bamboo rod build D style

Started by oldmanjoe, July 01, 2017, 04:19:11 PM

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oldmanjoe

 :)   I will start with the Green stick fresh cut ,4 pieces on lay up 7 foot long salt water rod .
      After glue sets up i start trimming the fat on the table saw .    Basicly look to get the blank straight .
   After  some rough shaping i do a load test  .    Here is a 3 pound load test .   this one has a good ark ,it just needs a little tip work .
  To day i will start rubbing boiled linseed oil and fine tuning  .    joe
Grandpa`s words of wisdom......Joey that thing between your shoulders is not a hat rack.....    use it.....
A mind is like a parachute, it only work`s  when it is open.......
The power of Observation   , It`s all about the Details ..
 Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.   Alto Mare

oldmanjoe

 ???    Same green stick , working at getting a reel mounted .       Fore grip has a tunnel for the reel foot .   The butt tang is straight .
Made a dummy tang so i can make a cover handle with a little tunnel for the rear reel foot.    Nice friction fit .
  I think it is a nice improvement than my first stick with just the fore grip tunnel and copper ring for the rear.  joe 
Grandpa`s words of wisdom......Joey that thing between your shoulders is not a hat rack.....    use it.....
A mind is like a parachute, it only work`s  when it is open.......
The power of Observation   , It`s all about the Details ..
 Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.   Alto Mare

oc1

Man, that's terrific Joe.  Stout rod too.  Are you strapping it against the 2x4 on the table saw or doing it freehand.
-steve

oldmanjoe

 I cut free hand .   the aluminum box tube is my fence/ straight edge .  I keep it about 8 inches away from the blade .   joe
Grandpa`s words of wisdom......Joey that thing between your shoulders is not a hat rack.....    use it.....
A mind is like a parachute, it only work`s  when it is open.......
The power of Observation   , It`s all about the Details ..
 Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.   Alto Mare

oldmanjoe

 I have one 5 foot stick done ,  5 running guides plus tip top.   looks to be a fish magnet.    joe
Grandpa`s words of wisdom......Joey that thing between your shoulders is not a hat rack.....    use it.....
A mind is like a parachute, it only work`s  when it is open.......
The power of Observation   , It`s all about the Details ..
 Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.   Alto Mare

oc1


sdlehr

Very interested in this thread, Joe, keep up the good work.

Sid
Sid Lehr
Veterinarian, fishing enthusiast, custom rod builder, reel collector

oldmanjoe

  ???    Fish in a barrel  don`t count .  I still think it was a training session .  loa   
  Sid  I have 8  more to go, just waiting on guids .            joe 
Grandpa`s words of wisdom......Joey that thing between your shoulders is not a hat rack.....    use it.....
A mind is like a parachute, it only work`s  when it is open.......
The power of Observation   , It`s all about the Details ..
 Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.   Alto Mare

sdlehr

Joe, I've got two clumps of bamboo growing as of a few weeks ago. In another year I might have some home-grown to try... and where in FL are you?
Sid Lehr
Veterinarian, fishing enthusiast, custom rod builder, reel collector

oldmanjoe

  Valrico fl  Brandon -Tampa area.
Grandpa`s words of wisdom......Joey that thing between your shoulders is not a hat rack.....    use it.....
A mind is like a parachute, it only work`s  when it is open.......
The power of Observation   , It`s all about the Details ..
 Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.   Alto Mare

Bill B

Great work Joe....have a question regarding bamboo....in my So Calif area we have lots of Arundo....a type of reed or bamboo...It's historically used for making reeds for wind instruments....Do you think this may work for a fishing rod?  Bill
It may not be very productive,
but it's sure going to be interesting!

oldmanjoe

  I really don`t know .    How big and thick is it ?   One of my neighbors has a type of bamboo that is thin 3/4 thick and long 12 -16 feet that i tried to dry out , with no real success .     All i can say is try it .     Another neighbor  has the bamboo that i have been using 20 -30 foot and 3 -4 inches thick .     I don`t know the what technical name is , other  than [ pita]  take as much as you want and than some .  joe
Grandpa`s words of wisdom......Joey that thing between your shoulders is not a hat rack.....    use it.....
A mind is like a parachute, it only work`s  when it is open.......
The power of Observation   , It`s all about the Details ..
 Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.   Alto Mare

oc1

The best for whole cane rods is Calcutta, Dendrocalamus strictus. Sid has a clump.   It has been imported into the US for fishing rods since 1850.  It is very strong but does not have a fast taper or fast action.  Even better for light and ultra-light work is Calcutta with a Chinese cane pole tip section.  I think the Chinese is Phyllostachys aurea.  The tips are nice, but the butt and mid-section are not strong enough for anything more than a bream pole.

For split cane the best is reported to be Tonken, Arundinaria amabilis (aka: Pseudosasa amabilis).  It has thick walls, tight grain (bundles) and does not seem to have prominent leaf/branch scars.  I have never seen any Tonkin in person but the photos look just like the decorative stuff they sell in the landscape store.

Its weird because every type has distinctive characteristics.  We have a tall one with 2 inch butts that is locally common and was used for ulua rods, gaffs, boat hooks, outriggers and all sorts of stuff back in the day.  I suspect it is Phyllostachys acuta but don't know for sure.  The walls are not thick but it is very strong and has a fast action.  The tips zig zag too much to make a light casting rod.  We have a big thick yellow one with green stripes (Bambusa vulgaris) but the grain/bundles are not tight so it is weak and prone to pest and microbe damage.  We have budddha (Bambusa ventricosa) which is incredibly thick, tight, strong and very heavy.  It is useless for fishing rods but makes a cool looking handle.  Every species is different, every application is different and green cane behaves differently from dry came.  You need to play around with it until you find something that works like Joe has.
-steve

sdlehr

Quote from: oc1 on July 15, 2017, 08:01:31 AM
The best for whole cane rods is Calcutta, Dendrocalamus strictus. Sid has a clump.
Yeah, a very small clump right now, it's been in the ground a little over a week. It's got one culm that is just a little taller than I am and another smaller shoot from which the cutting was started. I selected a dowel last night to try to use to train this thing to grow straighter.... not sure what to do with it yet.... I need to see how this thing grows for another few weeks/months before I feel comfortable I know what I'm doing, but for now the dowel will be lashed near the tip to try to straighten the culm growth.
Sid Lehr
Veterinarian, fishing enthusiast, custom rod builder, reel collector

oc1

That will be interesting to watch Sid.  You would want the culms to mature, harden and begin to yellow before cutting because, otherwise, they will have little strength. The first culms may mature at twenty feet high.  An old clump can be 50-60 feet high.  The tops will zig zag too much and be trimmed away.  The bottom will be too thick and trimmed away.  The fishing pole part will be somewhere in between.  There are references to using Calcutta to make split bamboo rods too, especially during that time when our relations with China were not so good and Tonkin cane was hard to get.
-steve