Sanding Cane/Bamboo

[bhenders]

Bamboo used for arrows had leaves on opposite sides of the clum.  That side of the clum is going to be the weakest and you don't want that against the bow.

SO, I always cut my nocks so that the closest leaf node on the shaft faces up when the arrow is on the string ( thus putting the stiffest side against the bow ).

Edit:  I think I discovered this myself when I started making bamboo arrows BUT it's been known by master arrow makers for centuries and is in Koppendrayer's  book about Making Japanese Arrows.

[Tom Leemans]

I straighten, then smooth the nodes without sanding them all the way down to the shaft size. They'll fly just fine with fat nodes. I do this by taking two thin plastic discs (ice cream pail lids with the rims cut off) and apply self adhesive sanding discs to them. These are bolted together at the center with about 1/4" worth of spacer between them. The sanding discs face each other. This is chucked up in the drill press. If you don't have one, you could use a hand drill lightly clamped in a vise. I chuck the straightened shaft in a cordless drill and fire up the drill press. I spin the shaft while forcing it between the now spinning sanding discs. Only takes a few seconds per node. Once the rough edges are smoothed over, you will end up with the nodes being raw and the rest of the shaft with rind on it. While I still have the shaft in the hand drill, I wrap a piece of fine sand paper around it and give it a spin while sanding up and down the shaft, just enough to give a finish coat something to stick to. I wipe a couple coats of poly on them after I've plugged the ends and done the nocks and they're ready to fletch! Some day I need to set up the camera and video this process.

[bhenders]

Interesting, I'm going to have to try that to see if it's faster than scraping (it should be much easier on my wrists... ).  Thanks

[TatankaOhitika]

Nope . It's purley for cosmetics . I sand the entire shaft lightly with a piece of sandstone , than wash the shaft with hot lye/woodash water . Now if you sand it like a mad man , you'll reduce the thickness of the outer surface to the inner hollow part . Which will reduce weight and make impacts more likley to break it

[PeteC]

Maybe switchcane is a little different from what some of y'all use,but here is how I do mine. After my cane is dry,I straighten it between the nodes first,then straighten the nodes. Sand the nodes,do final (fine)straightening,cut in the nock,then  sand lightly with 60,then 150,and finally 220. I want to stress this is a very light sanding and only takes a few strokes with each grit. After this it is ready for any finish you like. Once you get a system you like,excellent cane arrows can be built very quickly.  It's hard to beat switch cane.    JMHO      God Bless

[H Rhodes]

I do like PeteC but only sand the nodes.  The rest of the shaft I leave as is except for the area where I am tying on fletching. I usually spray finish them with bullseye or urethane.  Cane is good stuff.  In my opinion, cane arrows outlast everything else I have tried, including aluminum. 

[bhenders]

On straightening cane:  IF you have a gas grill that has cutouts on the side for a rotisserie attachment, you can fire up the grill and put the cane through the openings (with the top closed) and heat most of the shaft at once.  (you may want to put some foil over the metal so any grease there doesn't mark the shaft).  Keep the grill at about 300 and heat until the shaft is almost too hot to touch - a min or two.  Then take the shaft out and pull a straightener along the shaft. Rotate the shaft and pull a few times more.  Apply just a little side pressure as you pull. It's almost like you're trying to "stretch" the shaft. This can straighten a shaft much faster than doing the nodes and then the inter-nodes.  Then all you need to do is some minor correctional work for a final straight shaft.  Note:  I file down the nodes first so that they are almost flat with the shaft.