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River cane arrow questions

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PeteC:
Switch or river cane is an amazing arrow material.But,it is a wonder how much the shafts vary in weight and spine.I have found ,if you want to build matched sets ,you've got to build a bunch of arrows.I take time to select cane,like Hillbilly said,then,allow them to dry a month.I first sand down the nodes,then straighten it,cut in nocks ,taking advantage of the node.Glue in hardwood inserts.Do a final sanding,then weigh and spine test.and separate them into matching groups.When  I can put together a set of a 1/2 dozen,I'll figure how heavy a point I need,and can further increase weight by applying a coat or more of finish,if needed.Otherwise ,I put a few coats of tru-oil on,mount the heads,fletch em,and they're done.Hope this helps.They are easy and fast to make.  God Bless

hammerstone:
Ted.I talked to mickey lotz at mojam this year and he said that overspined was the way to go with rivercane. I had been spining mine ten to five lbs. under the weight of my self bows as i do with wood and was getting decent flight out to twenty yards.Since switching to overspined cane my accuracy has improved substantialy out to thirty and beyond.Not that i shoot at deer that far away , but it shure is fun to nail a pine cone at forty yards.

Dutchman58:
I see one reference to drying time in a post above.

How long do you dry your shaft material before starting with straightening? I have some cane that was cut in late January of this year that I have drying and I'm itching to get started on that batch if the time's right. I also have some that I'm fooling with now that have dried for a year. That batch is working out pretty well so far.

Another question, when do you find is the best time of year for cutting cane shafts? I have access to a fair amount of cane and can cut at any time of year, but I wonder what is the prime time.

Pat B:
Winter is the easiest time to harvest because you don't have to worry about bugs or snakes but you can cut any time of the year. You do want to cut only mature canes though. You want to cut after the 2nd growing season. Each culm(cane) has a 3 year growing cycle. If the paper like sheath is deteriorating or completely gone it should be mature enough.
  If you cut the cane in January they should be fine to work now. The hill cane arrows I just posted were cut this past January.

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