• The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
    Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
    Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.

  • Today marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11. I pray that this nation does not forget the loss of lives from this horrible event. Yesterday conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered, and I worry about what is to come. Please love one another and your family in these trying times - Spark

Bamboo Fly Rods - Camillus MQB-1???

M

mvbrooks

Joined
Apr 25, 2005
Messages
4
Hi, I make bamboo fly rods and need a really tough knife. I have broken three Buck Hunters and a Gerber. In making the rods, we take a culm of bamboo about 3" in diameter with 1/2" thick walls and flame temper it and cut two 56 inch lengths with the nides staggered. Then, you take the knife, lay the blade exactly where you want to cut each culm piece in half and smack it with a rubber mallet. Nect, you split each half into thirds and each third into quarters. While splitting, you are working the knife blade, from side to side, through the peice of bamboo. This creates considerable side stresses and THAT is where I tend to break the Buck knives. The rubber mallet seems to break just about everything else. Pieces of broken knife blade flying around rather dangerous and I have been looking for something that is tougher.

In any event, I went to a knife show recently and one salesman told me what I wanted was the Camillus MQB-1 or the 3. He claimed that Special Forces types would shove the blade into a door jam and literally kick the side of the blade and knock the door off the hinge. THAT sounds like what I want. Is that true. Is the plain MQB-1 really that tough? Or is there something even better you experts could recommend for a working knife.
Thank you
Mike Brooks
 
I have no idea about the knife in question, but the fly rods sound great. Do you do this as a hobby or for money? Maybe a knife in plain carbon steel that is differentially heat treated would be what you need. The edge would be hard but the spine and tang soft to handle the stresses better. It might bend sometimes, but would be less likely to break. I have seen straight handled one piece froes advertised in Garret Wade woodworking catalogs that were described as for use in bamboo. They have a website, just do a search.
 
Thank you for the help. I make old fashioned bamboo fly rods as a living. Mostly Payne and Leonard tapers, but several of my own, too. The rods are the classic 6 strip versions. Lots and lots of hours to make them, but at least they aren't imported from China! And, they fish a whole lot better than plastic rods. Sort of goes along with bow hunting for Turkey and Elk (my other passions).
 
I'm wondering if maybe a thicker knife with a convex grind might serve your purpose best. Something like a Marbles or Blackjack or Bark River. Convex ground knives are generally thicker at the spine, so they should be pretty resistant to such lateral forces and mallet impacts. They are also very good for splitting, as they induce a natural wedging action. At the same time, the sharp edge is thin for ease of penetration.

I doubt that there are many folders that would be ideal for such work. I'd look closely at a carbon steel, convex ground fixed blade.
 
What dimensions would this knife be ideally? Say 6-8" blade, 1/4" thick at the spine, 1-2" wide? Longer blade, shorter, thicker, thinner? Any info like that would help.
 
mvbrooks said:
Hi, I make bamboo fly rods and need a really tough knife. I have broken three Buck Hunters and a Gerber. In making the rods, we take a culm of bamboo about 3" in diameter with 1/2" thick walls and flame temper it and cut two 56 inch lengths with the nides staggered. Then, you take the knife, lay the blade exactly where you want to cut each culm piece in half and smack it with a rubber mallet. Nect, you split each half into thirds and each third into quarters. While splitting, you are working the knife blade, from side to side, through the peice of bamboo. This creates considerable side stresses and THAT is where I tend to break the Buck knives. The rubber mallet seems to break just about everything else. Pieces of broken knife blade flying around rather dangerous and I have been looking for something that is tougher.

In any event, I went to a knife show recently and one salesman told me what I wanted was the Camillus MQB-1 or the 3. He claimed that Special Forces types would shove the blade into a door jam and literally kick the side of the blade and knock the door off the hinge. THAT sounds like what I want. Is that true. Is the plain MQB-1 really that tough? Or is there something even better you experts could recommend for a working knife.
Thank you
Mike Brooks
Click to expand...
I have a feeling that you ment the Camillus CQB-1. Also, is there any reason why you don't use some type of a saw on the bamboo?
 
The CQB won't do that with a door, ATS-34 isn't all that resistant to snapping.

Swamp Rat knives are tough and really nice, also check out Becker Knife and Tool (Camillus-owned), Ranger Knives RD7 and other models. You're probably using a slightly smaller knife than that Ranger, check out Busse Combat. Guys here really love them for being just about unbreakable.

There are a lot of knives out there that are really tough and won't break even if you hit them with a metal hammer or mallet.

Cliff Stamp reviews a lot of such knives on his site, check it out for good fixed blades and folder options for your task.

_z
 
It might be worthwhile to do a web search for Japanese woodworking tools. As much as they use bamboo in that culture it wouldn't surprise me if they have some specialized tools just for that use.
 
z537z said:
The CQB won't do that with a door, ATS-34 isn't all that resistant to snapping.
Click to expand...

What about the version they make out of high carbon steel? 51600 or whatever.
 
5160 is great stuff, it's what this knife is made from: http://www.theporcupine.dk/rkrd7test.htm

It won't hold an edge as super-long as M2 or whatever, isn't as stainless as ATS-34 IIRC, but it'll flex vs. snapping on impacts, and the edge won't chip with chopping work.


So this is probably the kinda stuff you're looking for. You can find it with a few brands, can't remember any off the top of my head though.

Consider contacting a custom knife maker here in the knife making forums...lots of guys turn out real quality work that's really well priced for custom knives.

_z
 
So what knife WILL do that with a door? I'm sure there's a couple that will... I just don't know which ones. :D
 
If you want to use a knife, I'd use a cleaver or similar. The Himalayan Imports AK Bowie would do the job, but it's kind of a monster. The Swamp Rat knives are a bit thick but their toughness is well documented.
 
Maybe a bamboo riving knife is what you need. This flutemaker site has some examples.

Bamboo tools(clickhere)

Another one that might work for cutting straight edges with a batton is a Kiridashi. The chisel grind would cut a 90 on the end of the bamboo. Example below.
E0110.jpg
 
Buzzbait said:
I'm wondering if maybe a thicker knife with a convex grind might serve your purpose best. Something like a Marbles or Blackjack or Bark River. Convex ground knives are generally thicker at the spine, so they should be pretty resistant to such lateral forces and mallet impacts. They are also very good for splitting, as they induce a natural wedging action. At the same time, the sharp edge is thin for ease of penetration.

I doubt that there are many folders that would be ideal for such work. I'd look closely at a carbon steel, convex ground fixed blade.
Click to expand...
I agree, a fixed blade is what you need. A convex grind is also what you need. And carbon or tool steel is definitely what you need.

Ahem... Bark River.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top