Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: agd68 on November 03, 2008, 01:52:37 pm
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Does anyone have a recommondation for shaft diameters for bamboo to get 55/60 pound for a 29" arrow?
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Answers will vary from my experience with tonkin and river cane. I would spine each one individually to get what your looking for to be exact.
Tracy
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A good rule of thumb is to cut canes that are about 3/8" at the base. I know folks that carry a 3/8" open end wrench when they go to collect the cane for arrows. Pat
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The big variable that makes al the difference is wall thickness on the boo.
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Bamboo does'nt seem to grow to well in Canada so I'll be using garden stakes.
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Those are probally Tonkin. I'd cut them 32 to 34" long and 8 to 10 mm thick. Then play with the spine from there.
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Like the others said,there are a lot of differences between cane.Something I've been doing the last year or so is ,cut your cane long,like 4'-4 1/2'.After it is dry,Measure the deflection along the lenght until you find the desired spine.I have 2 nails driven into a shelf board,26" apart.Starting at one end,lay the cane on the nails,mark the location of the unflexed shaft,then hang a 2 pound weight from the center of the section your testing,mark the new location of the deflected shaft,then measure the distance the shaft deflected.Example:If the shaft deflects .45",then , 26 divided by .45 =57.78# of spine or, if it deflects .3",then, 26 divided by .3 =86.67# of spine. This is handy, because with this method you can rough test the spine before straightening the shafts.After testing a few of your batch,you will have a good idea what diameter you need to fit your need.Then cut, straighten,and build arrows.Hope this helps. God Bless
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Thanks for the advise guys.
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PeteC, That is great formulae. How did you come up with that system? I think I like it better than my cabinet door spine tester.
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OK Pete....I really like the Formula there....now when you spine your cane...do you....and you set them up ...do you fletch them with the weak side of the Cane towards the Bow ...or away from it?? I know it makes a difference....but I cant remember which way to go...I believe it was weak side to Bow....but I am not for sure.........
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Mike the sides of the cane with the nodes is the strong side and one of those sides should be against the bow. If the arrow doesn't fly right, just flip it over and it should. ;) Pat
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Thanks Pat....I have always just hit and missed on getting Cane to fly good...some are great the first time....others I have had to re-nock to get them to fly straighter....haven't tried sanding them to spine them yet....that may be a possibility though...
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Art Butner and Chris Cade and maybe Hillbilly all sand their cane shafts. I don't. For me the best way to spine them is to start long and reduce until they fly right. With cane spine is not all that critical as they seem to be less sensitive to spine than other shafts. The natural taper helps with that and also a few extra inches in length. Pat
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After cutting the arrow to lenght,and straightening,find the strong side.Your cock feather goes on the bottom as it sits.I mark the cock position,then rotate 90 degrees,and mark my arrow nock.God Bless
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Ok , how do you detrmine the strong side?
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On cane the sides with the nodes are the stronger sides. A spine tester will tell you which is the stronger side or possibly you would be able to feel the difference by hand. Pat
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sorry to dispute you Pat, But the nodes aren't the strong side all the time. An easy way to find the strong side is to lean the shaft against a low table with one end on the floor. With the palm of your hand, push down on the center of the shaft till it starts to bend. Now push it forward till it starts to roll. When you get to the stiff side the shaft will flip forward real fast. Just watch where it begins ti flip and mark it . I use a Sharpey, Then I put the stiff side against the handle. The opposite side of your mark is your cock feather and now you can mark where to cut your nock.
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agd68,the "strong side", I'm referring to, is the side which yields the least deflection (highest spine).You find it,by rotating the shaft ,(while it sits on your"spine tester"),and checking deflection,(by hanging your 2 #weight on the shaft),until that side is found.Once you've found it,and it will be on top side, as your arrow sits on your "spine tester".The side facing the floor is where your cock feather will go,thus,the nock will be parallel to the floor.I mark mine with a pencil ,while it sits on the 2 nails Hope this helps.If not let me know,I'll be glad to try again..God Bless