Bamboo has many advantages over different types of lumber. It grows extremely fast, which makes it less expensive; its grain is pleasant and the material stabilizes in such a way as to become very versatile. However, faced with features that make it the ideal product for many projects, there is a disadvantage: this wood is more difficult to cut than the others, but you can easily do it using a very sharp tool.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Preparing the Bamboo for Cutting
Step 1. Choose stems - or stalks
If you have decided to use bamboo for a project, you should generally choose green stems that are easier to manipulate. If the weather is quite cold, you need to heat them to prevent them from splintering or breaking unexpectedly.
- Apply masking tape to the cut line. This way, you prevent splinters from forming: You can use sharp shears to cut off stems that are less than 2-3 cm in diameter; if they are bigger, you have to use a very sharp hacksaw. Choose a straight-toothed blade or else it will tear the fibers of the plant.
- Use a tape measure or refer to the project plan to determine the width of the bamboo piece you need. Find a culm that is roughly the same thickness, but remember that this plant does not maintain a uniform diameter.
Step 2. Find the nodes
Most people use or cut the bamboo stem because it is the part that grows above the ground and is straight.
- Nodes are formations inside the stems that make them strong and this is the reason why the plant develops them; their number can vary according to the type of bamboo. You can identify them by observing the areas where there are two rings next to each other; the lower one can be considered the sheath on which the upper one fits.
- Most of the stems are hollow and the thickness of the walls varies according to the plant species; only one species has nearly full culms.
Step 3. Lubricate the surface before cutting
In this way, the blade slides more easily. You need to make an incision at a 45 ° angle between two consecutive knots.
- Remember to work in a room and with tools at room temperature to prevent the wood from cracking.
- Mineral oil is generally used to lubricate the stalks.
Part 2 of 3: Cutting the Bamboo
Step 1. Choose the correct cutting tool
If you need little material for a small home decorating project, you can take a simple, well-sharpened kitchen knife to chop the culm.
- You can make a precise engraving using a fine saw for wood or metal. Since it is a fibrous material, you should proceed with great caution towards the end of the cut to avoid fraying the end; go slowly and use a relatively sharp blade. Always cut the bamboo diagonally; you can use garden shears if the stem is less than 2-3 cm in diameter. For thicker rods you need a hacksaw.
- If you have to do a large job, you need a work surface and a very sharp hacksaw. Place the part you want to cut on the edge of the table and keep the stem still on the surface; at this point, you just have to saw off the end of the bamboo or you can drill it with a drill.
- For stalks thicker than 2-3 cm you need to use a fine-toothed saw and a stable work surface on which to fix both ends (for this operation the adhesive paper tape works perfectly); then, you can clamp the barrel with a vice, make a mark in the point you want to cut and proceed. By wrapping the portion that goes into the vise with a rag, you can prevent the jaws from denting the surface of the wood.
Step 2. Cut the kegs
If you want to put the culms in a vase as a decoration, know that it is not very difficult.
- Take the rod and make sure it is not damaged or diseased, locate the knots by looking for annular structures; make sure there are at least 4-6.
- Use a sharp knife to sever the plant at the lowest knot. Make a 45 ° bevel cut and make sure the blade is sharp enough to leave a clean, unjagged edge. Select a joint of the barrel and cut just above it, all the part above the incision will die.
- Remove any leaf buds found at the bottom of the stalks; don't forget to water them even if you put them in an ornamental pot. Make sure you change the water once a week and don't expose the bamboo to direct sunlight; however, put the kegs in a bright room.
Step 3. Take care of the branches
If you grow bamboo in the garden, you need to prune it to keep it healthy.
- Reeds typically survive about 10 years; once they reach the end of their life cycle, you should remove them to allow new ones to grow. You need to prune them after the third or fifth season of development.
- It is best to proceed when no buds are forming. To cut the culm completely, you can use most hand saws; wear appropriate protective gear and be careful when handling sharp tools. Remember to always cut over a knot.
- Start cutting close to the ground. Remember to flatten the log to prevent people from tripping over it; you shouldn't remove more than a third of the bush canes. Make a horizontal incision to get rid of dead or damaged stalks.
Step 4. Check the bamboo
You can also cut off the top of the plant to make it more lush and prevent it from growing upwards.
- Use a hand hacksaw and cut about 3-4 cm above the knot; when you remove the tip of the culms, new leaves develop.
- Some people tie the canes together with gardening twine and cut off the apical parts all at once, so that the leaves develop and make the bush more lush.
Part 3 of 3: Transplanting the Bamboo
Step 1. Transplant the stems to clone the plant
Choose one who is less than three years old.
- If you already have bamboo in your garden or pot, you can easily propagate it by cutting a stem into sections and burying them as if they were cuttings. These segments develop new roots creating a clone of the "mother" plant; try to cut the culm in the central area. There must be at least two internodes at each end; the internode is the portion of the stem between two consecutive nodes.
- Cut the cane into sections containing two or three knots which are the spots on the bamboo from which the leaves grow. For this you need a sharp knife; to find the knot, look at the culms looking for those that dilate a little and show a slight division. Cut a number of sections equal to the plants you want to grow; from each segment a new plant develops.
- Add a couple of extra segments to compensate for any leaking, rotted or non-rooting cuttings, and remove the leaves using a wire cutter.
Step 2. Bury the bamboo cane
Dig a hole in the ground or fill a pot with 6 inches of potting compost. Insert the culm segment so as to bury one or two nodes, taking care that it is perfectly vertical or inclined at 45 ° with respect to the ground.
- Keep the soil moist by watering it when it's dry to the touch. The best time to transplant bamboo cuttings is autumn, at the beginning of the rainy season; take advantage of the humid months to root the stem segments.
- If you plant the plant in spring or summer, make sure that the sections are well watered; do not let them dry out, otherwise they will die or not develop into new bamboos. True bamboo is a herbaceous plant, so you need to keep it moist and transplant it only in hot weather.
- There is another plant which is often kept in the house and which is called "lucky bamboo"; however, this is not a real bamboo at all, do not confuse it with the original plant and do not cut it to propagate it as it would be useless.
Advice
- If you are cutting in a cold or cool environment, heat the wood first. Cold material is more prone to sudden chipping and breakage than hot material; the risk of this occurrence is greater with bamboo than with other wood varieties.
- If you are cutting a long piece, support both ends of the stem using an easel or a second countertop; the weight of the free part could create traction on the material by breaking or chipping it.
- Look for bushy varieties; other types of bamboo are considered invasive, spread quickly and are difficult to control. The bushy ones, however, tend to spread but more gradually and are naturally more contained.
