THE

RODBUILDING PROCESS .....101

If you would like to learn how to make your own split bamboo flyrod, you have come to the right place. . . . . . .

To some , this is a hobby.  To others, it is a profession. To all that make them,  it is a passion.

Enter if you dare, into the realm of the mystical split bamboo rodmaker. . . . . . . . . .>>>

COME ON PEOPLE !!! 

GET A GRIP! ! !

They  is  just  fishin'  poles !

And now. . . . .  DOWN TO BUSINESS.....

Making a bamboo flyrod is in some ways easy,  and in other ways difficult (but not too difficult). The bottom line is that it is time consuming. It takes a combination of patience, precision and artistry. If you possess these qualities , then you have what it takes to create your own flyrods.

I believe the key word here is patience.  Getting "tooled up" to make your own rods is part of the challenge, but a big part of the fun as well. It is possible to purchase all of the tools that you will need, but instructions to build many of your own tools are readily available. If you are like me, budget constraints don't allow too many "extra" purchases, therefore you not only are forced to make your own equipment but also invent gadgets along the way. For me, this "tooling up" process was where I learned the most about the process of bamboo rod construction. It was fun, but the whole time that you are "tooling up", you are still anxious to get started "working the bamboo". This is where patience prevails.                                                                                                               
  Getting to this point takes some work !  

HERE'S HOW TO GET STARTED

  • Get a good book or even some videos on the bamboo rod making process. Check out this site: "THE ULTIMATE BAMBOO FLY ROD LIBRARY".  You will not find a more comprehensive list of cane rodbuilding resources on the web.

  • Start the "Tooling Up" process.

  • Go to my "Tools of the Rodmaker" page.

 Once you have all of the necessary tools and hardware, it's time to start

                "Working the Bamboo"                  

To check out the special tools that I talk about in the following procedures, please check out my "TOOLS" page. 

Step 1)  

Select a nice culm of bamboo. You want a culm that is free of any blemishes that might show up in the finished rod. These blemishes might include, water marks, insect holes, farming marks, nicks and dings.

Step 2)

Next determine if the bamboo has enough power fibers to support the rod that you will be making. These are the fibers that run the length of the bamboo. Power fibers are what gives bamboo it's strength. They are more concentrated near the outside of the culm. The thickness of these fibers can be viewed by looking at the end of a  finely sanded culm. (See Photo ) Thicker concentrations of power fibers can support larger rods.

Step 3)

The next step is to file each node section flat. Using a good size flat mill file, lay it level on the node section and work the file around the bamboo culm until the raised part of the node is level with the rest of the culm. When doing this, you must be careful not to file too deep into the culm so as to not cut into the outer power fibers. This would tend to weaken the rod section.

Step 4)

Now we must decide if we want to build a darkly flamed rod , or a blond natural bamboo colored rod. If we want a dark rod, we must next flame the bamboo. To accomplish this, we will use a propane torch and "sweep" the flame across the entire surface of the culm of bamboo. (See Photo) This process will actually burn the outside enamel of the bamboo culm. This process seems to serve two purposes. The first is to provide the dark, rich color, that many people prefer. The second purpose has the effect of drying and slightly tempering the bamboo. This second process actually seems to aid in the next step....splitting the bamboo.

Step 5)  

The bamboo culm will be split lengthwise into approximately 24 individual strips, which will be used to make the rods. The splitting will be accomplished with a mallet and a bamboo splitting tool known as a "fro".

The Culm should be split as follows:

  • First split the culm in half.
  • Then split the halves into thirds.
  • Then split the thirds into halves again.
  • Split these halves into half again.
  • This should give you 24 individual strips that are approximately 1/4" wide each.

Split Strips

Step 6)

The next step involves preparing the strips for preliminary planing. This step would include straitening the strips and flattening the nodes.
  • I start this procedure by laying a strip upside down, and using my roughing planes, I will plane off half of the node bumps on the pith side of the strip.
  • I will then lay the strips on their sides and "square up" the sides of the strips.This is necessary since the splitting procedure does not always produce nice square strips.
  • After I have square strips, I will use my heat gun to heat a node section just enough to make it soft. I will place the heated node section in my small vice and flatten the top and bottom of the node. I will then reheat the node and place the node back into the vice to squeeze the sides of the strip. This helps to straiten the strip. I will repeat this procedure with all the nodes on all of the strips.
  • Next, I will go back to each strip and hand straiten each one using the heat gun. This whole process is time consuming, but when you move a strip to the planing forms, a strait strip will cooperate that much better while planing.

Still under construction...Please stay tuned!

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