Tools or jigs for making long thin split bamboo strips?

[kitefighter]

i have a few 10' long tonkin cane poles about 2" in diameter that i would like to split into many small cross section pieces each with a final size of about 3/16 x 3/16" x 10'.

using a thick butted knife, i have split one of the poles so i have 6 fairly equal pieces, but from here, i don't know what tools to use or how to set up the tools so i can continue to split the pole pieces so i arrive with many pieces of the desired size.

has anyone done this type of splitting and if so, what do you use to accomplish it? do you need to build some sort of jig? or?

thanks,
bruce

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Bruce,
Yes, there are essentially two ways to make thinner splits, holding the knife blade while making the split or having the knife blade in a fixed position in a vise or jig.

It would be interesting to see what jigs have been made for this purpose.
This will also depend on the blade being used. For example I've seen a picture of a method used in Asia whereas a long bill-hooked knife was used, which was supported in a wooden cradle, the knife positioned at a slight angle away from the person splitting. In this case the person had come up with a jig to use a knife that was also used for other crafting purposes.

Another possibility could be to have a short blade welded onto a metal block, which also could have a width guide bar, which could be securely clamped onto a workbench ...

Hopefully we'll hear from others on how they split fine strips of bamboo.

Meanwhile the biggest other hurdle to making fine splits is practice practice practice.
I am not skilled at this because I don't do it often enough.
Basket makers amaze me at the dexterity and ease with which they can split bamboo into fine even strips!

Each species of bamboo and each piece of bamboo has it's very own alignment of fibers, which requires a period of becoming intimately familiar with the characteristics of the bamboo.

Splitting bamboo is no problem. Guiding the split to go exactly where you want is the challenge!

It's easier to make a split down the middle then on one side.

Fly fishing rod makers use a plane to trim or taper thin strips.

Basket makers may work with a hand-held knife blade to trim fine strip widths.

Green bamboo is easier to split.

Mark

[kitefighter]

Thanks Mark for your information.

I have seen such set-ups in photos of bamboo workshops also. They looked relatively simple but I wondered whether that sort of set-up is really what people use who split smaller sized strips such as bamboo basket makers.

Like you mentioned, i too am curious of the process bamboo basket makers use for splitting the small long pieces they use. It may be that a good knife is all they use.....and maybe green or less dried bamboo is also what they use or bamboo soaked in water for a while to make it more pliable.

I'm hopeful someone will share a method that works and that they have first hand experience using when splitting long thin strips.

grins, bruce

[Mark Meckes]

Sorry I can't be of any more help at the moment.
At one time a while back I stuck a pointed knife blade into the top of a large pine tree stump for a fixed knife version. It worked okay I guess. I didn't stay with it long enough to perfect the skill. I think I still prefer the knife in my hand for fine strips, as there's more manuverability with the blade and for trimming/shaving the edges, though this is sort of an additonal procedure to splitting the strips.

In the Bamboo Workshop Gallery (http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/index.php) a Category has been started called Splitters/Splitting Bamboo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/showgallery.php?cat=502)
I look forward to seeing more pics and also video clips there one of these days!

Here's a photo of a Fine Weaving Class in Hainon China
http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/data/502/thumbs/22HainanGuangdong.jpg
See larger pic (http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/showphoto.php?photo=1291)
"Very thin strips of bamboo are being worked in preparing fine weaving material. Notice the small working space and the lack of tools. The bamboo used is either B. textilis or B. chungii harvested locally. Hainan Island, PRC" - Toisan

Getting an even split through the node is always a challenge, and ease of doing this varies with species, age of culm, dryness and whatever happened to the bamboo since it was harvested.

Here's a little experiment I tried: Splitting Bambusa lako (http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=3024) It was from a 1-2 year old green culm sample that had been sent to me - and was amazed at how easy this was to split compared to Phyllostachys species. It had an almost stringy silky fibrous consistency. Phyllostsachys and other genera produce a more (sometimes preferably) harder stiffer strips.

When I split long strips from our P. aurea, (up to 2 1/4" diameter poles), I'm lazy with talent and use a collection of radial hand splitters - up to 12 X. But P. aurea nodes and fiber alignment can be somewhat disjointed.
See how misaligned these fibers are:
http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/data/502/thumbs/1MVC-055F.JPG
See larger pic (http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/showphoto.php?photo=539)
The material you are using is generally much straighter and consistent - Tonkin Cane, Pseudosasa amabilis (aka Arundinaria amabilis) - which is why split pole fishing rod makers use it. However, I hear there is still much selection of pieces needed and many wasted pieces in the process of making the long thin strips for their purpose.

