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River Cane Bow String
swamp monkey:
--- Quote from: gstoneberg on December 22, 2010, 01:55:22 pm ---I can post some close-ups of that bamboo string on the New Guinea bow if you'd like. I definitely agree that the knot appears to have been tied when the cane was wet and on the bow I have I didn't see a provision for unstringing it. I think the bow is made from palm, it looks a lot like the black palm I've seen pictures of here. Anyway, if more pictures would help I'll post them.
George
--- End quote ---
George Post away. Every little bit can help. I fully intend to find a way to replicate this technology (feel free to beat me to it ;)) and I will share what ever I come up with. What a fun deal. thanks ya'll
gstoneberg:
OK, here you go. I took 2 shots of each knot and 2 of a node on the string, front and back. Each node has been scraped so that the string is smooth. The string is just over a quarter inch wide George
swamp monkey:
I found some stuff on a basket making website that detailed the Choctaw process pasted below is the write up. Appropriate since it is a Choctaw cane sting I am trying to replicate. It required some interpretation on my part. It was not intuitive what I read. I followed it to get started and had the following results: The spitting was even and this was good because it was one of my past failures. However, when I hit the second node the split stopped and the pieces tended to break off. Pulling the work through worked the same as pushing it but pulling requires gloves. I cut my finger on one try. So I am going to experiment some more and hopefully have better results. If I can find a cane basket making guru I will pick their brain too.
thanks for coming along with me on this one folks.
Choctaw River Cane Splitter: Drive an upright stake of stout green cane into deep ground so that about 2 1/2 feet of the cane pole are above the ground. The top of the cane to be split is cut criss cross, down to the middle or just past the first joint. Use a butcher or flint knife to cut in one direction and then again at 90 degrees to the first cut. The cuts are about an inch or two in length, just enough so that the quartered end could be adjusted. A shorter piece of cane ten to twelve inches long is passed into one of these cross cuts on the "pusher" side of the stake and then placed horizontally against the stake. Another way of saying this is a smaller piece of cane is fixed at 90 degrees to the upright and placed so that half of the cane passed above it and half below.) The stake itself is placed into the other cross cut, and as the cane is pushed through, it falls into four divided lengths, on the far side of the stake. Sharply jab the cane pole to push against the upright cane. The cane should split along the grain between joints. Cane can be split as fast as it can be pushed through. Another way of saying this is from Weaving Wildly: Mats and Baskets the Choctaw Way by Mary Lou Stahl. "After the cane stalks are cut and brought back, a cross shaped warp is driven into the ground. Two lengthwise slits are made in the cane stalk, dividing the stem into quarters. These four parts of the stem were arranged around the cross- shaped warp and the weaver holds the stake with one hand and pushes the cane against it with the other hand. An experienced person can swiftly divide the stalk of cane into four equal lengths." Another way of splitting - select cane an inch or more in diameter and split by twisting in the hands and quartering it with a sharp blow across the thigh or knee.
leapingbare:
I made a split cane fish trap when i was a kid. Looked like a huge minow trap.
I did catch some cat fish
Michael C.:
How does that string work George, that looks tricky?.
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