A piece of junk bamboo....

[DOUGSDEN]

Ladies and Gentlemen,
In my den leaning against the bookcase is a piece of junk bamboo from an autumn decoration that has guarded our front porch for at least a couple of years now. My wife would prefer me to say that the smiling scarecrow has greeted our guest....with this huge piece of bamboo stuck up his bum (for support obviously). Now, Mr. Scarecrow's time has past only to be replaced with a pair of smaller but still smiling scarecrows sans any bamboo for support.
I snagged this piece and saved it from the garbage man and got to looking at it kinda close like. What a wonderful raw material to make back scratchers and flyrods out of! I am glad the flyrod came first (at least I think it did?). And then I got this awesome thought. Who was the fellow that first thought of using this stuff as a rod material? Is there one single person we can give credit to?
My pc. of junk bamboo has a horrible crack in it from one end to the other. This has revealed alot about the structure of this "wonderful reed" as I've heard it called. I am tempted to take it to the shop and cause a split on the other side to make two halves for further study.
Asking of all you split cane rod makers (Ruard and others), is the "knot" which happens about every 2-3 feet neccessarily a bad thing when it comes to making a bamboo rod? I know very little about the whole process of making a cane rod but it does seem magical that men can plane and work this material into a very effective and pleasing fishing tool.
To those of you who work this material, God bless you! You are touching on something that all those who cast flies at fish deem as wonderful. I now have a new found respect for that pc. of junk bamboo in the corner.
Who amoungst this motley crew has (or is currently) fiddling around at the planing boards?
This message and thought process has been partly inspired by the post our dear friend Ruard had a while back about visiting his friend who was a rod maker. Thanks Ruard!
Dougsden

[Ruard]

Hi Doug,

I am not only visiting the old rodmaker but I am actually planing a rod in his workshop and my arm is tired because we were planing yesterday the whole afternoon.

About the knots: they dont weaken the rod because you distribute the knots over the rod: there are 5 splits against one knot. And with warmth you press the knot in the bamboo so you don't have to file to much of the material away.

It is possible that you saw the bamboo in pieces and than glue the pieces again so you can make a splitcane rod without the knots. Some people like it.

see also: http://www.flymphforum.com/phpBB3/viewt ... f=8&t=1255

Greeting

[willowhead]

Do you "mean" knot, or node? If the tip is good, definately hold onto it.....lots of very fine short boo rods have been made from just the tip (top half), of a larger rod.

[Ruard]

Do you "mean" knot, or node? If the tip is good, definately hold onto it.....lots of very fine short boo rods have been made from just the tip (top half), of a larger rod.

I don't know the right word:

We say knoop and the translation could be knot???



Greeting

[willowhead]

Same thing.....the Boo builders over here call 'em Nodes. Bob Nunley has his shop bout 6/7 miles from our house. Fun to hang out over there.....he builds a fine rod. i just won his book in a raffle at a North Arkansas Fly Fishers club meeting back in........jeeze, i can't remember.....but it was this year............ i'd have to look on a calendar.....we gone so much.