River cane

[Sambone]

Just finished my first self bow now I need to make some arrows. I cut a couple of small bundles if cane today and my questions are as follows.
How long do I need to let the cane dry and cure before I start working it?
What diameter should the cane be?
My bow is 48# at 28" draw.

Thanks in advance.

[H Rhodes]

I think that it should dry till the color fades toward a lighter green or even slightly gold color - maybe two or three months...  I cut mine with the fat end about 3/8".  I hope I am wrong, and it is hard to tell from your pics, but the bundle on the right looks like it might be a little immature to ever make good arrows.  I messed up early on in my cane arrow building by harvesting cane that was too young.  It will be too floppy and spine too light.  I think it has to be another season older and take on slightly stiffer qualities.  After you mess with it some, you will be able to look at it growing and tell the difference.    Those leaves laying right along the stalk usually won't be present on cane that is mature enough to make an arrow.  The good stuff usually isn't so bright green and it is tougher to cut down.  There's my two cents....  That said, when you start making arrows out of it, you will be impressed how well it holds up and how accurate they are.  Cane is good stuff.   Oh, and cut them long, 34 or 36" and prestraighten them a little (bend them till they look straighter) and duct tape the hell out of them, about twelve shafts to the bundle, before you let 'em dry.

[Sambone]

Thanks for the reply. The one bundle that has the two immature canes is 3/8" in diameter the other bundle is closer to 1/2" diameter so I am assuming they are probably to large. Right now the canes are seven feet long. Do I need to go on and cut them in half now or after they dry some? And what are the larger canes good for? Anything?

[H Rhodes]

It gets slimmer the closer to the top, those half inchers will make an arrow too.  You saw what I was referring to on that piece that was too young huh?  I screwed up by wasting time and effort harvesting some that was too young, too small, too large, etc...  Some folks take an open end  3/8" wrench into the woods with them and check the size before they cut it.  There are so many uses for cane, I try to keep some laying around the shop, and I cut it whenever I can.  Some landowners around here consider it a pest and spray it with herbicide!!  Can you imagine?  I have been cutting my nocks with three hack saw blades taped together, which fits my string nocks pretty good.  I smooth them out with chainsaw file and a little sandpaper afterward.  Same thing with the tie on points.  I have had no trouble with the nocks splitting or the points splitting the shafts.  I wrap them with thread, or sinew and they are surprisingly durable.  Good luck!

[aero86]

wait till they are gold in color.  you can hand straighten them a bit while they dry too.  just untie them, give them a few bends, and then tie them back up.  ive done it the few times ive cut some cane, and it really helps.

[bhenders]

Bamboo should always be at least one year old before cut. Clums sprout one year, go thru another and then die the third year.  Cut 2nd year clums at the end of the season and let them dry.  Bamboo deposits silicon in it's cell walls as it matures and that gives it strength and stiffness.  It's also tough on saws and you should avoid breathing dust if you sand bamboo.  When straightening, do the internodes first and then the nodes.  There are several youtube videos on straightening bamboo for arrows.