Beginner's Bamboo Tool Kit

[elmlish]

Hello Bamboo People...

After Dinkering around with a couple of bamboo flutes copied off a friend's model, I'm wondering if this group could recommend a Beginner's Tool Kit for working with bamboo. I'm interested in continuing my flute making, but I'm also interested crafting larger pieces of furniture and the like.

For flute making I've used your typical long drills, makeshift files, hacksaws, and sand paper. So far, I haven't used anything special made for working with bamboo, just cheap tools that were either laying around or I could pick up at a hardware store for not much cash.

Now, I've got just a little bit of extra cash and I'd like to hear your recommendations for what sort of kit I should equip myself with. Alternatively, I'd also like to hear what sort of Dream Tools you'd just love to pick up but are either too spendy or too rare to get your hands on them.

Thanks for any feedback,

[Steve Carter]

Many of the folks who will answer this question are at the ABS national meeting. Give them time to check the mail and I bet you will get a good answer!

[elmlish]

Thanks for the heads up!

In the meantime, I'll be internet window shopping. There are some gorgeous tools out there just begging to be purchased.

[TribalWind]

Hi ,

well, you were right,
i just got back from miami yesterday(i stayed a bit longer than most, i know mark and carole were making other stops,and are Driving, not flying..give them some more time to chime in. man what a Fantastic trip! so glad i went!

im gonna assume u are mostly interested in flutemaking at this time, being a flute lover/maker myself thats music to my ears ;)

for beginner tools i first recommend a Dremel tool set.although it doesnt have to be that brand name. there are similar rotary tools alot cheaper that do the same thing, i bought a ton of different bits on ebay and at Harborfreight.com the diamond bit ones work nice! also the cutting and stone bits..
you will also want a set of small files,i have alittle diamond set that was maybe 10 bucks and another set thats regular iron,theres also ones that are curved and bent for getting into ares easier,i gotta get those!
you can get a little woodburning set really cheap also,to start learning that,its the same as a soldering iron with different tips,$5-15 for that, a propane torch is nice,mine was 15 and has a pistol grip part that screws onto propane or MAPP gas, its nice for curing green bamboo,rather than waiting 6months or more for it to dry naturally, but both are good and will have their own effect on the final piece. cordless drill is handy, there are many saws u can use(fret saw,pvc cutting saw,japanese flush cutting back-saw, the more teeth per inch(tpi) the smoother the cut edge,20tpi and higher is good,roughly...also u dont want a saw with "set" teeth,that stick out to the sides,it'll tear up the edges and get stuck alot,no good for bamboo...
now whether u want to stay more purist and only use hand tools.or use modern powertools as well is up to you. a 10"blade bench-top table saw can be had for $100,again using a blade with more teeth is better. you could spring for a Scroll-saw mine was around 120 off some yahoo-store(dremel model)i Love it! like myself, you might find that getting these toools to use on bamboo will lead you into other fun craftwork with regular woods,like scroll/fretwork,furniture and hard-wood flutes, u may experiment with infusing many mediums together! glass/wood/iron/fabrics/clay etc can all look great together with bamboo i think, ive even seen hardwood and glass inlays on some bamboo flutes, have fun,experiment, try something off the wall,of course always be safe when working with any tools(i tend to learn my lessons the hard way,so took a nice chunk off my thumb with the table-saw)

i mentioned a lot of different tools, just pick and choose whichever sound good to you and you can afford now, i do recommend harbor frieght tools for good prices on stuff,granted not everything is top of the line,,but part of craftsmanship is learning to make your tools work for you,dont get caught up in needing the $2,000 tablesaw cause it's got " .000001 precision" it's a joke! my 100 buck delta benchsaw is plenty accurate,once its been tweaked,(though the fence is garbage),not many tools are really accurate right off the shelf,thats what that extra $ goes to mostly i feel.

i have rambled far too much,, shutting up now
any Q's feel free to email or PM me.or of course repost in this thread
good luck!

[elmlish]

Hey thanks for that info...

