Lousy shooting cane arrow

[Eric Krewson]

My cane arrows almost always are good shooters, some better than others. I made 4 lately, one flies like a dart, two are good, one was the worst shooting arrow I ever made, it hit 18" to the left and really clanked coming out of the bow. Yesterday I tried cock feather in but it didn't make it shoot much better. Today I cut the self nock off and cut a new nock, one feather around from what had been the cock feather. Now this former terrible shooter flies like a dart.

I have another bad shooter or two I need to try this on.

[Danzn Bar]

Ever tried tuning your arrows the bare "nock" method?   
DBar

[riverrat]

it might be the nock wasnt centered good.had a simular problem with a shoot shaft arrow recently. turned out that the nock wasnt centered good.it kept kicking up as i shot it. it would level out in flight but it would kick up soon as it left the bow. so i cut off the nock and made a new one. it fixed it as well.Tony

[Danzn Bar]

Yea Tony, there are so many variables in making self arrows especially with cane.
DBar

[1442]

Good info.
It's funny how that works to tame a wild arrow. I've done that in the past with good results, and have a few arrows set aside that need the treatment right now.

[mullet]

I always find the stiff side before I cut the nock.

[Pat B]

Me too, Eddie. That's the first thing Art taught me about making cane and sourwood shoot arrows.

[bowandarrow473]

I flex and find the stiff side, if you don't, there's a chance your arrow will fly like a crippled duck.

[Eric Krewson]

I put several of my cane shafts on my spine tester and was surprised to find the spine was consistent side to side, no stiff side. I don't think I tested the arrow in question.

[DC]

I noticed that with my bamboo arrows. I'm just starting to play with split shafts but they appear to be stiffer with the rings at 90 degrees to the bow.

[1442]

My cane arrow shafts don't seem to have a stiff side either. I give up trying to find the stiff side shortly after I started making arrows because I just couldn't determine which side was stiffer.
I'm gonna try it again just in case I was missing something.

[Pat B]

Generally the stiff side will be with the node against the bow. One side or the other will be the stiff side.

[Eric Krewson]

Another thing; The cane I use is not the best, sometimes the small ends have a pronounced trough that runs a few inches up from the node. I have to orientate the fletching to keep a feather out of this trough.

I should make my cane selection more carefully to avoid this type of cane but it is the norm where I cut my stuff.

[Pat B]

Eric, it is probably switch cane(A. tecta). Switch cane has a definite sulcus(that indentation). If you cut your nock just above the node you can eliminate that problem.