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? about Bamboo as a cutting implement

zombie_killer said:
worrying in that one day some terrorist is gonna try it.
i know what you meant , as a defense against hijackers , and i know it was just a joke.
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Which is exactly why we should be able to carry whatever EDC we choose on a plane. I could just imagine the Crocodile Dundee scene playing out when a hijacker whips out a sharp credit card or piece of bamboo; "That's not a knoife..."
:D

Back on topic.
I too have been cut something fierce by bamboo. The first time surprised the hell out of me as I was clearing a patch of it that had gone a little out-of-bounds at a friends house when I felt a slice and the instant warmth of blood on my elbow. I thought for an instant I had somehow struck myself with the machete until I realized that the cut was on the same side I was holding the blade. Sure enough, inspection of one of the shoots yielded the discovery of a nasty sharp edge.
 
I will not carry split bamboo over my shoulder, dumb way to die. I use gloves and long sleeves with the stuff. Mac
 
pict said:
I will not carry split bamboo over my shoulder, dumb way to die. I use gloves and long sleeves with the stuff. Mac
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Have people actually died that way? Not that I'd be surprised but it certainly would attest to the sharpness of bamboo.
 
zombie_killer said:
worrying in that one day some terrorist is gonna try it.
i know what you meant , as a defense against hijackers , and i know it was just a joke.
Click to expand...

Thought (hoped) that is what you meant. It was intended to make light of the fact that the TSA bans "sharp things" but doesn't ban things that can be easily made sharp.

I have a number of plastic cards in my wallet that have a fairly nice edge on them but because the cards say "Visa" and "Mastercard" on them the TSA takes no notice. I tell you this because I recommend that anyone who boards an aircraft should prepare themselves to survive (I don't trust the TSA with my life).

If anyone wonders why I wouldn't trust the TSA with my life, you might want to read this article; http://www.melissaclouthier.com/2009/12/02/another-terrorist-dry-run/

"Survival skills" aren't just necessary in the woods!:D

ON EDIT: This reminds me of the old joke where a guy says that the chances of their being a bomb on a plane are about 5 million to one. He says that he always carries on his own bomb because if HE has one, the odds are now 10 million to one that some NUT JOB will have one also.:D
 
Blais said:
Have people actually died that way? Not that I'd be surprised but it certainly would attest to the sharpness of bamboo.
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I have no idea but I've cut my hands badly enough with it that I wouldn't want to trip with it across my neck. I don't intend to be the first. Mac
 
I got around to making a split cane knife the other day. I'll try to get some pics up. It's dagger shape and sharpened on both sides, with a whole segment as a handle. I cut green cane, shaped the knife and then put it by a fire for several hours. It dried out completely and hardened up nicely. I then sharpened it by shaving the inside of the edge. It is VERY sharp, and easily sliced some whole chickens I was preparing to grill. It will even slice ripe tomatoes.
 
I've got that "Practicing Primitive" book, too, and looked up the knife. It is, essentially, a wooden version of the Condor Pipe Knife.
 
I made some blowgun darts with bamboo , by crushing & splitting the bamboo. They hurt something fierce and you get a bit of an infection at the entry point...
 
Just so all of us are still on the same page -

1. Can it possibly cut? Yes, possibly, as with any material that's hard enough and cut at a certain angle and given an edge. However, a clean, efficient and usable cutter? Nope.

2. To clarify; between cutting and piercing, the latter is better. Long been used as a skewer material, pegs, and support columns for houses and shelters.
 
untamed said:
Just so all of us are still on the same page -

1. Can it possibly cut? Yes, possibly, as with any material that's hard enough and cut at a certain angle and given an edge. However, a clean, efficient and usable cutter? Nope.
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I guess we are NOT on the same page. The one I made quartered two chickens. Clean slices, not tears. Before that I sliced up a tomato. I had to scrape the edge while cutting up the chickens, but looking at the meat you couldn't tell it had not been cut with a metal blade. I'll post a vid soon, but there is a vid on one of the links that has a guy slicing a chicken drumstick from the thigh, cut through the cartilage too.
 
untamed said:
Just so all of us are still on the same page -

1. Can it possibly cut? Yes, possibly, as with any material that's hard enough and cut at a certain angle and given an edge. However, a clean, efficient and usable cutter? Nope.
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I'm gonna have to disagree on that one. I was making this fish spear for a thread a while back. and got MANY razor sharp cuts while doing it. Some even cut through some light calluses. All cuts were thin and precise, just like a sharp knife, most didn't even hurt till after I noticed the blood.
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timcsaw said:
Thanks for the link... I note that the knife shown in the picture is not for sale... too bad, I'd like one.

It looks like it would be a great little cutter. I suspect it came from a fairly large diameter piece of bamboo... I'd like to figure out how it was made so I could make one myself.:confused:
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If you look you'll notice that the ring of the joints goes all the way around and the edge has a hamon. I'm pretty sure it's a steel knife made to look like bamboo. :)
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
If you look you'll notice that the ring of the joints goes all the way around and the edge has a hamon. I'm pretty sure it's a steel knife made to look like bamboo. :)
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I don't know.... If you go to the link for the knife it has a number of other pictures of it and I don't know, but think it could be bamboo. If it isn't, it sure is a fine reproduction of a piece of bamboo. I've sent the company an email asking them about it, and I'll let you know.

http://japantool-iida.com/gem/2009/0...isanot-fo.html
 
Just FYI- bamboo can be flattened like the pic Joe posted by steaming it and bending it SLOWLY. In order to flatten a piece like that knife, it would take several dozen applications of steam and pressure to prevent it from splitting. The technique is the same as the PVC machete sheaths, just a lot more delicate.
 
The Government said:
I have a book about primitive tools called, "Practicing Primitive" by Steven Watts. The following info comes from that book.

"The Southeaster Indian Split Cane Knife: used all over the Southeast both as a weapon (dagger) and as a tool for cutting fruits, vegetables, fish, and fresh meats." ..."can be dried or green. Fire harden the edge in flame not coals."

The shape is a lot different than the one posted above... I will look for pictures.

Well I looked. You can actually find large excerpts of this book online but the Chapter called "To Hunt and Fish" is always off limits. It shows the Cane knife.
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Fantastic Book and person. I had two copies of the book but sold one. Steve (a good good buddy) had a Bamboo tools class that I had to miss cause I was on a cruise. :(
 
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