new river cane harvest

[inksoup]

i went to harvest some rivercanes last weeekend.
here is the photoes.
the place
   
at home
   
i have cleaned them
       
and packed 10 by 10
     

and left it for dry

 http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff517/inksoup/new%20rivercane%20harvest/17042011.jpg

that's it.

[inksoup]

i don't know what last photo is not showing. heh  

i have collected 120 canes in total. it was a busy day  

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Nice haul, so you just wrap them with clear tape in a bundle and they will dry fairly straight?
Your cane grows straighter with less taper than ours does here in Missouri. Ours tapers much quicker from the big end to the small end, which works out fine but you lose more of the stalk that way.

[hardwaymike]

Nice looking cane, inksoup. I wish it grew here in MI. I have been wanting to try it but don't want to drop the cash on something that dosent' work for me,lol. Can't wait to see some of those turned into arrows.

[inksoup]

re: SEMO_HUNTER, they do not change their shapes or strightness during drying if you just bind them like this.
and also i have found many thing about river canes with experiencing.
1. you have to drt them vertically, bottom should be at lower end.
2. ais ventialtion is important, if you can you have to make vertical hole at the middle of the cane from top to down to make air ventilation quicker.
3. they should not see the sun directly, otherwise they ruined.
4. the canes at least one year old. (still i am working on this to identify)
5. red ones (i don not know but it is for here) are stronger then the others.

[Pat B]

Our native cane here in the US(Arundaneria; 3 species)has a paperlike sheath at each node. Once the cane is in it's second growing season this sheath begins to deteriorate. After the 2nd year the sheath is all but gone and by the end of the third your the individual culms(canes) die. Between the 2nd and 3rd year is the ideal time to harvest it for arrows.
  I bind my fresh cut canes with string or rubber bands and give it about a month before I can work it into arrows.
  You will be able to tell the immature canes after they dry by the wrinkles that run the length of the cane. These immature canes are very flimsy and not good for arrows. Sunlight doesn't seem to adversely affect our native cane other than change them from pale green to tan in color.

[D]

Good info about the cane.  I love cane arrows.  I live close to Dale Hallow Lake and it grows all up and down the sides of it.  Not for sure which kind it is but wanted to get some to make into arrows but just don't know enough about it yet.  Dang cane sure maked a pretty arrow.  All my arrows are POC and I love them but I would really like the durability of the cane.

[Gene Gillis]

Don't know how you cut your cane to length, but I used a pvc pipe cutter and it worked better than any thing I have ever used. I can close down the jaws where I want to cut then kinda lightly score it a little and then cut ,and it is a flat 90 degree cut that works fine. I hardly ever split one cutting with the cutter. Just saying.

[inksoup]

re: Gene Gillis i am using my hunting knife and small axe to cut them from the field.
after i have dried them i am using utility knife to make shaped. like this one
 http://www.tnotomotiv.com/uploads/urunler/urun_528_1206779901_12.jpg

it is easy to work with when they dried.

re: Pat B
thanks for the informations. is there any information like if the distance between the nodes is that cm, cane is in this age?
or heigth? or thickness.

some of the (maybe most) canes here, i cut, were thick. i just cut from less thick part.

on the other hand:

i really like river cane arrows looking.

[Pat B]

Inksoup, Our native cane grows to it's ultimate height(only about 6') the first growing season, matures during the second season and dies at the end of the 3rd season. For me the paperlike sheath at each node is the indicator of maturity. When it starts to deteriorate it is generally in it's second growing season and by that autumn it is ready to harvest. Also the color changes from a true green color to a yellow green color as it matures and by the time it turns tan in color it is too late , the cane has begun to deteriorate.
  I use standard hand pruners(bypass type not anvil type)to harvest cane. I cut them full length at ground level(only grows to about 6'), clean them up a bit(remove side shoots, etc), them bundle them to dry. Once dry I cut the useable part out and begin the straightening process. Once relatively straight I find the appropriate "shaft" and cut it out of the cane. Once I get this done I check the spine, for me primarily to find the stiff side of the cane. This stiff side will go against the bow.
  I cut my cane(and hardwood shoot arrows) long, 29" to 30" for my 26" draw and begin making arrows. Generally same size canes will be close in spine and physical weight.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I noticed the same thing with my native can here Pat, pretty much everything you said except ours reach heights of 12' or more. Only the upper 1/3 to 1/2 that length is the part that will make an arrow shaft for a normal person. If you were shooting a 70-80 lb. bow then the next section below the one that I use would work for those, but then the diameter is getting up there a bit. It would be like shooting a broom handle. LOL

What I really noticed about it was that once it's straight it pretty much stays straight. I've had cedars that needed restraightened periodically, but not cane. It doesn't seem to change unless you heat it, and it's very strong. For strength I'd say it has cedar beat hands down and more comparable to ash, but not as heavy.
My finished arrow ended up being in the same wt. category as my cedars but just a tad heavier.
It's good stuff if you enjoy building them cause they do take longer to make, but in the long run I think it's worth it if a guy wanted to try them. They seem very forgiving in flight also, I was quite impressed with how mine flew.

[Pat B]

Semo, your cane is probably true river cane(Arundaneria gigantia). What grows here in the mountains is hill cane(A. appalaciana). The only other true native cane in the US is switch cane(A. tecta). The switch cane and hill cane are very similar in size but the hill cane has less sulcus(indentation at a node), slightly thicker walls and is deciduous.
  Once I have my cane shafts straight I will temper it by holding it over the flame, rotating it and working out the shaft. I do this to a slight coloration(sometimes darker areas for camo). Be careful at the far end because any moisture left in the cane will come out as very hot steam. Once tempered lay them flat to cool.
  My hill cane arrows usually come out in the 600gr to 650gr range with 125 gr points(29" to 30" long).
  A friend shot a 3-D round with a primitive cane arrow he made. Tied on feathers and for a point he cut a diaginal cut about 3" below a node and fire hardened the tip. He then filled the void almost full with dry sand and dripped pitch clue in the end to seal it. He was hitting trees and rocks and still made it through all 20 targets and the arrow was still good to go.

[TREESLEEPER]

A big bundle of cane.  Gene, where do you get your cane in LA?

[JSMOFFITT03]

Nice harvest, I was wondering the same, what's  you harvest state/ area...

I'd like to see a build along on cane arrows...

[Gene Gillis]

The cane here in Louisiana grows wild. theres a lot of different varietys. I have a special patch I like that I cut the most from. I now have started my own from this patch. You can see it growing along the roads here.

[Pat B]

There are many Asiatic varieties that have been introduced into the US. Some are good arrow material and some make good bow backings.