Bamboo from Johnwalter
May 8, 2010 0:51:19 GMT
Post by Deleted on May 8, 2010 0:51:19 GMT
Greetings folks.
As many of you may know one of our forumites Johnwalter has the luxury of having bamboo growing wild out in his parts and has recently offerred some up for sale.
I thought I'd try some of it out and this will in many ways be a review of his product and my experience with it.
I talked to JW this past Sunday and placed my order. As promised, it was cut the following Monday morning and shipped that day. I recieved it today, four days after he shipped it out.
So, initial impressions.
It looks to me like JW really did everything he could to make sure this stuff arrived as fresh and ready to cut as possible. It arrived in a regular cardboard box. Inside were approximately 17 four foot long pieces of bamboo of various sizes, but mostly toward the larger end of the spectrum. (At least toward the larger end of what he stated in his offer, which means many of mine were closer to 1 3/4" than the 1".) It is not a bad size at all, but for my first time cutting it, I think I would recommend something a little smaller in diameter to anyone else who might be cutting it for the first time.
Inside the box, the canes were wrapped in plastic bags. Inside those was another layer of clear plastic, all tightly bound with tape. Inside that was a few layers of wet newspaper to provide moisture to keep them fresh. I am well satisfied that they were packaged with care and with arriving to me in the best possible condition for cutting.
All pieces were right about 4 feet long. Just the right size to soak in the tub without any issues at all.
Now on to the cutting experience. That's what this is all about, right?
I wish I had a properly prepared stand for these. I had to improvise and not well. Ended up simply tying the bamboo to the side of my regular cutting stand and that is not the best way to go about cutting bamboo, now that I look back at it.
I began with my DF shobu because I trust it as a tough blade that wouldn't take much damage if I messed anything up. It is also my favored blade for cutting so it made the decision of which blade to use easy. I also decided to try cutting these as they came without any soaking just to see how fresh these canes were after 4 days. They looked fresh enough that I didn't think there would be any issue, and there wasn't.
I started with a smallish medium one, wanting to save the small ones for my son when he got home from school and the bigger ones for when I'd gotten a better feel for this stuff. I'd say my first cut was with about 60% power. Yeah, too much power. It sailed right through with a nice clean cut. Next one at about 30-40% with the same result.
I enjoyed this very much but did want something a little more challenging. Something that would tell me more about my technique and the blade I was using. So I picked a biggish medium one.
I tried it with the same 30-40% power and only got about 3/4 through before the grain of the cane 'grabbed' the blade and sent it pretty much straight down while also splintering pretty much the entire circumference of the stalk down to the next node or ring, where the splintering pretty much stopped, though not completely.
The next cut I put below the node with more power but ended with the same result. Mostly cut but with a lot of splintering. So on to full 100% balls to the wall power. A clean cut but still with splintering noted on the cut ends.
I moved on to cut some others, moving up to some of the biggest ones JW supplied. I had mixed results. Some cuts were nice and clean and others not so much. The biggest surprise for me was the splintering and the way the grain would grab the blade and direct it if I didn't use enough force. And I think I can attribute those effects to my lack of proper training to provide me with proper, consistent technique and lack of cutting experience with bamboo or hard targets.
Simply said, this stuff is DIFFICULT to cut WELL. But, I like it much more than rolled and soaked newspaper. I find it far more forgiving of a bad cut, of which I apparently made many. When I did make a bad cut, there was none of the harsh jarring vibration I feel when flubbing a cut on rolled newspaper (which has been my standard cutting medium).
At this point, I decided to soak the remaining stalks in my tub and wait for my son to come home so I could take some pics of him cutting. When he did come home, he informed me that he had pulled something in his leg today and was not up to cutting, so you fellas will have to content yourself with my fugly mug in the cutting pics. Wish I could have taken some video for you but I don't have a functioning camera. Sorry.
I soaked about an hour and decided to also see how one of my ko-kats would do, choosing my Cheness shura before going back to the shobu.
