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Splitting bamboo. |
tikidreams
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 27, 2006
Posts: 119
From: Sweden
|  Posted: 2006-05-09 06:54 am Permalink
Hi everybody.
I´m new to this place. Me and my brother is building a tiki bar and i joined for tips and inspiration for the project.
Now for the question. I have some experience in working with wood. BUT never with bamboo. I need to split a bamboo pole about 5-6 cm thick and 2.4 meters long.
What is the best and safest way to do this? I need both of the halves to be straight. Does bamboo crack straight if i was to hammer a knife in one end and keep pounding it all the way through? The bamboo poles themselves are quite straight.
Hope to hear some words of wisdom from members of the board soon.
[ This Message was edited by: tikidreams 2006-05-12 08:39 ]
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McTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 22, 2004
Posts: 1935
From: Sunny Florida
| Posted: 2006-05-09 08:06 am Permalink
Tikidreams,
I have limited experience with Bamboo ranging from 1/2 inches dia. to nearly 5 inches in dia. They have sections that when trying to force the peices apart, stop the splitting and either break, or the split contines, but to a narrower side (weakest) So, I ended up using a tablesaw which works very well. Smooth and even cuts as long as you want them. With a sharp blade, I have ripped 18 foot long lengths without issue.
I hope this helps
Mahalo
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pdrake
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 13, 2006
Posts: 1764
From: las vegas
| Posted: 2006-05-09 08:44 am Permalink
they make tools for this. check it out.
http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/showphoto.php?photo=783
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DawnTiki
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Sep 01, 2002
Posts: 1673
From: next stop Hulaville!
| Posted: 2006-05-09 08:52 am Permalink
There is a search tool on the upper right side of your screen. Look for the [Resister, Edit Profile area] you can pull up all sorts of handy info from it.
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=14400&forum=7&hilite=splitting%20bamboo
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=9701&forum=7&hilite=splitting%20bamboo
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=11920&forum=7&hilite=splitting%20bamboo
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tikidreams
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 27, 2006
Posts: 119
From: Sweden
| Posted: 2006-05-09 09:39 am Permalink
I must have misspelled when i used the search the first time.
Thanks for the help.
Looks like I´ll use a table saw at my friends workplace. The big question now is how to get the poles there.
[ This Message was edited by: tikidreams 2006-05-09 09:47 ]
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KAHAKA
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 03, 2003
Posts: 756
From: San Jose, CA
| Posted: 2006-05-09 12:01 pm Permalink
Just go for the hammer and the knife... it's effective and cheap.
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Tikiwahine
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3288
From: Ontario, Canada
| Posted: 2006-05-09 12:12 pm Permalink
Table saw worked like a charm for me. Plus if you just want to make a notch instead of going through both sides(for corners, etc) the table saw makes that very easy too. We used a reciprocating saw to cut the pieces to length.
A helper is a bonus for that job 
Good luck & have fun!
_________________
 
Great Minds Drink Alike
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tikidreams
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 27, 2006
Posts: 119
From: Sweden
| Posted: 2006-05-09 12:53 pm Permalink
When you say "table saw". do you mean a "circular" or a "band" saw? I was thinking band saw, am I right?
Ah! The language barrier.
[ This Message was edited by: tikidreams 2006-05-09 12:54 ]
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Tikiwahine
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3288
From: Ontario, Canada
| Posted: 2006-05-09 1:18 pm Permalink
It's a table, it has a round saw blade in it you can raise and lower. Like this
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White Devil
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Jun 26, 2009
Posts: 225
From: The Interior, Deep South Pacific
| Posted: 2012-07-11 1:51 pm Permalink
In the course of an ongoing tikification of a home recording studio, I came up with an economical way of splitting bamboo without spending a fortune on shipping all the way across the country.
Six-foot bamboo poles (approx 1 1/2" to 2") can be easily & affordably found at hobby supply shops (i.e., Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc.) for $1.50 to $2.50 each. The ones I found were already burned & polished.
I cut a one inch groove into a 2x4 with a circular saw set at a 45 degree angle.
Without investing in a table saw, I cut the poles in equal enough halves to do the job. Even poles that aren't perfectly straight can be adjusted as you move the saw along the v-shaped groove. IMPORTANT: safety goggles are a must, as I found that bamboo dust gets in your eyes moreso than regular sawdust.
Depending on what kind of blade you use, you may encounter minor fraying--this can be remedied with scissors. When cross-cutting to length, however, you want to tape next to the line to be cut to reduce this.
Though not a perfectly straight cut, a circular saw does well enough to conceal any deficiencies that might not work in a more brightly-lit environment. I trimmed out a 12' x 10' installation with less than $100 in bamboo. More money to send in the direction of tiki carvers, and less into the pockets of UPS & FedEx.
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tikirancher
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Mar 26, 2012
Posts: 89
From: Atlanta, GA
| Posted: 2012-09-06 1:05 pm Permalink
check out my blog www.tikirancher.blogspot.com to see how to build with bamboo
good luck dude
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Atomic Tiki Punk
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 19, 2009
Posts: 4018
From: Costa Misery
| Posted: 2012-09-06 1:23 pm Permalink
I use a table saw with a fine blade & I use a Mitre Saw to cut the bamboo to length.
[ This Message was edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2012-09-06 13:27 ]
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