Use of bamboo as a handle material

T

TANGUS

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Oct 6, 1999
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Some thought given to using bamboo as a handle material. Has anyone tried it? what experiences? what do you think?--thanks, Dan
 
Does anyone know were to buy bamboo that can be used for making a knife handle? I would like to try it out and see how it does.
 
Bamboo in it's natural state is made to absorb, hold and move huge amounts of water. It might take some effort to get it NOT to absorb it. You might check with folks who make Bamboo fly rods.

Please let us know how it turns out.

Dave
 
mpj13

Have a look around the town where you live and ask around. It would probably be best to look for ones that are 3-4 inches in diameter. I want to get some to split and make kites out of. I noticed various places where people are growing it in their gardens. I would imagine that it could be stabilized like wood. If anyone tries it, please post your results.

Phil
 
I don't know about other places but here the people who plant the stuff regret it. It takes over quick. I just stop at one of the bamboo forest gardens and ask, they are always more than glad to have someone cut as much as they can (some of it is huge). It takes forever to dry but you can almost always find dead and dry pieces in the patches. I used it on a couple of early swords but didn't like the looks or the feel. Unless you put a ton of finish on it you get splinters like none you ever had before. It is tough though.
 
the japanese have used bamboo on culinary and fighting weapons since forever. wood is scarce in japan. maybe some asian sword makers can help you out, the only thing i made out of bamboo was bong pipes:D and that was a long time ago!
 
I have This stuff growing wild all over the woods around here,I will walk across the street and get a dry cut piece and when the rain dries out of it I will try stabilizing it and see what it does as a handle on something..
I have been curious about it for years myself,Maybe if I cover the handle with leather and a silk wrap like on the oriental pieces..
Just another experiment to try..
Bruce
 
In ancient Chinese history (couldn't remember which dynasty) the emperor afraid of peasants revolting, banned metal tools and cutlery in the kingdom and bamboo was used instead. Cut at the right angle, they can be quite sharp.

Bamboo are also used to make furniture in south east Asia and they can be durable. In Singapore, we used it to hang our laundary out to dry.:cool:

to 'cure' them, you may want to use the heat of a fire to draw out the oil in the bamboo, this should dry them out, plus it gives them a glossy sheen. to strenthen and waterproof bamboo, you can apply regular wood varnish on them.

try them and see how it turn out.

cheers
 
Yes Indeedy I have used bamboo has a handle material. The stuff grows like a damned weed here so it wasnt exactly hard to get. Used a 5-6 inch long piece cut off at the knot thingy and in the middle of the segment. the knife was a stick tang, and I had to use a little scraper tool I made to widen the hole a bit so it would slide in. Left the skin on, thats always a good thing, and filled the hole with epoxy, and slide the tang in. Water absorbtion isnt a real problem, as some of the epoxy I put in there managed to actually seep out of the pores before it finished curing.
 
Don Fogg uses bamboo on his "Bamboo Shivs". He lists the bamboo on the handles on his site as being "flamed". You might try e-mailing him and asking him what he does. He is ususally really responsive to anyone asking questions. Maybe I'll try if I get the chance.

Please post your results from Fogg if you do ask him, I'd be interested in how he does it, he is a "Master". :)
 
On a Katana don't they use bamboo as the base of the handle and then wrap it? I allways assumed because it is Japanese that they would use Bamboo.
 
In one of those weak moments a couple of months ago I accompanied my wife to Pier One Imports. I'm always on the lookout for additional slab material for knives. Pier One is still selling bamboo rods about 1" in diameter, about 6' long, grouped in a cluster of three for a couple of bucks. Now, some of you can go across the ditch and cut your own. Not so easy in Kansas. We gotta import it!
I have recently cut off a chunk and put the end in a jar full of Ritz dye to check the draw power of the bamboo, this might make for an interesting color combination. Considering that it will probably draw well (much like a straw), then I suppose once a color was achieved one could stabilize by allowing it to draw a thinned mixture of polyeurothane(sp?). No doubt that a stick tang is the way to go. Consider using a tanto type blade (stick tang) coupled up with a round finger guard (they have a special phrase for that!) mount it in the bamboo and you might have something. The only problem I am currently seeing is the "finish off" of the project, meaning, it would only be appropriate to make a sheath of bamboo to match the design "flow". Still working this out in my mind (could take a long time considering past experience). I think I'll go forward with the project. Any further suggestions are greatly appreciated-thanks Dan:D :D :D
 
Oh yeah, I almost forgot--for Sylvester--WHY NOT?;)
New materials bring fresh ideas for application. Sometimes combining one material with steel can yield many other ideas for similiar projects. Now that the importation of sambar stag has ground to a halt, I think makers are looking for other materials. Even the stocks available for the mastedon ivory, etc., will eventually be depleted. Granted, bamboo may not have universal appeal in every application, but in a small segment, it could be very appealing. Besides I'm one of those small makers that get tired of the same old stuff (as beautiful as the standards are-one does yearn for a different twist every once in a while.
 
One of the Orvis fly fishing/equipment mail order catalogs in the last few months listed a knife with stabilized bamboo scales by either Bob Dozier or Ken Largin.
 
Tangus,
Look forward to seeing your project when it is finished.
Some good info posted above. I think fly rod making could be another of those addicting hobbies. Here is a link to a good site that has info on working with bamboo: http://www.thomaspenrose.com/bamboo.htm
By the way, it not so much that wood is scarce in Japan (65% of Japan is forests) as that they have not managed their forests to the degree of other countries to support the lumber industry. The demand for wood products far outstrips their domestic lumbering capacity.

pso, you might find this site useful(kite making):http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/1911/index.html

Happy Holidays,
Greg
 
I believe that for Japanese sword scabbards and handles the traditional wood is called Ho. I think it is some type of Magnolia. It is medium hardness.
I used bamboo pins on a tanto I made. It has thick Black Walnut scales. I put two bamboo pins in and used small black walnut wedges to expand them in the tapered holes. No glue, No metal other than the blade. Mostly for artistic style, but it would hold up to some decent use.
 
If you want bamboo for a slab handle, why not use flooring? You can buy it finished or unfinished, $3 - $4 sq. ft. I'm thinking about using some bamboo flooring in my house, if I do I'll post availibility of leftover material if anyone's interested.

Patrick
 
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