Guys, I want to make some self arrows with stone tips for hunting.  Any suggestions on materials.  What you have tried? What does  or does not work?

Privet hedge makes a good shaft.  Cut longer than you need, leave the bark on, keep it in a bundle when drying.  Every evening, hand straighten each shaft to as close to perfect as you can get.  After about a week of this, they will stay straight.  When they do, leave them in the bundle until the sap wood turns brown.  Scrap off the bark and sand smooth.  Mount your point in the big end.  A heavy point goes in a heavy shaft.  Tun to your bow by sanding lightly in the middle of the shaft.  Bill

I've used a few different types of cane(switch cane, hill cane, bambusa), sourwood shoots, viburnum shoots, red osier dogwood, silky dogwood, gray dogwood, meadow sweet, buffalo nut and a few other natural shaft materials as well as store bought POC and ash, all with good results.

For Whitetail hunting I have had success with dogwood shoots, ash and ramin wood.  They all provide the weight needed to come up with a 600-700 grain arrow.  River cane on the other hand is too light unless you insert enough solid wood to get the desired weight.

I am with Skinner. I got lots of privet on the river bottom and lots of swamp rabbits.  

I am not much of a knapper but I want an samll hearty tuff point that will stand lots of shots.

it all works out

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vD4p_L6GWG5w0SOWu59P2g?feat=directlink

rusty

Go to the lumberyard and get youself some Bamboo tomato stakes cut to length, straighten, Fill both ends with a dowel rod, straighten, cut nock, mount feathers, mount head, wrap with sinew and your good.

My hill cane arrows(29"-30") come out between 600gr to almost 700gr with stone points or 125gr field points or glue on broadheads. I don't use foreshafts and I do use self nocks. Sourwood shoot arrows and red osier usually come out between 550gr-650gr.