Tips on choosing culms

[Justin Parker]

I've cut down some local cane that grows here in the woods. I'm new to rod making.
I know I'll need to season the culms.
What is ideal culms?
Length, diameter, fiber density? Spacing?

These culms are currently green. Varying from 8ft - 16ft
How should I trim down and store properly?
Most are very large in circumference. As in my fingers don't touch my thumb when wrapping around.

Any info is greatly appreciated!
Cheers!

[GrayHackleRods]

Diameter - at least 2” along the entire length.
Length - if the diameter is good then 6’ minimum ( tips and butts from the same section), of course if you meet the first requirement you should be able to get at least 12’.
Node spacing - probably nothing less than 15”.
Power fiber density - at least 1/8”, more is better.
Straightness - as straight as possible, really don’t want dog legs at each node unless you’re making nodeless.

All of these play in picking a good culm of bamboo, you really can’t discount any of these requirements.

You could make a rod from pretty much any bamboo you could cut, split, etc., how well the rod will perform is the question. Watch Trout Grass, as I remember there is some information regarding how to initially prepare the culms.

[Justin Parker]

Diameter - at least 2” along the entire length.
Length - if the diameter is good then 6’ minimum ( tips and butts from the same section), of course if you meet the first requirement you should be able to get at least 12’.
Node spacing - probably nothing less than 15”.
Power fiber density - at least 1/8”, more is better.
Straightness - as straight as possible, really don’t want dog legs at each node unless you’re making nodeless.

All of these play in picking a good culm of bamboo, you really can’t discount any of these requirements.

You could make a rod from pretty much any bamboo you could cut, split, etc., how well the rod will perform is the question. Watch Trout Grass, as I remember there is some information regarding how to initially prepare the culms.

The nodes are spaced averaging roughly 10" apart on the culms I've cut down. I tried cutting the straightest canes I could find.
On the Garrison video on YouTube, he starts a split before the culm seasons and ages, stating that hopefully the split with stay within the grain when it shrinks over time. Creating your initial first split.
Do they need to be stored in a controlled environment during the aging? I have a shop I can put them in the rafters of, however it's not temperature controlled. It will keep them out of the sun and away from rain.

Thank you for your reply and input. Everything helps!
Cheers!

[GrayHackleRods]

10” is much too short in my opinion but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a rod from it, you’ll just have a lot of nodes to contend with and it will be tricky keeping them away from ferrules and the tip. Since I saw strips I don’t care about a check split. I have a number of culms that are 6+ years old that never split. Go ahead and put a check split in the culms but understand that will not guarantee the culm doesn’t develop other splits where you don’t want them. I store my bamboo in my barn, it gets below zero in the winter and over 90 in the summer.

[jim royston]

Too many nodes to be of any use for rodmaking.

[mikec]

do yourself a huge favor. contact david serafin and get real bamboo. for 30 dollars a stick, it is the cheapest component to making a good rod. you're cane is not straight, there is too much node work involved for someone starting out. if you were an experienced rod maker, you would throw that stuff away.
mike

[Canewrap]

+1

A number of U.S. makers have had very limited success trying to use domestic bamboo.

[galt]

Mr. Parker,

I personally, would relish the opportunity to work with a local cane source. As long as you do not expect your local cane to behave as Tonkin would, I am confident that a fishable rod can be made and with the special satisfaction that comes from an accomplishment with materials upon which others may frown.

Given the images posted, I would select the upper most sections of culms around 2" in diameter. The nodes tend to be farther spaced there. Nodes are not inherently bad; they just require more work to prepare a strip for processing. As a beginner, this may seem like a handicap, but it can also act as a learning experience. If the cane is free, you can easily trash it and start over if an error is made.

Hopefully, the walls of your culms are are not much more than 5/16" thick and with at least a good 1/8" thick layer of dense fibers beneath the enamel at the but end to the section you intend to use.

Foe 3 piece rods, harvest your culms to 8'. Lean them 'tee-pee' style out of the direct sunlight to initially dry. As they begin to change color, they can be moved into more direct sun exposure. The problem I have experienced drying green cane in the sun is that it can dry too fast and sink in between the nodes resulting in a very pronounced hour glass appearance. That is a definite nightmare for straightening.

while I agree that you probably will have an easier time learning to build blanks with known quality cane, it is not an imperative. As a kid, I built fly rods from what ever cane I could find. I learned the process, all be it at a slower rate, and I still fish a couple of them to this day. In fact, I am still trying do duplicate my favorite 'junk' cane rod with Tonkin.

Galt

P.S.
A close-up of the fibers would be telling--preferably knife cut.

[Justin Parker]

UPDATE:

I've recently cut down more cane.
This time, with at least 12"-16" between each node.
Now I need to figure out what sections to use.
I know I'll need either 6' or 12' sections.
These culms are huge. Some currently over 18'.


I read in a book that these culms can be heated and bent as whole.
Has anyone done that?





Cheers!

[magpie]

The cane with the shorter spacing will make great wading staffs.

[LeeO]

I’ll be interested in seeing what luck you have with local stuff. Local bamboo here in WV grows quite large, but the node spacing is never adequate and the node ridges are huge.

[Tommasini]

If it's your first rod, splitting what you have in 1/4" strips is good practice before trying it with good stuff. When I started 30 years ago, learning to split correctly was pretty tough.

[BigTJ]

The other issues I can see are the crookedness of the culms, rapid drop in diameter, and the fact a lot of the nodes are not orthogonal to the culms. When nodes are angled they tend to create bad bumps and angles for the bamboo coming in and out of the node. If the bamboo in your pictures was all I had to work with, I would build nodeless with the straightest bottom quarter to 3rd of the culm. At the very least it will not hurt to work with these culms they are free and you can get exposed to the process. Longer term, try to get your hands in the good stuff it’s way less frustrating to work with.

[Tom Smithwick]

First assuming the cane is well dried, I would use no cane, even Tonkin, without doing a bend test on the split strips, pith and all. Bend them inwards into a smooth arc, hands on either end, then release the pressure. If the cane jumps back straight, you are OK to use it. If it does not spring completely back, there is nothing you can do to fix it. I do that with every strip I use. Even with Tonkin, you will occasionally find a culm
that yields some bad strips, even though they look normal. Another good test is to take a couple feet of an unusable strip and bend it as above until it breaks. The power fibers on the outside face of the bend should separate into needle like splinters several inches long. If they don't, and you get a fairly short, clean break, don't waste your time with the material.
There is a learning curve with bamboo, and it will vary according to your own experience level with tools, and the methods you use in your process. Better to spend the time learning how to use the good stuff that you will end up with anyway.

[LeeO]

First assuming the cane is well dried, I would use no cane, even Tonkin, without doing a bend test on the split strips, pith and all. Bend them inwards into a smooth arc, hands on either end, then release the pressure. If the cane jumps back straight, you are OK to use it. If it does not spring completely back, there is nothing you can do to fix it. I do that with every strip I use. Even with Tonkin, you will occasionally find a culm
that yields some bad strips, even though they look normal. Another good test is to take a couple feet of an unusable strip and bend it as above until it breaks. The power fibers on the outside face of the bend should separate into needle like splinters several inches long. If they don't, and you get a fairly short, clean break, don't waste your time with the material.
There is a learning curve with bamboo, and it will vary according to your own experience level with tools, and the methods you use in your process. Better to spend the time learning how to use the good stuff that you will end up with anyway.

I once had a culm thar produced surprisingly mushy strips. They would remain bent with almost no return to straight.