WD
Joined: Jun 26, 2009
Posts: 766
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WD
In the course of an ongoing tikification of a home recording studio, I came up with an economical way of splitting bamboo without spending a fortune on shipping all the way across the country.
Six-foot bamboo poles (approx 1 1/2" to 2") can be easily & affordably found at hobby supply shops (i.e., Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc.) for $1.50 to $2.50 each. The ones I found were already burned & polished.
I cut a one inch groove into a 2x4 with a circular saw set at a 45 degree angle.
Without investing in a table saw, I cut the poles in equal enough halves to do the job. Even poles that aren't perfectly straight can be adjusted as you move the saw along the v-shaped groove. IMPORTANT: safety goggles are a must, as I found that bamboo dust gets in your eyes moreso than regular sawdust.
Depending on what kind of blade you use, you may encounter minor fraying--this can be remedied with scissors. When cross-cutting to length, however, you want to tape next to the line to be cut to reduce this.
Though not a perfectly straight cut, a circular saw does well enough to conceal any deficiencies that might not work in a more brightly-lit environment. I trimmed out a 12' x 10' installation with less than $100 in bamboo. More money to send in the direction of tiki carvers, and less into the pockets of UPS & FedEx.
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