Some pics. (And feel free to critique my form/technique if you can tell anything from the pics.)
Just the small stuff to start.
This was one of the largest I had left at this point. Full power, but handled it easily enough and has got me to thinking more about blade weights.
I chose this picture to illustrate the splintering. This happened when I didn't make it completely through on the previous cut and came at it from the other side into all the cracks.
Back to the shobu. This one shows how the grain of the bamboo can guide the blade off target. While my cut was at a steep angle to begin with because I was cutting high on the target, it was not THAT steep and you can clearly see how long the cut became through the cane.
And just some of the end results.
So, what is my opinion overall?
Well, I learned a hell of a lot, about a lot of things.
Bamboo is difficult to cut well.
Technique is much more important than the blade geometry or weight or length.
Bamboo splinters and cracks run down the cane when it is not cut well.
Once cracks or splinters are present in the cane, it is very hard to get a cleanly cut end after that.
I would NOT risk a DH blade trying to cut this until I really know a LOT more about cutting.
I could go on and on, but will leave it at that for now. If anyone has specific questions, I'm happy to answer them if you will bear in mind that my opinion is that of a backyard cutter who can claim no real skill. I know there are many of you out there who have proper training or who have in some way acquired proper skills.
Anyhow, this is more a review of my experience with JW's bamboo shipment for those of you who might be interested and for those that have not cut bamboo before.
So, in a nutshell, he packaged it well and it arrived quickly with enough moisture within the canes to leave what I would consider a normal residue on the blade from cutting something that was relatively fresh. I think it might have been a touch dry but not enough for serious concern. It told me when I cut well, which is what I was looking for.
And I had a blast cutting this stuff. I think it an excellent medium to cut because it demands proper technique.
If you have not cut bamboo I recommend it. I think JW can get it to you in good enough condition for cutting as long as you cut it quickly after receiving it. It is not something that can wait very long to be cut.
I also strongly suggest starting small and working your way up to the larger diameters. This is wood and I can very easily see it damaging a blade that is not tough enough to handle a bad cut.
Okay, nuff said.
Troy/Shoboshi
As many of you may know one of our forumites Johnwalter has the luxury of having bamboo growing wild out in his parts and has recently offerred some up for sale.
I thought I'd try some of it out and this will in many ways be a review of his product and my experience with it.
I talked to JW this past Sunday and placed my order. As promised, it was cut the following Monday morning and shipped that day. I recieved it today, four days after he shipped it out.
So, initial impressions.
It looks to me like JW really did everything he could to make sure this stuff arrived as fresh and ready to cut as possible. It arrived in a regular cardboard box. Inside were approximately 17 four foot long pieces of bamboo of various sizes, but mostly toward the larger end of the spectrum. (At least toward the larger end of what he stated in his offer, which means many of mine were closer to 1 3/4" than the 1".) It is not a bad size at all, but for my first time cutting it, I think I would recommend something a little smaller in diameter to anyone else who might be cutting it for the first time.
Inside the box, the canes were wrapped in plastic bags. Inside those was another layer of clear plastic, all tightly bound with tape. Inside that was a few layers of wet newspaper to provide moisture to keep them fresh. I am well satisfied that they were packaged with care and with arriving to me in the best possible condition for cutting.
All pieces were right about 4 feet long. Just the right size to soak in the tub without any issues at all.
Now on to the cutting experience. That's what this is all about, right?
I wish I had a properly prepared stand for these. I had to improvise and not well. Ended up simply tying the bamboo to the side of my regular cutting stand and that is not the best way to go about cutting bamboo, now that I look back at it.
I began with my DF shobu because I trust it as a tough blade that wouldn't take much damage if I messed anything up. It is also my favored blade for cutting so it made the decision of which blade to use easy. I also decided to try cutting these as they came without any soaking just to see how fresh these canes were after 4 days. They looked fresh enough that I didn't think there would be any issue, and there wasn't.
