Straightening River Cane..pictorial

[Tom Leemans]

Hmmm about 20 minutes per shaft. Now do I reach for an orange or a gumball when I'm done?

[DCM]

Mickey your fletcher craft is excellent.  Like a lot of hand crafts, your skill makes it look easy.  Thanks for posting.  It almost inspires me to do some more cane.  Almost.  I got patience reserved solely for tilling I reckon as arrow shaft straighening is... well maddening for me.

[Pat B]

Mickey, Art seals the canes after he scrapes the rind off. His cane arrows are as beautiful as any professional arrowmakers. I wouldn't, personally, scrape the rind off because it adds more work to an already labor-intensive job and isn't necessary. I did try it on a few just to see "what's up".   Pat

[ber643]

 
 I went and grabbed one cane from the place I mentioned earlier in the thread but I have a sneaky suspicion this may be Bamboo (due to the limbs and also the one concave side on each section between nodes) What do you guys think? In any case what do you use to cut the canes (a knife ain't too cool - side loppers maybe?) and how do you get limbs off nicely if this is the right kind? I don't really think it is but if not it may keep others away from it too.

[Dano]

Kinda looks like bamboo to me Bernie. But I don't know fur sure.

[the Ferret]

I'm not sure which specie ya got there Bern, I'll bet Pat B will know, but I'll bet it will make an arrow (althoguh that one looks too skinny to me or those branches are huge). Take the limbs off 1/2 dozen or so and bundle them up to dry and stick them in a warm dry spot. Check on them again in June and see how they look.

[ky boy]

dagone it!! i get it straight and then i try to do a little better and whoooops i should have left it alone , lol , ky

[ber643]

That is a skinny one, guys - but I just grabbed it for a f'rinstance. It actually is only a little larger than a finished 5/16" arra (at the bottom end of the cane). The canes in the stand are all sizes but a lot of them are pretty good sized, like a bamboo fish pole. I didn't look close enough to see if the concave side is still there on the larger ones or not. It was freezing out there to these ol' bones and the wind was cutting like ice - we were just on the way home from grocery shopping and I stopped and grabbed the one on the way. Someone said get ones about 1/2" in diameter or a little bigger - do they shrink some or do you loose size in taking it "down" for the nodes?

[Dano]

Bern, You just want to leave extra length on each end for drying/checking reasons, that way you can get a shaft out of some portion of the cane.

[the Ferret]

to top fro Bern, Stephen R and Curtis

[Scott Greaves]

Hey gang- try this one on- go out and cut 10,000 shafts-( yes 10,000- we are talking the right size for arrows) - bundle and let dry. River cane is sought after, all over the world, let every one know you have it and sell $1.00 a stick. All they want is a clean shaft. I do this every year. It takes a week of hard labor to cut that much and clean up the shafts- but it is worth it.

Scott Greaves

[Slimpikins]

i have thought about using it as trading stock or selling it, because i have 4 or 5 miles of creek with river cane so thick you cant walk without pushing it out of your way. i worked on a bundle today, and got four straight shafts out of it. it does make a good lookin arrow!

[ber643]

Again, thanks are in order Mickey, this is the one I was thinking of in the e-mail I sent to you. Funny what tricks memory (or lack of it) will play on a guy. huh? I will print this rascall out tomorrow - then I'll know where it is (maybe - LOL). Also since I don't have a gas stove (except a Coleman camper type - that might work) have to figure out what I am going to use as my heat source.

(I still want to find a place like Scott G. or Slimpickins are talkin' about - LOL)

[the Ferret]

Originally posted by ber643:

(I still want to find a place like Scott G. or Slimpickins are talkin' about - LOL)

Yea me too!

I spotted a big patch yesterday afternoon while we were on ur way to look at a pair of Bald Eagle with fledglings that have taken residence up the street a piece. Dang they are big birds. Anyhow this patch is on private property..actually a farm I used to hunt 25 years ago. Need ot go ask permission to get in there and cut some. I'm sure the original owner has died by now, cause he was really old 25 years ago.

The Coleman stove will work fine and i have even done them over a campfire.

[ber643]

I got the rascal captured now, be gorra!  

[StephenR]

Thanks again Mickey,Now I got to stop with the bow making and get to making some ammo,dang deer season gonna be here before I get everything done.LOL

Stephen