Making chopsticks

[proninyaroslav]

Key in Chisel Point, there is a flat side, and the opposing side is where the bevel is

Yeah, it's pretty interesting. The only person after Ryan who I saw the same chopsticks was he teacher, Masahiko Kimura, he is known for his ingenuity

 

[Maiden69]

Hardwood has grain that runs in at least 2 directions. Hardwoods can be quite strong. Bamboo is a grass, the cellulose fibers (the grain) is laid down in one dimension, it is a linear grain, minimal cross linking. Actually bamboo is not a "strong" as typical hardwoods, such as oak, walnut or pick your tree. The linear grain of bamboo is what makes it so easy to split, and split in long straight strips.

This 100%, with the caveat that the fiber running length wise and the smaller tighter grain is what gives bamboo an edge over hardwood. I don't know if anyone here has played with fiberglass or carbon fiber, where the weave mats are great for parts that would need some flexibility (think hardwood fibers) and the chop strand or linear stranded fibers are great for strength.

This would apply to the grain in bamboo, while the janka scale of bamboo average is below 1500 lbf, the unidirectional characteristic gives it the strength needed for the job.

There is no cross-section weave that divides the fiber strength in half with another direction. This allows for the concentrated density of fibers that provide maximum longitudinal tensile potential—greater than any other weave of fabric.

Here is a cool comparison of Ipe vs Bamboo. See how bamboo, while been 1/2 as hard as ipe, come within less than 5% of the strength characteristics on the high side of the scale. Remember that the strength of bamboo also comes from the "skin side", so if this has been removed you need to use the lower side of the scale.

Ipe
Janka Hardness: 3,510 lbf (15,620 N)

Modulus of Rupture: 25,660 lbf/in2 (177.0 MPa)

Elastic Modulus: 3,200,000 lbf/in2 (22.07 GPa)

Crushing Strength: 13,600 lbf/in2 (93.8 MPa)

Bamboo
Janka Hardness: 1,410 lbf (6,270 N) to 1,610 lbf (7,170 N)

Modulus of Rupture: 11,020 lbf/in2 (76.0 MPa) to 24,450 lbf/in2 (168.6 MPa)

Elastic Modulus: 2,610,000 lbf/in2 (18.00 GPa) to 2,900,000 lbf/in2 (20.00 GPa)

Crushing Strength: 8,990 lbf/in2 (62.0 MPa) to 13,490 lbf/in2 (93.0 MPa)

 

[Deleted member 32750]

https://www.amazon.com/Jucoan-Jucoan-100-Pairs-Reusable-Bamboo-Chopsticks-Set-9-5-Inch-Long-Chopsticks-for-Restaurant-Home-Use/dp/B08CDP21QH/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?crid=RPMFK8VLFD7I&keywords=bamboo+chopsticks&qid=1682000466&sprefix=bomboo+ch%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-12

$25 dollars for bamboo round or $20 for 100 chop sticks that will last the average practitioner a very long time.

 

[Chop_n_Change]

As someone who has purchased the 2 bamboo rounds over the years, the bamboo is great for chopsticks sure, but I use them for tie downs (either placed horizontally with the wire coming up through the root mass) or as an angled stake hammered into an established root mass. The outer "Bark" where the strength is also makes for great "spring loaded" tie downs along the pot edge for smaller trees, cutting just a bit longer than the distance from edge to edge provides some tension that lasts for at leas a season or 2. For Kusimono plantings where I am using a pot with no holes for bog grasses or carnivorous plantings, the bamboo is easy to size up and create a frame in the bottom of the planting to tie individual plants to. what's nice about the Timber rounds is if you have a chunk of it in your kit, you can do just about anything you need on the fly with a small trunk splitter and a knife.

Retail bamboo chopsticks are great for some of those too, but i have grown to value the customization of sizing which is why i go back to the rounds.
(wow 7 pages on bamboo)

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

To many of us, bamboo is a fascinating plant. There are several hundred species, ranging from fully tropical to fully winter hardy in zone 5a. Though for the USA there is a nice variety of species and cultivars hardy from zone 6b and warmer thru to southern Florida. There are 3 species native to USA and Canada, and several additional species native to Mexico. Most of these are shrub size, under 10 feet or 3 meters tall. Central and South America have at least 50 species including several timber size species, some over 50 feet, or over 17 meters.

The rest of the world has at least another 150 or so species. Asia and southeast Asia has a long history of use of bamboo for food, building material, source of a wax for various uses including medicine, paper making, fiber for textiles and many many other uses. Species vary from grass like dwarf species to 90 ft tall timber bamboos. (90 ft = roughly 27 meters)

The Chinese and the Japanese have grown bamboo in pots and garden containers essentially as soon as other medicinal plants were cultivated in pots, possibly preceding the development of bonsai. They have selected many ornamental cultivars for variegation, various culm colors, leaf forms, and for construction traits and or food traits. Newly emerging shoots of virtually all bamboo species are edible if harvested before they have developed a lot of cellulose and silica. Usually harvested at under 12 inches tall. Most shoots are harvested in the first month or two of spring. Many are sweet enough to be eaten raw, par boiling for ten minutes then discarding the water and boiling a second time, Then the bitterness should be gone. Peel and discard the tough outer culm sheaths, the inner core should be tender and sweet.

