tribaltagz
20th March 2008, 04:39 PM
OK I posted this in the wrong section before, so I'll post again here. I'm Native American and in my tribe we used rivercane in our basketry. I'm looking for a quicker more accurate method of cutting rivercane splints to use in basketry. Usually they're about 1/4 inch in width and just uses the outer veneer. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. This site is awesome!
Rivercanegirl
27th August 2008, 08:16 PM
There is an easier way to split the native cane than by using the traditional method of a knife. You can use a "bamboo splitter". This tool is a heavy metal tool that resembles what you use to core apples with. You need to select one that is the correct size for the size of river cane you will be using. They carry them at Hida tools in various sizes. I found out about this just recently this summer while teaching a class in Oklahoma. I was told by several of the participants that Roger Cain uses this tool to split all of the cane for his wife's baskets. Good luck! :)