I've used a friends dremel kit and it has been fairly nice, though a little drilling and a whole lot of hand filing seems to do the trick just as nicely.

So let me sum up a rather vague list here:

Something to Cut Big Pieces
--Table saw (small teeth)
Something to Cut Small Pieces
--Hack Saw (small teeth)
Something to Carve (if you want to get fancy)
--Small carving blade (I've seen some excellent japanese chisels, and push knives.),
Something to Smooth
--Dremel Kit, Files, SandPaper
Something to Drill
--Drill with nice bits if possible, (I hear drilling out of a bit of bamboo is more prone to splintering than drilling into one.
Something to Dry
--Handy little Torch
Something to Bind
--Rope and Twine, Joint work through carving, Glue?, Gum?

Does anyone use varnishes or stains? I had a friend who used different teas to stain a sanded piece of bamboo. He then sealed it with some sort of goop I don't remember.

It seems the tools don't really change all that much with the size of the bamboo, though there isn't a _huge_ variety 5-10 inches in diameter seems the largest most people work with.

What are your favorite methods for making joints and joins and binding things together?
though that might be appropriate for another post...

Thanks again,
elmlish

[CaroleMeckes]

Something to Cut Big Pieces
--Band Saw

[TribalWind]

Does anyone use varnishes or stains? I had a friend who used different teas to stain a sanded piece of bamboo. He then sealed it with some sort of goop I don't remember.

i havent yet but that is high on my list to try next.

It seems the tools don't really change all that much with the size of the bamboo, though there isn't a _huge_ variety 5-10 inches in diameter seems the largest most people work with.

nope they dont really.only depends on the volume you wanna produce wheter u need alota power tools etc.. i have regular tools and then micro size stuff for small detail/.finishing,like those diamond files,.. for flutes you will really only work with 1/2" to 1-1/2" I.D (inner diameter) for everything else its all up to you,and aesthetics.

What are your favorite methods for making joints and binding things together?
though that might be appropriate for another post...

Right now i'm working on my Mitering skills..lol. not an easy thing to do with round stuff. im trying to make picture frames for my scroll-saw works like this one (http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=475)
(this was just butted together,no miter)
but its tough lining up both angles to match perfect when there isnt a flat side to line up with.. i need to come up with a jig or something.??? anyone have sugestions?????!
See Framework joinery techniques (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=335)

hope this helped. have fun
post pics!

[tinge]

I've developed a water based varnish, Tinge, that works on bamboo. Sand down the skin with a medium grade sandpaper and then stain it. Tinge comes in 8 different colors but they can be mixed to make custom colors.
Tinge works great on bamboo laminate, woven, and other materials. It can be ordered at
www.tingeofcolor.com

[Mark Meckes]

Hiya!
When I first started tinkering with bamboo the only tool I had was a pocket knife. One could go a long way with just this one tool...but I had other interests and preferred working with other materials.
Years later, when I seriously began working with bamboo, that is, with the intent of selling my wares at a local market, my main obstacle was that I was broke, so my first tools were basic - a hack-saw, a file, sandpaper, a metal rod, which was heated on the kitchen stove as a red hot poker, and, after my first sale...an electric hand drill and bits.
I utilized whatever string, wire, paints, stains and polishes I could scavenge.
I didn't really want to increase my tool collection, because what I was traveling, and all of my possessions needed to fit into one suitcase.

It's been years since my first tinkerings, I'm still a beginner.

The tools I use are still pretty basic.
Mark

[Mark Meckes]

by elmlish
It seems the tools don't really change all that much with the size of the bamboo
Here's a thread on this subject called...
Size of works requires specific tool needs (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=332)

Mark

[Mark Meckes]

There's the big full-sized bandsaws for cutting big bamboo, and there's the smaller bench-top models which work fine for cutting small pieces of bamboo up to 3 1/2" (9cm)diameter bamboo.
Here's a picture of a recent acquisition ...
http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/data/510/thumbs/1031214-523F.JPG
Delta Shopmaster benchtop bandsaw (http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/showphoto.php?photo=474)
with some comments...
Mark