John Naka's Bonsai Techniques II has a short chapter on "dwarfing techniques" for large growing bamboos. You really can reduce the culm internode distances of a tall growing bamboo by following the technique described by Naka. Due to copyright I won't post the pages here. Basically it involves striping off the outer culm sheaths as the new shoot emerges. Why this works I can't explain., but it works. Check out the second Naka book.

Bamboo is often used as kusamono, shitakusa, and as sanyasou. Sanyasou is a kusamono type planting where the kusamono is intended to me the focal point of the display. Sanyasou can be quite large. Shitakusa is always lower in height than the top of the stand of the main tree in the display. Kusamono can be of various sizes but is also displayed subordinate to a tree.

 

[hemmy]

No puny take-out chopsticks here! Well, I guess except for the picture.

 

[chicago1980]

I use both. Custom made and pre made via amazon. Both seem legit for the work. I am not as DIY in bonsai as others and rather pay for premade to focus more on other aspects of bonsai that are more interesting to me at this time.

 

[Gabler]

I use both. Custom made and pre made via amazon. Both seem legit for the work. I am not as DIY in bonsai as others and rather pay for premade to focus more on other aspects of bonsai that are more interesting to me at this time.

I find myself in a similar position lately. When I was a full-time student, I did everything myself. I didn't have money, but my schedule was flexible. Now that I'm working full time, it's harder to dedicate a full day to a DIY project, so I'm forced to pay someone else to do the job for me. I check this site throughout the day to vicariously enjoy everyone else' projects. It's at least nice to participate in a conversation about a project, even if I can't really partake in the project itself.

 

[pandacular]

I caught him mention that Mirai has a sponsorship with the brand of paper towels they use to wrap bonsai wire for deciduous.

I just watched this stream today (believe it was Japanese Maple fall work or something similarly title--triple trunk palmatum) and I'm fairly certain this was a joke. He said something like "I never thought I'd be one to make an endorsement deal with a paper towel company" which seemed like he facetiously meant he would.

... though I did go check the store to see if they were in there for an upcharge like some of the other items...

 

[Shima]

Hardwood has grain that runs in at least 2 directions. Hardwoods can be quite strong. Bamboo is a grass, the cellulose fibers (the grain) is laid down in one dimension, it is a linear grain, minimal cross linking. Actually bamboo is not a "strong" as typical hardwoods, such as oak, walnut or pick your tree. The linear grain of bamboo is what makes it so easy to split, and split in long straight strips.

I did watch all 28 minutes of the Ryan Neil video. I have mixed feelings, it really was mostly new to me as how to manipulate a chunk of bamboo, yet it was so obvious, that I kept saying to myself, duh, I could have figured that out. But I had not figured that out, partly because I had not tried, partly because it was not as obvious as the video made it look.

And of course Ryan does use 20 words where 10 would suffice. But I am guilty of that myself. Especially when I can type with 8 fingers and 2 thumbs. So Kudos to Ryan, it was informative.

The chisel point on the chopstick is what Ryan is pointing out as important. Superior to a flat tip. Key in Chisel Point, there is a flat side, and the opposing side is where the bevel is. Makes sense in theory, I'll have to make some and see if it really makes a difference in practice.

bamboo is stronger than steel in regards to the tensile strength. Steel has a tensile strength of 23,000 pounds per square inch. But bamboo surpasses steel with a noticeable lead at 28,000 pounds.

 

[Shima]

John Naka's Bonsai Techniques II has a short chapter on "dwarfing techniques" for large growing bamboos. You really can reduce the culm internode distances of a tall growing bamboo by following the technique described by Naka. Due to copyright I won't post the pages here. Basically it involves striping off the outer culm sheaths as the new shoot emerges. Why this works I can't explain., but it works. Check out the second Naka book.

Which is why I've never seen a bamboo grove done this way. Very precise work!

 

[coltranem]

bamboo is stronger than steel in regards to the tensile strength. Steel has a tensile strength of 23,000 pounds per square inch. But bamboo surpasses steel with a noticeable lead at 28,000 pounds.

This seems to be repeated many times on the internet but what is missed is they are talking about when used as reinforcement in concrete. This can be confirmed by searching for the base properties of materials. Steel depending on grade has tensile strength in excess of 50,000 lbs per square in. I believe the 23,000 lbs per square in used i. a lot of these articles is referring to the combined strength when used in concrete reinforcements. Interesting I did find a paper showing if you isolate the longitudinal fibers in bamboo from the rest of the wood they are indeed stronger than most steels.