In this situation, in addition to making thin strips long is the challange to make them perfectly straight.

Not sure if this is relevant for your needs, guessing by your username, are you making a kite (?)

Mark

[kitefighter]

WOW! great info Mark, thanks!

From your great photos, I really like the way the bambusa lako splits....is it available in the states do you know?

I currently make kites....mostly small fighter kites....and the bamboo pieces i use are relatively short....about 2' or less, so splitting and shaping it is easy....but i'm interested in doing other creative things with bamboo strips....if i can figure out how to make them straight and true to the dimensions i want....

I think the idea of mounting a blade is a good one, and a stop or guide.....especially for making the initial split pieces thinner and i'll give that a try......but like you say, watching the split while maneuvering the bamboo and the knife is probably the most accurate way to do the job of splitting.

Thanks again for the great info.

BambooGrins, Bruce

[greg kono]

Hi Bruce,
So have you mastered the art of bamboo splitting yet? A basket weaver I met in Hawaii gave me a draw plate (metal with a series of small holes) for shaping the bamboo. It didn't have enough hole sizes for my needs. I've been using a drill/wire gauge instead with some success for smaller diameter bamboo.

For larger sizes I've been experimenting with a few routers and different jig setups.

[kitefighter]

hi greg, thanks for the idea about a drill gauge as a draw plate! i have a couple of draw plates, but the holes are too small for what i normally need and a drill gauge would allow almost any size! i think grinding the face of the gauge flat so it has sharp edges at the holes would improve its usefulness.

i have mastered splitting bamboo to a limited degree......i split lots of it successfully, but they are smaller pieces. however, when splitting poles and other larger pieces i find it difficult to get the splits to be as straight as i'd like. with poles and larger pieces i don't have any way to bend them sufficiently during the splitting to move the split direction......and also sometimes the split surfaces become angled to the split rather than perpendicular to it.....

do you mostly use a draw plate or do you mostly split your bamboo?

bruce

[greg kono]

I only use the draw plate for miniature sizes about 3/32" dia. or smaller.

For bigger sizes I'm usually too lazy to split my own and use the bamboo I got from you or the Drachen Foundation (http://drachenstore.easystorecreator.net/Browse_Item_Details.asp/Item_ID/20/categ_id/6/parent_ids/0,6/Name/Bamboo_Spars).

I'm now at a point where I want to scale up and have been experimenting with doing a combination of splitting and milling bamboo. Currently, I'm using Tonkin cane that I can get locally. Nothing has been coming out very straight and I'm spending a lot of time trying to heat straighten them. I met with a kite maker from Japan last month. He's sending me some Madake that he uses for building kites. I'll see if that makes a difference in splitting.

[kitefighter]

tonkin cane is the type of bamboo poles i have.....they are very tough and unless the grain is super straight, difficult for me to split in straight true pieces. my wife bought me a 5 way splitter for my birthday.....that is a very cool device! but it too will sometimes create splits that the split face is angled rather than flat.

the last pole i split i soaked in water for a couple of days....i have a 2" diameter plastic pipe with a cap glued on one end and a removeable cap on the other.....and soak it in that...it seems to be easier to split when wet, but it seems splits differently also.

i think the best would be to set up a set of parallel heavy steel knife blades in such a way that they would not bend or twist with the force of the bamboo being driven through them...of course you'd need a pressure piece riding on top of the piece being split to force to stay between the blades. i don't have the metal working skills to make such a device, but really think it would do the job.

did you go to mighty tieton this weekend? we were out of town and missed going......are you involved in that cool project?

grins, bruce

[greg kono]

I've seen pictures of Japanese basketmakers use a setup similar to what you're talking about. They used 2 blades pounded into a tree stump and held the bamboo down with a stick as they pulled it though.

No, I'm not involved with the Tieton project. But I did get to help wrap and secure a few giant Shirone Kites before they got sent there. I never got to see them unrolled. Are the kites on public display there or was it for a privite event and put into storage?

