I picked up a dozen bamboo shafts today.  The diameter of the nock ends vary making for tough alignment of a nock.  Would it be better to have self nocks?  Something I have never attempted.  
Also would like to try making some river cane arrows.  Do these two materials act the same?  Where to buy river cane?  Thanks
Bill

It would be a sin to put plastic nocks on those shafts... Get some osage or hickory or some other harder wood and make self nocks for them.. Not hard to do.

Thanks for the response Roy, do you know if there has been any posts on making these nocks?
Bill

Not that I know of but I'm sure someone will come along and help you there. Maybe even a search on you tube might yield something.

All I do is use a piece of wood about 2 inches long which has been turned into a dowel rod, then grind an inch of one end down thin enough to slide into the end of the cane shaft. You will want to drill out the end of the cane shaft so as to remove the puffy material on the inside edge. I use smooth on epoxy to glue them in. Then I use a hack saw blade to cut in my string grooves. Then I wrap the glue joint with sinew to make it stronger.

Take 3 different pieces of wood 1/8 in thickness,and 2 inches wide on the center piece, outside pieces 1 " wide,glue them together in a lamination with 1" sticking out in the center. Now you have a lets say 12 inch laminated  board with the center sticking out 1 ", slice crosswise every 3/8 and you end up with the pieces to make your nocks.  Slice the bamboo down 1 inch and 1/8 wide, glue piece in shape and cut nock to width.  Ionnian had a great tutorial on this about 6 years ago, can't find it anymore.

Put self nocks directly in the cane itself. As long as you add a wrap just below the nock they are stronger than any plastic nock. I prefer sinew for the wrap but have had good results with silk thread and artificial sinew set in glue. Here are a few self nocked arrows I made...

I remember that tutorial by Ionian, those nocks were slick.  I don't have a link, but I did manage to print out the tutorial, its a very unique and effective way of making nocks.

Hey Sal could you bring a copy of that tutorial to MOJAM?  I can't find anything on Inonian anymore.

Thanks,
Dan

Does any one have the link to inonian's tutorial?

The link is gone he is no longer a member on tradgang.

I live in NE, North Carolina near the Outer Banks and river reed is plentiful.  I have a patch behind the house near the drainage pond.  

I have made several arrows out of these reeds.  I cut them during the winter.  I cut both nock and point ends about 1" above and below the natural joints.  The joints perform the same function as a sinew wrap.  I have not yet had any of these arrows break.

I have used both replica arrow heads and 120 grain target points, depending on what I want to use them for.  Most 3D shoots won't let you use arrow heads as it messes up the 3D targets.

Here is a pic of what I have made.

   

I picked out five shafts from my supply. If you would like them, please send me a PM and I will send them to you.  They are between about 28 and 32 inches long.

Yep, What Pat said.
Cut the self nocks right into the cane and wrap just below the cut.
I've made dozens like this and never broke one. (and I break a lot of arrows!)

CJ

I couldn't find the link for Ionians tutorial on Paleoplanet either, I'm pretty sure he posted it there as well.  I'll have to dig it up and copy it.

Thanks Sal, see you at Mojam.

bill:
river cane and bamboo are not the same. even, river cane is one type of bamboo, arrow bamboes are different.
river canes can be found anywhere so they are cheeper and easily disposible.
i am using those tutorials to make mines:
http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/23526/Bamboo-arrow-tutorial

http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/44337/Making-self-nocks-with-hand-tools-fast-and-easy

good luck.

PS: sorry could not send you a dozen cane, shipping will be frikking costly.

Hey Thanks for all the info guys.  I am still looking for river cane.  
Don Drake, thanks for the 5 shafts.  they will give me something to work with and see if I can do this. PM sent.
Sal, if you find this can you send it out?
Thanks again everybody.
Bill