Is chopping bamboo "field use" or "normal use?"

Chopping live Bamboo would be considered "field usage".
As live bamboo can be very hard, fibrous and contain imbedded impurites it is recommended that you use good judgement when chopping it.
"Good judgement" meaning that if you use an H.I. to chop live bamboo, you should not automatically blame a poor heat treat if it chips out.
Just as you would/should choose a different tool for the job if you were chopping thru profusely knotted wood or some hardwoods, like ironwood...etc..It is better to use a cheap tramontina machete ( or hatchet etc...depending on the medium being chopped) in cases such as this, over an expensive blade.

When chopping any medium, it is always up to the end user to assess the risk of damage to the blade prior to it's usage and assume that risk and the damage should they choose to go ahead and chop into anything that could potentially damage the blade. As well built and tough as these blades are made to be, they are still only a sharpened piece of steel and are wholly subject to the qualities inherent in the steel. Any knife whether made of cheap steel or infi is held to the inherent qualities of the steel and its properties once heat treated. Any knife can be damaged or broken and the usage of proper judgement is first and foremost in the care of any blade.
 
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Bamboo is deceptively weird to cut through. The cutting tests done on it in Japan were not done so simply because it was abundant. It's very unforgiving of poor technique and requires a near perfect combination of angle, speed, and force to make a clean cut.

Our late friend Danny had YEARS of training in martial arts, and he still managed to slightly bend his GS due to his strike being off just a tiny bit.
 
I've never tried cutting bamboo with a Khukuri, but I've it it with axes and other knives. I've concluded that a saw works most reliably and safely. Bamboo is VERY hard, and resilient. Bamboo floors are harder and more durable that normal hardwood. If you try to cut it with a Khukuri, be very careful. It is easy to have a blade glance off bamboo and do real damage to what ever else is in the area.
 
A word of note: Tatami matting is a different animal. Often it is processed and/or soaked making it softer and less resilient.
 
The Japanese use a "nata" (or "bamboo hatchet") for cutting and splitting bamboo. They often have a laminated blade (high carbon steel edge laminated to iron). If one gets damaged, it's not as big a deal as damaging a khukuri that costs three times more.

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You're right, Steve. To bring up Danny yet again (:(), he sent me a good sized Nata that would be perfect for the job. Easy to swing with enough weight, chisel ground so its tough and easy to sharpen, and yes they are pretty inexpensive for the most part. Nice little lopper.
 
Easiest bamboo cutter i have seen has been a relatively light, sharp parang. The folks in Malaysia seem to really enjoy using them.
 
as well, to add, a khukri proven on say, hard wood, might perform poorly with bamboo, and vice versa...

i wouldn't expect an overly hard khuk to chip out on live bamboo, but i would expect a softer khuk to roll, which is okay, as that's fixable, yah?

if a khuk DID chip out on bamboo, either the technique was very poor, the bamboo wasn't as live or soft as you thought, and or *eek* it WAS the khukri, thus chances are it would have had issue with hard wood too, so lose both ways.

generally, if you tested your khukri out, and it's good in a variety of environments, bamboo with the right edge, should be fine.

same warning as chopping silicated knots in fir trees, as bamboo seems to be able to do this with its nodes... if you chop at knots/nodes, expect problems. that stuff is *hard* very very very hard, use a chain saw ;)
 
Bladite said:
if you chop at knots/nodes, expect problems. that stuff is *hard* very very very hard, use a chain saw ;)
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Hi Bladite,

Some very bad things happened to a friend who used a chainsaw to cut bamboo. Let's just say the chainsaw went haywire and UNMANNED after failing to chew through a thick wall ~ 1.5" in diameter.
 
dunno, i've seen Ethan clear 3-4 inch bamboo like butter...

lube your chainsaw, keep it sharp, and well, technique?
 
Bamboo is one of the most dangerous plants to rid off; many a times the high tension bamboos inter-twined in a messy bunch and the moment you mis-chopped one, as if you just released the one that hold them together, rains of needle-like shreds came flying.Worst,the clumps will probably snap you from opposite direction.

Wild+Bamboo.JPG
 
Found a video made locally that might be helpful on bamboo chopping :
[video=youtube;H07iEAu6IPk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H07iEAu6IPk[/video]

If you don't mind it's a parang that's used and not a khuk.
 
I chop bamboo with every big knife, bowie, camp knife, chopper etc... that goes out.
 
Karda said:
A word of note: Tatami matting is a different animal. Often it is processed and/or soaked making it softer and less resilient.
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Indeed it is, it even comes from a different plant material. The core of Tatami matting is made from Rice straw and the covering is a softer rush straw. It is the rush straw (igusa) that is usually rolled up, tied and soaked for tameshigiri.
 
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