried too quickly. To
prevent this put wax or pitch on the ends and don't peel the bark until
the shafts are dry. Patience! The contemporary primitive technologist
can speed up the drying process by placing the bundle of shafts in the
interior of a car in summer time.
One can apply heat to the shaft in several ways. For taking out long
curves you can apply the heat of a small fire. For removing kinks you
need a heat source which is concentrated in a small region of the
shaft. The best way to do that is to use a piece of soapstone
(steatite) with a semicircular groove. Heat the soapstone until it will
fry spit (same criterion used by grandma for the pancake griddle). Use
a pair of tongs to remove the straightener from the fire and place it
on a slightly raised platform.
 Two arrow straighteners
The smaller one was recently made from soapstone. The larger is an
authentic artifact, provenance unknown. It would be excellent for
removing sharp kinks.
Place the part of the shaft to be straightened in the groove and rotate
it. Rotating the shaft accomplishes two tasks. It applies the heat to
the entire circumference of the region being straightened and it gives
you a "feel" for where the high spot is. When the wood is hot then push
down on both sides of the shaft to remove the bend. If you have never
done this before then practice with something you don't care about.
It's done by feel. This technique is especially valuable for bamboo,
river cane, and phragmites which tend to collapse or buckle when bent
with too much vigor. Another thing to do with shaft material which tend
to buckle is to apply tension. Pulling on the ends of the shaft will
reduce the tendency to buckle.
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The process of straightening a shaft with a heated arrow straightener.
How hot is too hot? Ishi, a Native Californian and consummate
craftsman who lived during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s,
was disgusted with himself if he scorched an arrow shaft while straightening
it. The wood should be heated hot enough to be uncomfortable to the touch but
not hot enough to discolour.
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ow hot is too hot? Ishi, a Native Californian and consummate
craftsman who lived during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s,
was disgusted with himself if he scorched an arrow shaft while straightening
it. The wood should be heated hot enough to be uncomfortable to the touch but
not hot enough to discolour.
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Arrow shafts before and after straightening.
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