Making bamboo shanks

kkendall · Post by **kkendall** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 9:35 pm

Started playing w/bamboo today. Have to say, a different animal! For those 'in the know', I'd sure like to know how to do this. I've searched and read what I could, and have approached it with the tools I have and outlined it below. If I'm off track or if there's a better way I'd sure like to hear it.

Drilled 2 blocks. On one block, after drilling the air hole, I put a 3/16 mortise in it for the tube. On the second block, I drilled a 5/16 mortise, then put in a piece of 5/16 delrin that has the 3/16 mortise in it for the tube.

Now onto the bamboo. Made 2, 2 knuckle stems. BTW - Doing all this on a Delta Midi lathe....

I wanted the bamboo ends at the center of the knuckles. I cut a couple pieces that were about 3 knuckles long.

I chucked one piece in the lathe and had to keep adjusting it's position in the (#1 Spigot) jaws in order to get it as centered as I could.

I used a 9/64 tapered bit and drilled a little over half way through the piece. Then a forstner bit to square the end, then a 3/16 mortise. Flipped the piece around and had to fidget with the centering before doing the same to that end.

That's where I left it for the day. Now I have to figure out the stem/tube relationship/process.

JHowell · Post by **JHowell** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 11:40 pm

It's needlessly difficult trying to chuck bamboo. Try this:

Most bamboo has a tiny hole in the center of the cross-section, use this as a center. If the piece appears solid, use a punch to make a dimple in the center. This is best done by eye, as bamboo is usually too irregular to measure.

Don't worry about squaring the ends for now. Chuck a tapered drill in the headstock, and use a center in the tailstock, located in the hole or dimple of one end, to guide the bamboo onto the spinning drill bit as you hold it by hand. Do a little, switch ends, and repeat. Allow the bamboo to rotate a quarter turn or so every little while so you can judge your progress in keeping it in line. Pretty soon the holes will meet, and you can push through. I usually start with a 1/8" tapered bit and enlarge to 3/16", seems to wind up a little cleaner. This is your best chance of getting a hole right through from point to point.

At this point, I use an aircraft counterbore with a 3/16" pilot to square the ends. I got a counterbore with at 3/16" bore so a piece of 3/16" drill blank that protrudes about an inch can be used as a pilot, this keeps it square better than the little stub pilots you get if you buy one. If I'm trying to merely square the ends and not actually remove much material, I just insert the counterbore and turn by hand. Bamboo end grain shaves very easily and evenly.

Alternately, as has been covered in other threads, you can use a piece of rod as a mandrel and square the ends turning the mandrel in the lathe.

To repeat, though, you'll have so much trouble consistently centering and squaring a piece of bamboo in a chuck that it's hardly worth the trouble. The method above takes minutes.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 9:58 am

Jack's method is nearly identical to mine.

The only thing I could possibly add to Jack's exhaustive set of directions, is that, when drilling bamboo, you aim for a larger than normal airway size. Jack mentioned 3/16" - which is the same I use. The reason is that the bamboo fibers have a tendency to swell slightly when exposed to moisture (as in pipe smoke) so you want to compensate for that.

kkendall · Post by **kkendall** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 12:13 pm

Fantastic! Thanks!

Another interesting trait of bamboo is the curve. Will steaming it and clamping it in a straight fixture to dry & cool take the curve out?

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:06 pm

Interestingly, steaming bamboo will actually harm it. Due to the hollow nature of bamboo, the areas between the knuckles can collapse if steamed and bent or straightened. If you want to straighten bamboo, you can leave it dry and try to force it straight by strapping it to a board or something.

However, I normally incorporate gently curved pieces into the shape of a pipe. You have to adjust your drilling to compensate, but it isn't appreciably more difficult.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 2:43 am

KurtHuhn wrote:Due to the hollow nature of bamboo, the areas between the knuckles can collapse if steamed and bent or straightened.

As an experiment I tried soaking & bending a piece of bamboo. It bent OK, but as Kurt mentioned, it tends to flatten a bit between knuckles at the bend, plus the hard outer layer doesn't compress on the inner curve. It tends to wrinkle up making tiny corrugations in the "skin".

I was wondering if a narrow diameter pipe bender might work. Since I don't have one, it remains to be seen.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 9:23 am

If you want to bend bamboo, the best method is actually *heat*. I've bent a few bamboo shanks using a propane torch and a waste block cut with the radius I want. You might be able to better control the heat by using an oven, but I haven't tried that.

The same method will work for rattan and bamboo stalks.

However, as I recently told a customer, putting a tight bend in a bamboo shank/stem pretty much prevents ever being able to ream it out with a drill bit in the future, which is why I've never sold a pipe with a bent bamboo shank.

kkendall · Post by **kkendall** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 11:29 am

KurtHuhn wrote:If you want to bend bamboo, the best method is actually *heat*. I've bent a few bamboo shanks using a propane torch and a waste block cut with the radius I want. You might be able to better control the heat by using an oven, but I haven't tried that.

So it stands to reason that if you can introduce a bend in a piece of bamboo, you *should* be able to straighten out a piece that has a slight bend...using heat, or if it hasn't been drilled yet, maybe even steam to soften the fiber.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 1:37 pm

I suggest never steaming - not unless you really want to risk destroying a perfectly good piece of bamboo.

Some bamboo can be temporarily straightened for drilling just by strapping/clamping it to something straight - like a board or dowel. Severely bent bamboo should, perhaps, be discarded. However, if you really want to make a bent piece of bamboo straight, use heat. I've only ever seen or used a propane torch, but you *might* be able to use an oven. I don't know. It seemed to me that localized heat worked better.

JHowell · Post by **JHowell** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 10:55 pm

Making bamboo rods requires a lot of bending to straighten nodes. Dry heat is used. I always use a heat gun, some guys use alcohol lamps. Doing it without darkening the enamel could be tricky, but some like the "flamed" look anyway.

Smitty · Post by **Smitty** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:23 pm

I have wanted to try bamboo for a while now. I was wondering if the bamboo needs any care once finished. Does it need a protective coating of anything on it, or is it good to go as is?

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 4:06 am

Smitty wrote:I was wondering if the bamboo needs any care once finished. Does it need a protective coating of anything on it, or is it good to go as is?

You can give it a light sanding with very fine sandpaper, but that's not really necessary because of the hard outer "skin". It buffs to a beautiful shine and doesn't need anything other than a final coat of carnauba.

kkendall · Post by **kkendall** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 11:26 am

JHowell wrote: At this point, I use an aircraft counterbore with a 3/16" pilot to square the ends. I got a counterbore with at 3/16" bore so a piece of 3/16" drill blank that protrudes about an inch

Got a C-bore tool w/a 3/16 pilot and a drill rod blank. Figured out where to cut the drill rod in order to get about a 1" pilot extension from the cbore tool. Chucked up the drill rod on a motor and took my dremel w/a cut-off disc and cut the rod to the length I wanted.

Put the rod in the c-bore tool and put it in the chuck on my motor and tested it on some bamboo I had drilled. SWEEEEEEET !!!!

THANK YOU!