Split bamboo?

[Stew]

I have an expanse of bamboo growing at work that won't be hurt by removal of a number of stems.

Has anyone played with splitting bamboo down and working with it?

I seem to recall an episode of Ray Mears with it being done and wondered if anyone else had tried.

Any tips/pitfalls welcome. Pictures of pieces would be ok too.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Ask John Fenna what he thinks of splitting bamboo with an axe, hehehe.

 

[S.C.M.]

depends on the bamboo mate... if it's big, thick-walled stuff, I have no idea. If its anything like the small, thin-walled stuff we have over here (which isn't really bamboo-it is called "canas" which translates to canes or rods), it will be a b**ger to keep the split running true, bending helps to a degree, but isn't easy to do (or it's just me ). Splinters like a b**ger too, although I'm doing long dead stuff, which could be the cause of my problems. I'm having a hard time with 1m lengths. I need advice too!

What are you going to do with the split bamboo? I'm thinking of wattle experimentation, even though I'm in the middle of an adobe wall project.

 

[Stew]

I don't really know what I would do with it. weaving of some sort.

I would be splitting it green. I'm certain dry would be very tricky!!

 

[Erdbeereis]

Here's one from BCUSA.

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php/60222-bamboo-kuksa-cup-saw-work

 

[Doc51]

I agree, you need to tell us the size of the bamboo. We have cane that is small bamboo that grows to 12-15 feet tall and up to 1-1/4 inch or 3 CM in diameter. I cut mine and cleaned the leaves off by scraping a knife along the length . Next i used a propane torch to cook the cane. Heat it till it turns a very light/pale green to straw color. It will continue to dry and harden over time. It is really hard when dry. For example today i was making a wood gas stove and used a piece to roll the cut tin over
the tin did very little surface damage to the dried cane. Good luck.

 

[BOD]

You can split green or dried bamboo and its uses are virtually limitless. Shelter and furniture obviously plumbing , weapon and tool making, sewing to name a few categories

 

[S.C.M.]

ok, so I've split a few of my canes, which I don't think get more than an inch in diameter, and have found out some things, mainly thanks to the internet.
1. green bamboo is a lot easier to split
2. the "proper" way is to put it on the floor with the thicker end against something solid and split the thin end with a knife/machete/bamboo hatchet. when one side gets thinner, turn down, step on the bamboo and pull the thick end up, centering the split.
3. if you are gonna split it more than once, knock out the node thingies after the first split
4. split bamboo is really flexible

things I would still like to know/find out : could you use split bamboo as a sort of "leaf-spring", by layering it up?

 

[Silverhill]

Split cane fishing rods were the fishing rods prior to the advent of glassfibre and carbon and were noted for being tremendously strong and flexible. The ones I have are still in use, despite being nearly three times my age.