wat type of materials do ppl use for shafts, heads and filghts on arrows. Also how does the idea of dart head sound as an arrow head?

Shafts: sometimes reeds, but mostly woods like willow, ash, etc.  Something nice and straight.
Heads: Sometimes just sharpen the shaft.  Maybe a piece of bone, or even (once) antler.  Personal preference.  I don't yet have the skills to flintknap.
Flights:  I like turkey feathers, nice long straight ones, twisted on the shaft to impart spin (a native American innovation) or goose feathers.  If these are unavailable, pretty much any feather will do, so long as it is long enough and everything.
By dart head, you mean a throwing dart, dart board kind of thing?

For the dart head on your arrow. If you mean the throwing darts like at a bar, to me they wouldn't be worth the effort. A normal field tip ( screw in or glue on) would do more damage and probable fly truer. Not to mention they are alot cheaper than dart heads. Second if you ment the big dart heads from medevil crossbow, I think that they would be way to heavy but that also depends on the bow you shoot. A big English long bow could probably handle that kind of dart head.

Many of the American Indians would use Rose Wood shoots. Then they would straighten the shafts by drawing them through a bone with a  hole drilled in it. On the other hand, nice, straight grained Cedar shafts are wonderfully accurate and durable. I've heard it commented that the Indian would find naturally straight shafts, while the European would start with a large piece of wood and then carve it into a shaft.

But hey, if you don't want to go through the trouble of matching arrow spines, weights, and balances to your bow, check out this online catalog. It's where I get all my primitive archery supplies. They have everything to make primitive weapons and crafts, even kits to make your own stone arrow heads.
http://www.3riversarchery.com

Quote:

I've heard it commented that the Indian would find naturally straight shafts, while the European would start with a large piece of wood and then carve it into a shaft.

I have the Encyclopedia of Native American Bows, Arrows and Quivers, and nearly all of the blunts are evidently carved from a larger piece on account of their bulbous heads.  And most of the arrows therein are blunts.

English: yes i did mean the throwing dart head. I had the idea when for sum obscure reason i had a cane and a dart. I found while messin around that the shaft and head fitted almost perfectly into the garden cane.

Interesting...

  I think that the type of shaft and flights and even head that you use are nearly determined by the type of bow you use.  And whether you want flight arrows, target arrows, hunting/war arrows or any others also determines the materials.

Look at the 3riversarchery web site or on Ebay

The most common wood these days, and for the last many years, is Port Orford Cedar.  Other things are available, but this is the tried and true wood of tradtional shafts.  It is easy to work with and very resilient.

jeff <> < who loves archery

The wood I use most for arrows is ash, because it is very straight, and a good weight for target arrows.  I also use willow (asp) occasionally.  I find it a bit light for any kind of useful purpose, perhaps as a flight arrows, but I think flight arrows are themselves quite useless.  I think that there are many American woods which would be quite good to use, but they are rather difficult to get hold of here.  Then again, here in England, it is possible to get good quality lemonwood (which is a good bow wood) from Cuba which, I believe is impossible to obtain in America due to the trade embargo.

this is kind of off topic but if you twist the fletching around the shaft of the arrow does it increase distance, speed, accuracy or none or all three?
Sean

It increases accuracy. Distance and speed are a trade off  for accuracy because it increases drag on the arrow. And it robs power to make the arrow spin. A good trade in my opinion.

It depends on how much you twist the flights.  I think that power is not much reduced, because the spinning arrows will cause easier penetration.  Think of it like a screw.  But I would agree that range is slightly reduced.  This "technology" was developed by east coast native Americans, and they lived (and indeed, still live) in woodland areas, where accuracy is desirable for hunting, and range can be forfeit.

Is there any artifical alturnative to feathers as flights as there isnt a great abundance of turkey feathers in my area?

Well obviously you don't need turkey feathers - most feathers will do.  But if there really are no feathers anywhere, I'd suggest paper, leaves, even horn, modern plastic... they all have disadvantages.  Horn is stiff and heavy, paper gets wet easily and is heavier than feathers, leaves tear easily, modern plastics are unnatural, cost a lot, are short and inflexible, and to be honest, they don't look as nice as good turkey feathers.  I used pheasant feathers on one arrow, really long, spiralled.  It was probably the straightest flight I have ever seen.  It isn't difficult to get pheasant feathers near where I live; there are loads of good butchers in the area, and pheasants are a very common sight.  

Jamie - LEEDS UNITED ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ?????  So misguided........

hey, nothing wrong with leeds (apart from the whole debt and relegation thing)!
we'll be back up next season anyway ;)

Of course........ ;D