Primitive Archer

256fps is certainly on the HOT side of things. Thats fast! Especially with a 460 grain arrow. Id like to see what it will do with a 320 grain arrow.

  It should do around 300 fps. Maybe a little less.

I chronoed this bow. With a light 463 grain arrow (about 5 gn/#) the result was 256 fps. Quite ok, I am happy.

  That is good speed!

I've never been to the Trad shoot in Conover. I used to go to the one near Hickory put on by CTA(Carolina Traditional Archers) but it's no longer. There used to be more shoots around here in NC and SC but most have gone by the wayside. The only one I go to now is the Tenn. Classic, just north of Nashville in late April/early May. That at Pappy's farm, Twin Oaks. If you ever get there you will wonder why you've never been before. It's not only a Trad shoot but selfbow building too. You will start seeing posts soon about the Tenn Classic and if you search there is lots of info and pics of that here on PA.
 The cane you got from Asheville was probably is hill cane. It only grows in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Hill cane is more round with thicker walls and a distinct taper. It is the only native cane that is deciduous, loosing it's leaves every winter.
 Also all of the 3 native canes have a 3 year growth cycle. The first year it grows to it's ultimate height. The second year it matures and after the 3rd growing season that culm(cane) dies. Harvesting happens after the second growing season into the 3rd growing season. If you cut immature culms they will wrinkle lengthwise as they dry and will be more flimsy. I usually harvest in January and February. You can tell if the culm is ready to harvest because the paper sheath at the nodes is deteriorating or already gone. The arrows I make from hill cane are 30" long and 3/8" at the point and 5/16" at the nock and the complete arrow can weigh from the high 400grs to almost 600grs.
 I'm fortunate to have hill cane growing along the creek that runs through our property.

Vikings used elm most of the time, and the English on occasion. Time tested, and proven to be a good bow wood. Not easy to split, and work with, but the end result is worth the effort. Red oak under clear glass makes a handsome glass bow, and has been used for years to get that look. On a scale from 1 to 10 for me it is a 10 for white wood bows. Try a fire hardened sapling, and you will be pleasantly impressed.

Where in SC are you. We lived in Bluffton, outside of Hilton Head Is for 12 years before we moved to Brevard, NC in 1990.
 I think the cane you are cutting is switch cane(Arundaneria tecta) one of the 3 native varieties of cane. Up here in the mountains we have hill cane(A. Appalachiana). It is very similar to hill cane but better I think. Both make good arrows. River cane(A. gigantia) makes ok arrows but not as good as the other 2 native canes. River cane grows up to about 15' or more and is about 3/4" in diameter at the base. I think "river cane" is a generic name most folks call any cane used for arrows.