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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Feb 14, 2009 4:51:44 GMT
I wanted to get a little creative with the last load of bamboo i got so I started setting up little challenge stations so to speak. here's a few I came up with. the second one was done on bamboo that had gotten a bit too dry I think and was probably poorly set up anyway. long story short I bent my sword on the second cut. No permanent damage was done and it is all better now but still I think a note of warning is due to all.
Bamboo can be very tough and can damage your sword if you mess up which is easy to do. be careful.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2009 5:05:27 GMT
Which sword were you using, I would love to see pictures.
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Marc Ridgeway
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"The best cost less when you buy it the first time." - Papabear
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Post by Marc Ridgeway on Feb 14, 2009 5:07:51 GMT
Nice Tom.
Just want to note... I routinely cut bamboo up to 6 inches in diameter .. sometimes larger...
Bamboo is a hard target, especially in winter , and a day or two after it is cut it is VERY HARD and will damage an edge even on a PERFECT cut..,
You do not have to mess up...
Bending is also easy to do... edge alligment is crucial on bigger stalks ... they will splinter , trap your blade and redirect the momentum and act effectively as a jig causing a set . Be very confident of edge allignment skills before tackilng larger bamboo .
Been cutting bamboo almost exclusively for years ... never gotten a set but have perfed many monouchi ha.
+1 for posting Tom ... when I charge up...
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Feb 14, 2009 5:22:04 GMT
I was using the Hanwei PK Light. and Marc is absolutely right about precautions when cutting bamboo. I will be posting vids that show some of my failed cuts. I bent two swords my kaze and the PK Light doing this, but they weren't bad bends and I was able to fix them. these bamboo pieces were up to 3 inches thick. no way would I even try 6 inch thick bamboo yet. at least not with winter bamboo. this stuff was hard enough I had cut bounce off it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2009 20:54:42 GMT
The practical XL light didn't get seriously damaged while doing this? I had no idea that it would retain only minor damage after cutting bamboo... Do you think you got lucky with the quality control thing or are all PKs like that? Not to hijack the thread, but can you disassemble a Practical XL light?
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Feb 17, 2009 4:30:00 GMT
yup PK Light disassembles fine, and the other one that was given out in the same contest I won this one is just as good. I don't think it's a fluke at all. I have put the PK Light through some SERIOUS heavy cutting lately and it has stood up great. much better than expected. today I cut a full roll tatami wrapped around 1 1/2" thick bamboo. the PK Light has made me a believer in Hanwei katanas no doubt.
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Post by shadowhowler on Feb 17, 2009 4:55:11 GMT
Bamboo scares me... Good thing I don't know where to get any... if I did, I'd be to tempted to try and cut it, dispite my fear.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Feb 17, 2009 5:04:38 GMT
Bamboo SHOULD scare you, and the rest of us too. re-read Marc Ridgeway's warning on bamboo above and believe it. I've done pretty good so far and gotten lucky some too but I can see how bamboo could REALLY hose up a sword. or even break it resulting in a very dangerous, "Razor-edged-helecopter-of-death" situation, and I don't think anybody wants THAT!
so my advice: when it comes to bamboo think twice. if you simply MUST cut it start with the smallest stuff you can find, I'd say 1/2 inch diameter and SLOWLY Work up. any hesitation, ANY uncertainty AT ALL when cutting the big stuff will show.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2009 5:11:05 GMT
Bamboo is quite possibly one of the hardest natural targets you can cut, the other issue with bamboo is that if you pooch the cut it has a tendency to splinter. When it come to bamboo the sword and the swordsman have to work in perfect unity with each other, the blade has to be properly sharpened and you need absolutely perfect edge alignment. Many people think bamboo is easy because of how easy some of the great cutters make it look, it is not easy and could almost be labelled as abusive.
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2009 21:41:15 GMT
first cut i ever attempted was on aged bamboo..aged meaning its been sitting in a corner of my home for about 7 years...in hindsight i was nothing less then foolhardy to attempt such a thing....but fortunately for me and my 60$ mushashi nothing unexpected happened...i simply cut about 75% through the bamboo and then the stalk fell...later as i was inspecting any possible damage it appeared as though i had bent my edge near the habaki...but being the complete noob that i was...i never properly inspected the blade to begin with....so its possible that it came to me in that condition....just typed this post to reiterate the importance of proper inspection and knowing your limits...and using my ignorance as an example of what not to do if u have no experience
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2009 5:45:26 GMT
Bamboo is interesting...I would never attempt to cut bamboo with anything short of dedicated cutters (i.e. katana, type X, XI, XIII etc.). And I have ruined machetes clearing out patches of them before. They are rather abusive to the edge of any blade...perfect cut or not. It´s interesting...and I use it to show the quality of my cuts sometimes...but I much rather prefer other mediums that aren´t so abusive to my babies...err swords.
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