I was messing around in my garage yesterday while it was cold, wet, and nasty out. I had about 4 stalks of river cane up in the rafters of my garage that have been there for over a year. So I snatched one down from there and went to work on it. I used my heat gun to straighten it and that worked very well. This stuff is kind of a pain to straighten, but once you get it straight it looks really good. I sanded the nodes and affixed a stone Obsidian point that a fellow trad ganger sent me, he's just getting started knapping and I thought this would be a fine way to use one.
(Thanks Mike)

The turkey feathers are mine and the lashing around the point is B50 string material, then super glue soaked to keep it tight. I don't have any pine tar so I had to improvise with the super glue. The red string on each end and through the fletching is red sewing thread. Then the yellow below the nock is also B50.
It's mostly for looks, but I built it to have the ability to kill if I was so inclined to use it someday.....otherwise what's the point in making it? Right?
I'm positive that it's plenty lethal and I was really surprised how nice the natural taper adds some awesome FOC balance to the completed shaft. All total arrow wt. came out to around 575gr. which would be just perfect for anything you wanted to put it into.

Thanks for looking!
~SEMO~

 

 

 

 

nice work buddy.it is nice to see some selfbows and arrows every now and then.keep up the good work,steve  

Cool!

Lots of work,but a really cool arrow.

Nice lookin arrow my friend.  

Nice, how did it spine? Shawn

Good job. looks real good.

Very cool!

sooo cool, nice job.

Nice job. I've got some arrow bamboo I've been meaning to try. I think I have my inspiration

RIVER CANE,READY TO BRING THE PAIN GOOD WORK,,,,,,

Yeah, it is always an inspiration to see primitive gear...makes me want to build som'thin. Thanks for sharing.

Beauty! I'd have a hard time shooting it w/o a dozen more to replace it. Well done!

QuoteOriginally posted by Shawn Leonard:
Nice, how did it spine? Shawn

I got .400 on my testing jig, but I haven't tested mine against any others so I can't say it's 100% accurate. I have tested it against other "Known" spined arrow shafts and it seems to be spot on.
The front of center is what amazed me. The natural taper to cane shafts is amazing. Almost identical to my Grizzly Stick Sitkas.    

Thanks for the compliments guys.
It is alot of work, but it's fun work. Keeps my mind busy on miserable days when I can't get outside. I had alot of fun with it, but at the rate I was going a complete set would take me a whole week.  
 

Thanks, now kill something with it, that makes all the work worth it! Shawn

I'm seriously thinking about it Shawn. I've got about 3 more stalks of cane left up in the rafters and I'm considering finishing all of them to have enough to hit the woods with come spring. How cool would it be to poke a spring gobbler with a shaft made from nearly all natural materials?
Way cool.  

Great job Chris!

God bless,Mudd

Thanks Roy, I may need to look you up next time I'm in your neck of the woods and take a peek at your arrow shaft garden you spoke of?   :D

Come cut all you want.

I have a bunch of natures carbons growing right here in the yard.

God bless,Mudd

If you sanded the nodes, you removed the natural wax that waterproofs the cane.  Rub some bees'wax into the shaft where you sanded.  The heat from friction is all you need and you don't want to put so much on that the shaft feels tacky or sticky.  And it is a lot of fun to make your own from scratch.  Bill