Cut some River cane today

[TNtrapper]

Hey guys,
I finially got around to cutting some river cane today. This 75 degree weather we are having is NICE! The Obion river is about a mile walk in as there are no roads in to the bottom. I did get to do some turkey scouting while I was in there so it wasnt too bad. This is the closest patch on my side of the river. It runs about 75 yards down the river.

 
 

I found 24 shoots about 3/8 at the largest.
 

After a long haul out I got them back to the shop and stripped them and cut them to 40".
 
 

Next they got bundled large end to small end around a broom handle. Ive got them in the rafters of my barn to dry.
 

I hope I cut them right. All the large ends are are right at 3/8.( I took a small 3/8 open end wrench to guage them.) Most of the cane was 8' to 10 ' high that I cut. It just seems that some of the small ends are smaller than they should be. Maybe not. I know I waded cane in short sleeves trying to find the correct sizes for an hour and my naked arms show it! LOL This is my first time with cane and just thought I would share. I know the ticks are out in this warm weather. Ive pulled 3 off of me since I got in the house. Im headed to the shower ASAP!   :p

[JAG]

         
Just gotta love that cane.  Wish there were some closer to myhome.  Will head up to the Delta later this spring to try to find some.
Looks good, what you've got.  I ry to cut mine with ends a little larger, that way the nock end will also be a bit larger.
JAG/Johnny

[stringstretcher]

Some great looking arrow material there.  You will like them I am sure.

[TNtrapper]

Hey Stringstretcher....when these get dry I will send you some to try.

[magnus]

They are fun to make and shoot. Enjoy the journey!

[David Flanrey]

Very nice!  

[stringstretcher]

Thanks Adam

[Lee Viv]

Just getting into cane....very nice haul!

[Maxx Black]

Are they fairly tuff arrows ? Interesting choice of shafting material . Ken

[stringstretcher]

They are called natures carbon for a reason Maxx.  Almost undestructable.

[2fletch]

I used river cane from several sources, but then got lazy and planted some Japanese Arrow Bamboo in the back yard next to an osage. That was about 10-12 years ago. Now it's producing about 100 arrow shafts and maybe 50 atlatal dart shafts or bean poles each season. That's a pretty good return on a small investment. It is aggressive though. So far it has overwhelmed an apple tree and two peach trees.

Dispite the convenience of having arrow and bow wood growing in the yard, there is something magical about securing them in the wild. I wouldn't recommend growing your own for everyone.

[b.glass]

Mom plant some bamboo in her yard several years ago. I don't know what kind it is but I've been eyeballing it the last couple of years.

[JamesKerr]

Looks like you are going to have a lot of really good cane arrows from that bunch.

[Tallhunter]

Hey jag, about how large do you try to cut your shafting?

[east_tx_pineknot]

How long do they have to dry?

[Sam McMichael]

I still have not gotten the hang of straightening that stuff!  I made some last summer but they are too stiff for my 54# bow. Also, what diameter do you usually find works in close for a 40# bow? It is frustrating but fun both at the same time.

[stringstretcher]

On my cane, I let it dry at least 2 months before working it up, but have them bundled as tight and straight in bundles of 12 or more while they dry.  As for the size, when I cut my cane, I always use a 3/8 open end wrench and let that be the biggest end.  When I make my arrows, I try and get the nock ends around 9/32 so I can keep the same finger pressure and split on the arrows all the time, and to start with, once I cut the 9/32 end for the nock, I spine my cane and find the stiffest side.  That will go towards the strike plate.  And a general guide line to start with, is use a spine that is about 10 lbs heavier than your bow weight if you are shooting 28" arrows and 125 grain points.  Any shorter or longer or lighter or heavier points will be calculated just like you would on wood or other arrow shafts.

[Bill Skinner]

Johnny cuts the cane for his arrows at 7/16ths and the cane for his wife's bow at 3/8ths.  Also, he cuts 3 year old cane for himself and 2 year old cane for his wife's bow.  Or, at least he did the last time I talked to him, anyways.

[stringstretcher]

As I did, don't get caught in a trap of trying to cut cane or bamboo to an exact length, or diameter.  It will prove you wrong every time...lol.  Take a look at the heavy hitter part two arrow thread that I have posted up, and you will see what can be done with even the 100 plus pound spine cane                      

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=126866

[Pat B]

A good rule of thumb for cane and hardwood shoot arrows is because of its natural taper you can subtract 10# of spine weight for that natural taper, plus for each inch over 28" you can subtract another 5# so if you have a cane or hardwood shaft that spines 60# subtract the 10# for the taper giving you an arrow that shoots like a 50# spined arrow. Now make it 30"(2" over 28") long and the same arrow will shoot like a 40# spined arrow.
  When I make cane or hardwood shoot arrows the only thing I use a spine tester for is to find the stiff side which goes against the bow.