Rivercane with flat spots

[ga6693]

Can rivercane that is slightly out of round or with flat spots be made into arrows that will shoot accurately?

[Pat B]

Yes!  All river cane has a pronounced sulcus(indentation above the node) and it will make good arrows.

[CherokeeKC]

If the "flat spot" extends the full length of the internode then it is some type of bamboo, not cane.  If like Pat B said it is just a flat spot near the each node then it is cane.  Either way they all make good arrows as long as the side walls are thick enough

[ga6693]

Thanks for the advice. The shafts I am referring to have an entire section on the large end that is out of round from node to node. I am in the process of sizing and spining them. When I turn them in the wrench I use for sizing it becomes obvious there is a high spot that runs the entire length of the section. On some shafts the difference in diameter is minimal and some it is more noticeable .  The remainder of the shaft looks good but if I cut off the questionable section there will not be sufficient diameter or length for an arrow. The cane I have came from several locations and most of it is good quality, but this has been curing for over a year and I hate to discard any of it  if it is usable. Also, I don't want to use up my limited supply of wild turkey feathers for fletching if there is a chance the arrows will not be serviceable. Thanks again for allowing me to share your knowledge and experience.

[oldhippy]

I have used just hill cane for the last four years and on some the section at the bottom is oblong. I have made arrows with cane like this and the arrows fly just fine. As a matter of fact I cut about six dozen a couple of weeks ago and sized them yesterday and about six had oblong shafts.

[ga6693]

 Oblong is a good word to describe the rivercane I was talking about. For some reason a lot of it in my area has this problem. I cut about 15 shafts from a new patch of cane yesterday and 6 of them were oblong on the end. I usually discard them when cutting if it is obvious they are like this but sometimes it is hard to tell. It is good to know that I can use the ones that are already dry. Thanks for the input, oldhippie.

[Pat B]

If you get away from the fiberglass mentaiity oblong might not be a bad thing...I'm just saying...!   

[ga6693]

Point well taken, Pat B.  The reason I initially asked the question was because several years ago a person who is very experienced in making rivercane arrows told me that if the rivercane was not round it would never fly straight. I tried to research the topic on this forum and others but was unsuccessful in finding any information. Seems like there are numerous threads on RC dealing with straightening, size , nocks, foreshafts...etc, but no mention of whether being concentric or not affects arrow flight. But I knew this forum is the place to get an honest answer from people who have the experience to guide myself and others in new ventures of primitive archery. Now,  I feel a lot more confident  in using the shafts I have thanks to the responses I got.   Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!