Splitting a bamboo pole

How to make a Bow, a String or a Set of Arrows. Making equipment & tools for use in Traditional Archery and Bowhunting.

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indie
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Splitting a bamboo pole

#1 Post by indie » Sun Apr 27, 2014 10:44 am

Hi All. I picked up a stick of Moso several weeks ago and looking to split it down for use as backing on a bow I'll make soon. The pole is slightly oval in section and about 90mm dia average. It has a minor crack around 200mm long running along the length. It's about 2.5 long but I'll dock around 700 off what was the base end of the pole as it gets fatter and the nodes are much closer together in this area. The nodes in the top usable section increase in spacing by about 10mm as you move along the pole, from about 210mm to 270mm.

My plan is to split it from the end (after cutting to length) in line with the crack which sits in a good position to get a section out of the flatter part of the pole. I'm hoping I can get 4 lengths of boo out of this one stick. Any tips on splitting it would be greatly appreciated. Also have I made a mistake getting a pole where the node spacing changes? Will this make a difference to bow performance or just aesthetics? Is it possible to effectively billet the boo and splice it at the handle assuming it will be a non-bending handle? This way you'd be able to get the nodes symmetrical about the handle.

Thanks for the input. Indie.

longbow steve
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Re: Splitting a bamboo pole

#2 Post by longbow steve » Sun Apr 27, 2014 12:04 pm

Hi Indie, I use a meat cleaver to split the poles. Any piece of flat steel sharpened to an edge can be used hit with a mallet of large bit of timber. Perhaps a take down sleeve type bow will allow you to use billets as the nodes when close together will make the bamboo quite a lot stiffer than where it is spaced out.
You could probably scarf join billets or fish splice on a non bending handle bow. Steve

indie
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Re: Splitting a bamboo pole

#3 Post by indie » Sun Apr 27, 2014 4:09 pm

Hi Steve, thanks for the info. I've got a big old knife somewhere I might have a go with. Otherwise I've been eyeing off a machete lately, could be the excuse to buy one.

As to splicing the bamboo, I was thinking that you'd be able to see a diagonal line if you were looking at the back of the bow where the handle is. Scarf would probably be better. Does anyone use epoxy for scarfing or the usual Smooth On etc?

longbow steve
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Re: Splitting a bamboo pole

#4 Post by longbow steve » Sun Apr 27, 2014 5:42 pm

Hi indie, smooth on or Techniglue would be ideal. The splice could be hidden with a nice leather handle wrap but a nice scarf joint would look better if you dont want a wrap. A machete would work fine, once you get the split started you can actually pull the pole apart. Looking forward to seeing your results. Steve

morganp

Re: Splitting a bamboo pole

#5 Post by morganp » Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:49 pm

Just a comment: splitting wood and bamboo down the grain more often than not gives the phenomenon where any blade used turns sideways in the split and can then twist, bind or even jump from the hand. I spent many years trimming and laying hedges and working traditionally on various crops. The best tool for such a job is a kentish bill, a kind of hooked, weight-forward, single-edged blade. It is the only tool I ever found for this job that has never turned on me whatever the grain or wood. This I believe is because the blade is properly smithed to a single bevel, has a relatively thick profile and because the handle is traditionally at least 18 inches long; the striking action is completed with the far end of the handle in the palm and this works against the resistance and twist.

Just a side-note as I said but if you are splitting a few billets as you may when splitting bamboo like this or otherwise over time, this tool can save a lot of pain. Bodgers (chair makers) and charcoal-makers locally in Kent used a very similar tool for splitting with the grain, still single bevel and thick but with a shorter handle and a smithed flat along the back designed to absorb the blow from a mallet and start a long split. A couple of twists of the wrist and the branch or billet would just snap in two. Harder than it looks.

Anyway, I'll go now, just the post started a train of thought ...

indie
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Re: Splitting a bamboo pole

#6 Post by indie » Sun Apr 27, 2014 7:22 pm

Morgan thanks for sharing your experience. The machete I was thinking of getting is a bolo style with weight forward, not a single bevel though. I've got a straight bladed draw knife. I thought it might be a bit thick though. Thoughts?

morganp

Re: Splitting a bamboo pole

#7 Post by morganp » Sun Apr 27, 2014 7:43 pm

To be honest I am not sure why the bill hook never turns and everything else from axe to chisel to machete, does. It is just a phenomenon I noted over years. I am sure many know what I mean, somehow blades often turn when splitting down grain, depending of course on the wood. The old tool makers found out by trial and error about these things I suppose. I'd leave the draw knife for its own specific job and get a machete. They are one of the best all-round tools and come in handy.
Have a look at this one (the GOLOK): http://www.knivesaustralia.com.au/knives.html#SICUT .

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greybeard
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Re: Splitting a bamboo pole

#8 Post by greybeard » Mon Apr 28, 2014 9:37 am

Draw a straight line down the pole with a marker pen and cut it on the bandsaw.

I have found this method is the easiest, quickest and most accurate.

Daryl.
"And you must not stick for a groat or twelvepence more than another man would give, if it be a good bow.
For a good bow twice paid for, is better than an ill bow once broken.
[Ascham]

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” [Einstein]

I am old enough to make my own decisions....Just not young enough to remember what I decided!....

indie
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Re: Splitting a bamboo pole

#9 Post by indie » Mon Apr 28, 2014 3:19 pm

greybeard wrote:Draw a straight line down the pole with a marker pen and cut it on the bandsaw.

I have found this method is the easiest, quickest and most accurate.

Daryl.
Thanks Daryl, only hassle is I don't have a bandsaw. :cry: My BIL does have one but I think it's on the blink, will check it out.

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Re: Splitting a bamboo pole

#10 Post by greybeard » Mon Apr 28, 2014 4:49 pm

indie wrote:Thanks Daryl, only hassle is I don't have a bandsaw. :cry: My BIL does have one but I think it's on the blink, will check it out.
A hand held circular saw can do the job, set the depth of the blade to clear the wall thickness and securely clamp the pole. If you have access to a table saw cut through one wall at a time.

When the first cut is done turn the pole over and complete the opposite cut.

Daryl.
"And you must not stick for a groat or twelvepence more than another man would give, if it be a good bow.
For a good bow twice paid for, is better than an ill bow once broken.
[Ascham]

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” [Einstein]

I am old enough to make my own decisions....Just not young enough to remember what I decided!....

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