Rivercane arrow question

[Woody roberts]

I picked up some river cane this weekend. My question is since most have at least some taper which end is the nock on?

[Pat B]

Nock on the small end, head on the big end. Cane and hardwood shoots are naturally front heavy aiding their flight.

[Woody roberts]

Thanks, I was pretty sure of that but wanted to confirm

[Pat B]

Woody, don't forget to post pics when you are done. 

[gutpile]

I foreshaft my cane arrows too... some don't .. I feel it gives them a better FOC since they are so lightweight to begin with (natures carbon)and enables you to run a higher spine shaft since the foreshaft brings it back down.. they seems to fly better also... not too mention it is easier to replace a foreshaft than build an entire arrow... I also like to use a node on nock end... still wrap with sinew .. never had a cane arrow split that way... orientation of cane can also affect spine... cane is so easy to spine.. once you find your spine you can spine by  hand pretty easily.. it is also quite spine tolerable... 15lbs difference and still flies as should... incredible arrow material.... and so easy to straighten... gut

[gutpile]

I'll also add that some of my nocks are between nodes, done to keep length close.. I still wrap with sinew... never split the cane... incredible stuff... gut

[Pat B]

I don't worry about node placement for nocks or point end but like Gut I also wrap with sinew. The cane I use will give me arrows of 500gr to 600gr which is plenty of weight for me. I've only done a few arrows with foreshafts but generally don't.

[Woody roberts]

Thanks guys, this cane is still green. Not sure if that matters. I made up 2 just for grins. No feathers on first one. 175 gr bolt stuck in front. Nock left slightly on first shot so I trimmed a little off the bolt. Next shot missed the barn to the left and disappeared in the grass.

Next one I had one turkey tail feather so I cut it in two and tied it on. Looks and acts more like a flu flu than anything else.

Consistently lands to the left. Need heavier point? Need longer shaft? Certainly needs better fletching. The shaft is 29” long.

Makes a really cool sound while in the air.

[Pat B]

Bundle the rest of your cane up and give a month or so in a dry place to let them dry.

[Woody roberts]

Have done so. Will keep you posted.

[gutpile]

cane needs to be dry, wait till it turns yellow.. shooting green cane will have too much paradox.. remember orientation of cane affects spine.. one side can be 55 lb..other 70... truth... cane is an incredible material for arrows... naturally tapered, hollow lightweight, extremely spine tolerable, very easy to straighten.. I would do an initial pass on the cane straightening before bundling , it wont take much heat at all when green ... cut your cane at least 6 inches longer than you will need before bundling also, you can shorten but not lengthen...also I pick cane that is not to flimsy when alive, usually they dont have husks on them... gut

[Pat B]

Knowing the species of the cane you are using will help. These days "river cane" is used as a generic term when in fact river cane(Arundaneria gigantia) is one of only 3 native North American canes(bamboos). A. tecta(switch cane) and A. appalachiana(hill cane) are the other two and river cane is the least appropriate of these canes for arrow making. River cane will make good arrows but the over sized nodes are noisy when drawn across a bow. All other canes or bamboos are from other parts of the world and there are many of them in the US, some good for arrows, some not.
 Like Gut said, cane has different spine values from one side to the other and generally the actual nodes will be placed up and down and with the stiff side of the arrow against the bow. Placing the stiff side against the bow is true for any arrow shafting.
 Also, be sure you harvest only mature culms(canes). With the native canes each culm has a 3 year growing cycle and there is a paper like sheath that protects the nodes on first year cane. By the second growing season the culm is maturing and that sheath begins to deteriorate and by the 3rd season the sheath is usually completely gone and that culm will die at the end of the 3rd growing season. After the second growing season but before the culm dies is the optimal time to harvest cane for arrow shafting. If you happen to cut an immature culm it will shrivel with lengthwise ripples. These are not appropriate for arrows.