Geoff Kent
Graduate Member
Good afternoon all,
Its been a while since I posted anything although I have been busy at the lathe.
I thought you would like to see two pens I have just made out of split cane from an old knackered fishing rod.What is split cane I hear you ask.To make a rod from split cane is a long and skilful process but I will keep it brief.
A length of Tonkin bamboo is split lengthwise into sections.These sections are then straightened and hand planed into equilateral triangles.The triangles are then hand planed again on a former to form the taper of the rod,often going to a thickness of only 1.5mm.Six of the triangles are the glued together to form a hexagon.The fishing rod is then finished off with a cork handle,rings and varnish.A very brief description,there is lots of stuff on the interweb if you are interested.
Split cane was very popular in the forties,fifties and sixties before being superceded by fibreglass and carbon fibre.
There is a band of anglers,myself included,who enjoy using split cane fishing rods.My cane rods are about sixty years old and still going strong.
There are a few very skilled people who still make split cane fishing rods and the prices they can charge is eye watering!
Hope you enjoyed my ramblings.
Geoff.
Its been a while since I posted anything although I have been busy at the lathe.
I thought you would like to see two pens I have just made out of split cane from an old knackered fishing rod.What is split cane I hear you ask.To make a rod from split cane is a long and skilful process but I will keep it brief.
A length of Tonkin bamboo is split lengthwise into sections.These sections are then straightened and hand planed into equilateral triangles.The triangles are then hand planed again on a former to form the taper of the rod,often going to a thickness of only 1.5mm.Six of the triangles are the glued together to form a hexagon.The fishing rod is then finished off with a cork handle,rings and varnish.A very brief description,there is lots of stuff on the interweb if you are interested.
Split cane was very popular in the forties,fifties and sixties before being superceded by fibreglass and carbon fibre.
There is a band of anglers,myself included,who enjoy using split cane fishing rods.My cane rods are about sixty years old and still going strong.
There are a few very skilled people who still make split cane fishing rods and the prices they can charge is eye watering!
Hope you enjoyed my ramblings.
Geoff.