Making a Shishi Odoshi bamboo deer scarer/water fountain

[mikeg]

Hi my name is Mike Gonsalves, I see pictures of these deer scarer's but I just dont get the concept of how it works. For some reason I can't picture it filling up spilling out , and making the clacking noise. If some one can write the steps of how to make it and the process of the flow of water from point a to z of how it works. Thanks.

[EDDIEBUCK]

HELP, A NEW MEMBER. I ONCE SAW A DISPLAY USING BAMBOO AND WATER.WATER WOULD SLOWLY RUN IN A BAMBOO 2 OR THREE FOOT SECTION UNTIL IT FILLED THE SECTION PAST ITS BALANCE POINT,THEN THE SECTION WOULD DUMP THE WATER OUT,THE PROCESS WOULD START OVER.
HAS ANYONE EVER SEEN THIS?
I WOULD LIKE TO FIND PLANS FOR THIS EYECATCHING ATTRACTION. THANKS FOR ANY HELP YOU COULD GIVE.

[Mark Meckes]

See also ... Water Fountain - Shishi odoshi deer scarer (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=478)
http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/data/3040/thumbs/20Shishi_odoshi.jpg (http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=627)

I have yet to make one, and would like to give it a go sometime.
It will take some experimenting ... lots of adjustments along the way I'm sure. ;)

Some things being considered ...

How big ... or small to make it? (species of bamboo - design and dimensions)

Is it freestanding, part of a containerized pond or custom made for a landscape setting?

Precision culmponents ...

Adjusting the flow of water and the position of the water spout so that it enters the mouth of the see-saw clunker.
In the garden, the prop that holds up the spout could be stuck in the ground, kept firmly in place and can be adjusted easily.
In other situations the spout prop could be stuck in the soil of a nearby potted container plant, or could be secured to any nearby fixture.
The spout could also protrude out of a rocky outcrop or some other feature nearby, where ever the tube that's pumping the water can reach to.

Balancing the clunker ... so that as it fills with water, the opposite end raises up, and when it fills to capacity, the water spills out, and the opposite end drops against a hard object below.

... to be continued
Mark

[sound world]

I've made lots of these.Mark is right,the balance and flow rate are the things to consider.Also that the whole thing is secure (after the Shishi Odoshi-proper name-pivots back from dumping the water it gives the whole thing quite a jarring shake).It needs to come back to where it started exactly.
The Shishi fills up to a node in the bamboo,so you can determine the pivot point quite straightforwardly.It's good to experiment with a controllable water source to try different flow rates,partly because a faster flow will send the water further horizontally.
I made a whole bunch of them with kids for a day long workshop I did a few years back.We dammed a stream and redirected part of it into a long piece of big bamboo that I'd riddled with many holes.This functioned as a multiple drip source which we positioned across the river,with the thirty or so Shishis placed underneath on rocks in the riverbed.Instead of just going 'tock',I got the kids to saw up lengths of steel conduit piping which we placed on each Shishi to be hit by the falling bamboo pivots.
The result was a charming 'gamelan' of unpredictable sequences,as beautiful to watch as it was to listen to.
There were various refinements possible which we didn't have time to implement.I must do it again sometime!

[Mark Meckes]

What a fun project sound world!
Good point about the bounce of the clunker causing the armature holding it to move it out of alignment of the water spout.
Sticking the armature/stand in the ground is an easy way but it'll eventually rot and break at that point.
... that's called job security for the bambusero fixer-upper :)
One could ram a couple lengths of rebar or pipe in the ground that the uprights, after having the lower nodes knocked out, could slip over the pipe and not come into contact with the ground.
This is not a problem if one has a steady supply of bamboo from the grove. In fact giving various bamboo garden implements a makeover when needed is part of the immersion with the life and times and recycling of the bamboo ... so long as everything doesn't need repair at once and it turns into a chore. :eek:

Shishi Odoshi - Is there an English translation for what this means? Sounds cool.

Mark

[tonytao]

http://www.chinabamboogarden.com/UploadFile/2008123112743878.jpg
Bamboo deer chaser was originally used by chinese farmers to scare off deer and boar from crops. It was later used in gardens as their movement provided an element of change. As the water flows from the bamboo spout or other water garden dripping fountain, the knocking portion fills and spills the water creating a rhythmic knocking sound as it hits a rock. Placed at the edge of a pond or water garden, the deer chaser will create an eye catching fountain and provide a serene rhythmic sound. We make hand crafted deer chasers using the finest bamboo, with two legs and one leg support system respectively. They will need a spout such as to work together as a set. We use Chinese Nam bamboo which has solid texture and thick wall.

[mkk-13]

How exactly do you make shishi odoshi? I mean...how to knock out the internodes from bamboo, how to mount filling tube between 2 poles, etc?
Write sth like FAQ for amateurs like me, who'd like to make shishi odoshi themselves. (i mean->nails? glue? etc) & so on, & so on...


Appreciate

[ZenSeeker]

Hey mkk - I stumbled upon this forum when I was looking for a ways to design a Shishi Odoshi.

Anyway, I have written a comprehensive lens on squidoo on how to design a shishi odoshi - check it out: How to design a Shishi Odoshi (http://www.squidoo.com/bamboo-fountain) i.e. a Japanese Deer Scarer (http://www.squidoo.com/bamboo-fountain)

I actually got a book "Water Features: 16 easy to build projects for your Yard & Garden" and it has this whole section dedicated to designing a shishi-odoshi. You may easily find it at amazon. It costs something like 10 bucks. But if all you want is a shishi-odoshi design guide, my squidoo lens www.squidoo.com/bamboo-fountain (http://www.squidoo.com/bamboo-fountain) covers it thoroughly

[CaroleMeckes]

Hello ZenSeeker,
Thanks for posting your link (http://www.squidoo.com/bamboo-fountain) to the instructions for making a shishi odoshi (deer scarer).

Would smaller diameter bamboo work just as well? 5 inch diameter bamboo is pretty hard to find.

Carole

[ZenSeeker]

Hi Carole - the bamboo's with smaller diameter would work as well. If you check out this shishi odoshi (http://www.tabletopfountainstore.com/products/Bamboo-Deer-Chaser-Fountain-%252d-Shishi-Odoshi.html), you would see that there are several different size options: micro, mini, and regular. Keep in mind that if you get the one that is already assembled as shown in the example, it would strip away the fun of creating one for yourself...

One of the benefits of choosing a large diameter bamboo is that you don't have to do any precise wood-working - It gives an extra leeway. However, if you are really good at wood-working and cutting bamboo's, you may be able to get away with a 1" diameter bamboo as well :)

[seagatemike]

seems these repilies go back 3 or so years this may clear some of the cobwebs some may still have. go to u-tube type in deer scarer for example there will be many short videos on the subject that will help you build them i have made many. while not easy they make more since when you see them work on film. later. seagate mike