[kitefighter]

we were out of town during the tieton event this past weekend....but as i understand it the kites were on public display and some flying during the 'mighty tieton' festival! several of our friends attended and were quite impressed with the entire tieton project.....i hope it is successful at attracting the small production craft and artisans they are looking for.....it would be a wonderfully cool spot to visit or to live in if that happened!

interesting about the Japanese basket makers use of blades to split their basket bamboo.......i'll have to figure out how to make such a contraption and give it a good test ;o)

[greg kono]

http://www.konodesign.com/jpg%20images/2006.10%20bamboo%20tools/boo%20splitter.jpg

Here's a simple jig I made using a vice, c-clamp, few scrap lumber, aluminum angle and some hardware.
I picked up the marking knife at GarrettWade and sandwiched it in between the wood with aluminum angle screwed to the bottom.
Note the block on the right has a notch cut out to accommodate the blade.
The c-clamp and small piece of plywood create the fence.
I used a small strip of bamboo to act as a featherboard to help push the bamboo strip being split against the fence.

I still split the bamboo with the froe first and try to get the strip as close to my desired thickness, then use this jig to shave off the last few mm.

[kitefighter]

great set-up greg! i've tried several attempts to make a similar jig, but never could get it to work well enough to use for making lots of small dimension bamboo strips.....however a couple of your ideas i've never tried and will make a jig more like yours and give it another go....thanks for the ideas and for the inspiration to try it again......

of the knives and knife blades i've used, none were rigid enough to force the bamboo to consistently split.....often the bamboo would make the blades deform just enough to avoid splitting......also, maybe i was using bamboo splits that were too large for the jig i'd made.....i'll revisit the whole project again.

thanks again greg! hope to see you soon.

grins, bruce

[greg kono]

The marking knife I used is about 1/8" thick and has a left side bevel. It would be real tough to bend that blade.

I also rigged a router table with a similar setup for larger material. The key difference was adding a featherboard behind the router bit as well as in front to prevent the bit from shredding the bamboo into little splinters.

Now the challenge is to make a jig that will make even tapers and be adjustable so I won't have to sand off the nodes.

In my workshop with Toki-san, he just used a 4x4 wood post with a notch cut out to set the node in and planed the surface with a hand plane. He didn't use any fancy tools or jigs and checked his measurements by eye. Maybe in 30 years I'll get to that point!
http://www.konodesign.com/jpg%20images/2007.02%20japan/02/10.JPG http://www.konodesign.com/jpg%20images/2007.02%20japan/06/02.JPG

[kitefighter]

interesting how he creates his bamboo pieces......i would think if the node was sitting in a groove or notch and the inner or non-skin side of the bamboo was shaved with a plane, that the resultant piece would be quite thin at the edges and thick in the center because of the curved shape of the bamboo's exterior.

maybe that is not an issue for him.....he probably splits off the outside edges and uses those thin pieces for other purposes....at any rate it is interesting, especially in light of his using simple and few tools...smart guy! ;o)

you are fortunate, greg, to attend a workshop with him!

grins, bruce

[kitefighter]

greg, it sounds as though you use a router to cut rather than split long larger sized pieces of bamboo, is that correct? if so, do you prefer it to using a small circular saw?

or did i miss read your post.....and you are using the router table as a splitting jig?

bruce

[greg kono]

Yes, the router is actually cutting and not splitting. I prefer using a router versus a table saw because it cuts smoother.

[Mark Meckes]

The marking knife I used is about 1/8" thick and has a left side bevel. It would be real tough to bend that blade.

Ah yes, I was wondering about having a one sided beveled blade to direct the split portion away from guide.

Here's the cutting blades you mentioned:
Matched Japanese Marking Knives (http://www.garrettwade.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=106300&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=12395&iSubCat=12407&iProductID=106300)

Only 4-1/2" long, these are very small knives with no handles. You simply cradle the rounded steel shank in your hand to use them. Because of this precise pencil-like grip, you will find they provide excellent control for layout, fitting and trimming. Originally made for shaping and scoring Bamboo, they are offered here in a set of two blades - one with a left side bevel the other with a right side bevel to suit any work situation.

[Respicha]

The koreans have a way of making hand fans out of bamboo strips,the strips are very thin i saw it on arirang tv,also there is n art of making tea whiskers in japan that i also saw on NHK tv if you follow up closely on arirang programs you may chance seeng how the craftsmen do it.