Interesting Afternoon

[brizbane]

I've been dyin' to get outside this winter with my knives but the weather here in NW Jersey has been downright horrible. Yesterday at last we had a break in the weather,sunny in the 50's;warm enough to use some tools without my fingers going numb. So I took the old belt sander into the driveway, plopped it on the front rack of my ATV(makes a good tool stand) and sharpened my three brand new HI's. By the way I am a novice with the belt sander. This was my first attempt at sharpening Khukris and must say I did a pretty good job evening out the grinds and getting really good sharpness on the WWII,Pen Knife and the Sarge Knife. I even touched up the horn handle on the Sarge by removing a slight point on the butt which previously had painfully dug into my palm. For some more fun I tested the Khuks on several stalks of an overgrown patch of Bamboo that has been growing wildly for the past ten years. To my surprise, once I figured out the best swinging and slicing techniques these two performed better then all of the other tools I have used in the past. After severing the 15 foot, 2 inch diameter stalks at the base I proceeded to trim off the branches so now I have straight poles for a future project. The base of the stalk has an outer case that is very hard almost shell-like then just underneath it is fibrous making it very resilient. In the past when I used a hatchet it was very difficult to get a good bite into the stalk as most would be glancing blows that would slide off. With the WWII, when I achieved the proper swing with a slight wrist snap, the blade bit into the stalk cleanly and took about four chops to cut through the base. Next I used the Pen Knife to trim off the branches. This worked amazingly well. Working from the top downward, as I came to each branch I used a slight wrist snap and cleanly severed each one. All in all it was a fun couple of hours and I have really come to appreciate these cool knives. I will continue to do some more testing but already I think these will make outstanding camping/survival tools. Sorry that I don't have pictures but next time I will ask my wife to photograph.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

Sounds like a lot of fun:thumbup:

I plan on planting a little bamboo at my next house. I live in suburbia with a neighbor to either side of me. I doubt any of the 5 houses that touch my plot would appreciate me unleashing bamboo onto their property

 

[Wolf_1989]

I like bamboo. It's a very attractive and remarkable plant.

How well would bamboo do in the midwest USA?

 

[brizbane]

My patch of 200+/- bamboo trees started as five small plants ten years ago. This variety spreads underground through rizomes and is quite invasive. It is also very hardy and easily endures our harsh cold winters,even steady single digit and temperatures in the teens. It stays green all winter except prolonged extreme wind and low temps will turn the leaves yellow, but come spring the green comes back. I planted this patch on a slope adjacent to our deck and it now blocks our view of the woods as some plants are 20 feet tall. My wife wants me to relocate the whole patch but I am amazed by it not to mention that it has become a refuge for rabbits and birds as it is so thick. When a new shoot starts, I watch it grow from a couple of inches to 15 feet in about 10 days. That is unless our goats get to it first as they love the fresh new shoots. So Wolf, if you find the right variety I am sure it will grow in the MW also. Steely, from what I remember there are non invasive types, so do some research, I guarantee you will enjoy your own plot. One downside, the Black Helicopters will think you are growing MaryJane.