yall have got me determined.

[recurve shooter]

im gonna make some cane arrows. i live in southern louisiana, so i got no prollem findeing the stuff. i need to know basicly how to streighten them, how long to dry them, how to spine them, so on. i know it would take years for yall to tell me compleatly how to do it. i just need some tips to go off of. i really apreciate any thiny any of yall could tell me. peace out,

recurve,
who now shoots longbows.

[Hillbilly]

Cut your cane about 3/8" or so at the big end. Leave it long so that you can pick out the best-sized section for your shaft later on. Be picky when you're cutting and try to get at least second-year canes that don't have papery sheathes around the nodes. Watch out for bushy cane-it will have dipped-in sections above the nodes. The rounder the better. Bundle it up with rubber bands and let it cure a couple months or so. Cane straightens easily with heat. Cut your shafts to length and heat the crooked spots over any heat source that isn't too hot, keep turning it constantly so that you don't char it. I like to straighten the sections between the nodes first, then after they are straight, heat and straighten the nodes so that the sections are straight with each other. You only have to heat it until it starts to "sweat", and you start to smell it. After you have them pretty straight, work the nodes down with a knife, file, or whatever. Then go over it again and fine-tune it until it's perfectly straight. Be careful bending the nodes, especially after you've worked them down smooth.

[recurve shooter]

wow. that was remarkably helpfull. that should be enough to get me started. anymore input is welcome.

[Hillbilly]

When you get started, just post on here and we'll walk you through it. Cane makes great arrows. You can start straightening some of them a week or two after you cut them.

[Pat B]

I don't like to sand or file the nodes on cane. That is the canes weakest point. I prefer to heat the nodes and compress them by rolling on a hard surface with a wood block. I use my wood stove to do this generally but have used the floor or a work table top. This will make the nodes the same the diameter, or approximately, as the rest of the cane without violating them.     Pat

[recurve shooter]

thanx pat. i woulda never thought of that one, and ill keep yall posted. think im gonna cut some this weekend.

[Hillbilly]

I work mine down completely even/flush with the shaft, and I've never broken one yet, even with direct hits on trees and rocks. I have broken probably hundreds of wooden arrows. It may make them a little weaker than they would be, but a weaker cane arrow is still fifty times tougher than a cedar or other wooden arrow, even hardwood shoots. I've always heard not to file them down, but my own experience has shown me that it don't hurt a thing, and I don't want all those bumps sticking out of the shaft to hit the bow as the arrow is leaving. I've seen pics of cane bowstrings made from strips of split cane with the nodes worked down completely smooth. If smooth nodes are strong enough to hold up for a bowstring, they probably aren't gonna weaken your arrows too much. 

[cowboy]

I've been straightening cane shafts in the evenings at hotel all this last week - have been doing it exactly the way Hillbilly described. Using a candle for my heat source (as per Mickey Lotz tutorial), rub a little cooking oil on section your heating and heat till the oil turns black, rub it off with a rag and straighten. I've notice that you can still straighten on them even after they've gotten cool - think they may still be a little steamy on the inside.
 Haven't tried rolling the nodes under a hard block to compress em, will play around with that some next time..

[cowboy]

Allright! Got em done . Here's about four evenings in BORING hotel room worth of straightening . Those on the right are what I got from Hillbilly, those on the left were some I cut in Houston - the nodes are way farther apart, not sure what it is . Anyway, those on right were snaky, twisted, and bent - kinda like Marie Lavoe . Crisco, candle, elbow grease, and eyeball is all it takes .

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Hillbilly]

Good looking shafts. Looks like you got 'em tamed (except for the first node of the one on the right.  ) That was a pretty gnarly batch of cane, I didn't bundle it like I usually do, just piled it up on my workbench until it dried. I've made some good arrows out of that same batch, though. Looks like you've got the hang of it now, after doing a bunch of them you get a lot quicker at it. One thing about the cane, once you get it straight, it usually stays that way.

[recurve shooter]

wow, thats nice work cowboy. so all ya do is heat and hand bend till they are streight?

[cowboy]

You caught me Steve , yeah - that one on the right does still look a little snaky in the pic. Need to build one of those shaft straighteners to use rather than my thumb, man it's sore hehheh .
  That's right recurve . Have your heat source fired up, rub a little oil on the section your working and heat till the oil turns black - only takes a few seconds. then wipe off the oil and start straightening - eyball down the shaft each time you bend it. Like Hillbilly says - it'll go easier and faster with time. I like to heat up the whole section between the nodes first, once all those are done it's pretty easy to straighten out the nodes.

[Hillbilly]

Paul, I'd be about sure that the stuff on the left is Japanese arrow boo. It makes great arrows, too.

[Little John]

Nice stash Cowbow, I wonder how they spine and how consistant foer weight?   Kenneth

[cowboy]

Steve, I'm going to bring a bundle of em to Pappy's. That way you can inpect em first hand and maybe ID em. Don't have any leaves or anything - just the shafts.