I started with a smallish medium one, wanting to save the small ones for my son when he got home from school and the bigger ones for when I'd gotten a better feel for this stuff. I'd say my first cut was with about 60% power. Yeah, too much power. It sailed right through with a nice clean cut. Next one at about 30-40% with the same result.
I enjoyed this very much but did want something a little more challenging. Something that would tell me more about my technique and the blade I was using. So I picked a biggish medium one.
I tried it with the same 30-40% power and only got about 3/4 through before the grain of the cane 'grabbed' the blade and sent it pretty much straight down while also splintering pretty much the entire circumference of the stalk down to the next node or ring, where the splintering pretty much stopped, though not completely.
The next cut I put below the node with more power but ended with the same result. Mostly cut but with a lot of splintering. So on to full 100% balls to the wall power. A clean cut but still with splintering noted on the cut ends.
I moved on to cut some others, moving up to some of the biggest ones JW supplied. I had mixed results. Some cuts were nice and clean and others not so much. The biggest surprise for me was the splintering and the way the grain would grab the blade and direct it if I didn't use enough force. And I think I can attribute those effects to my lack of proper training to provide me with proper, consistent technique and lack of cutting experience with bamboo or hard targets.
Simply said, this stuff is DIFFICULT to cut WELL. But, I like it much more than rolled and soaked newspaper. I find it far more forgiving of a bad cut, of which I apparently made many. When I did make a bad cut, there was none of the harsh jarring vibration I feel when flubbing a cut on rolled newspaper (which has been my standard cutting medium).
At this point, I decided to soak the remaining stalks in my tub and wait for my son to come home so I could take some pics of him cutting. When he did come home, he informed me that he had pulled something in his leg today and was not up to cutting, so you fellas will have to content yourself with my fugly mug in the cutting pics. Wish I could have taken some video for you but I don't have a functioning camera. Sorry.
I soaked about an hour and decided to also see how one of my ko-kats would do, choosing my Cheness shura before going back to the shobu.
Some pics. (And feel free to critique my form/technique if you can tell anything from the pics.)
Just the small stuff to start.
This was one of the largest I had left at this point. Full power, but handled it easily enough and has got me to thinking more about blade weights.
I chose this picture to illustrate the splintering. This happened when I didn't make it completely through on the previous cut and came at it from the other side into all the cracks.
Back to the shobu. This one shows how the grain of the bamboo can guide the blade off target. While my cut was at a steep angle to begin with because I was cutting high on the target, it was not THAT steep and you can clearly see how long the cut became through the cane.
And just some of the end results.
So, what is my opinion overall?
Well, I learned a hell of a lot, about a lot of things.
Bamboo is difficult to cut well.
Technique is much more important than the blade geometry or weight or length.
Bamboo splinters and cracks run down the cane when it is not cut well.
Once cracks or splinters are present in the cane, it is very hard to get a cleanly cut end after that.
I would NOT risk a DH blade trying to cut this until I really know a LOT more about cutting.
I could go on and on, but will leave it at that for now. If anyone has specific questions, I'm happy to answer them if you will bear in mind that my opinion is that of a backyard cutter who can claim no real skill. I know there are many of you out there who have proper training or who have in some way acquired proper skills.
Anyhow, this is more a review of my experience with JW's bamboo shipment for those of you who might be interested and for those that have not cut bamboo before.
So, in a nutshell, he packaged it well and it arrived quickly with enough moisture within the canes to leave what I would consider a normal residue on the blade from cutting something that was relatively fresh. I think it might have been a touch dry but not enough for serious concern. It told me when I cut well, which is what I was looking for.
And I had a blast cutting this stuff. I think it an excellent medium to cut because it demands proper technique.
If you have not cut bamboo I recommend it. I think JW can get it to you in good enough condition for cutting as long as you cut it quickly after receiving it. It is not something that can wait very long to be cut.
I also strongly suggest starting small and working your way up to the larger diameters. This is wood and I can very easily see it damaging a blade that is not tough enough to handle a bad cut.
Okay, nuff said.
Troy/Shoboshi