Bamboo push pole

G

gcs

Well-known member
Looking for some input, I've always had a pole on the work skiff, for flats work and back up power..lol
I made one out of 1" PVC that worked ok but you had to work the bend right, I was going to cut a white cedar pole, but they're all on county property here and I don't need an arrest record...:).
I could cut a black spruce pole on my property upstate, but it's 250 miles away and I won't be getting there anytime soon. But... theres bamboo patches all over the place here and the darn things are light and tough.

I've been looking up on the process of making one from bamboo, but, theres a lot of conflicting advice. anywhere from using it green till it fails then go get another, or air drying it straight for months to season, or heat treating to temper it to change the structural strength.
Then...if tempering, venting the voids, or not, drying then tempering, sealing with varnish, or not. It's not very straight forward at all.[unimpressed]

So... If anyone has ANY knowledge of a process that has worked for them, please share.
and no, I'm not going to just go buy an overpriced long stick from some flats boat guys, that goes against all my cheapness training, lol Thanks!
 
I tried a bamboo push pole for railbirds when I was a kid. It worked fine until it failed, which cut my hands to pieces and almost impaled me at waist height. [:/] Sorry, I don't know anything about cutting or drying it, that stick was store bought.
 
Why not a fir closet rod? I?ve had one for years and it has been great. Pick one with good grain and oil it well.

Lot of info in the archives under closet rod.
 
In Maine the traditional materials for canoes are ash (heavy but stiff and strong) or black spruce light, springy, a delight to use and easy to break.

I've had the same ash pole, ~12' long, for 10+ years. I got my ash pole from a commercial source I can't recall, but this company sells both metal shoes for your own pole or spruce and cypress poles. Shipping will be a bitch if you are not local.

http://poleandpaddle.com/merchandise/canoe_poles
 
Also, I suspect what George is calling bamboo may also be Japanese Knotweed, which I don't think would work for a pole. If it does, let me know, as there is no shortage. Once consequence of using it would be that if a piece of pole broke off, it could create a new colony of what is classified in most states as an invasive plant.
 
No, it's real bamboo, this stuff has gone feral and grows everywhere and spreads like crazy, no problem cutting 20 foot canes, just got to find a variety thats big enough in diameter, I'm thinking 1 3/4 -2" at the base.
I would prefer black spruce, I've got acres of it but don't have time to just go up to get a few poles.

The reason I shifted my thinking to bamboo was I cut a cane to mark a sunken boat that I'm tired of running over, when I tried to flex it I was surprised how stiff it was for a cane only 1" thick, so thought maybe it would be a good alternative. What I don't need is for it to fail just when I need it, thats why I've been researching it.

I could just get a fir closet pole, but that goes against my motto of ; cheap is best...but free is better... LOL
 
I just learned something. Googled "bamboo, Maryland" and came up with all kinds of information about real bamboo. I'll be interested to hear how it works.
 
35 years ago I found a straight Alder, peeled it and is still in use today. Dries as hard a a baseball bat and doesn't throw slivers. Just my .02.....Darrel
 
I don't think you can beat a 10-12' dowel(closet rod). They don't rot, don't splinter, have some spring, and most importantly, they float. Good luck if you go with bamboo, but I think that is a short term push pole and you would be better off with wood.
 
I bet this push pole is stronger than aluminum. I cut it green here in SC, drilled one small hole per "cell" and "cooked" it over a propane burner. It won't break or splinter and is way stronger than my old closet rod and fixed Godevil aluminum pole. I made 4 of them last season. I leave 3 at our camp in SE La and have one here at home for my pirogue. This is one of my sons using his last season.
View attachment IMG_0921.JPGView attachment IMG_0974.JPG
 
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P taylor, thats one of the techniques I read about, including the vent holes, did you have a problem with the nodes bursting when heated, or did you follow someones instructions?. The vents make sense, you don't need, or want an explosion....
 
I Want to try this method for making push pole. How big a hole did you drill in each cell and exactly how did you cook it over burner. I,m guessing you just kept passing and rotateing thru flame or is there a different method. What determines proper cooking time? I see a duck foot attached in pics. Is that simply bolted on? Lastly will pole float?
 
Do the drilled holes collect water?

I'll have to check with bamboo rod maker friends. They routinely heat-treat bamboo by flaming, and I've never heard of them drilling holes before hand. They might split the bamboo into halves or quarters before flaming.
 
I used clear silicone caulk to fill the drill holes (no specific size, 1/8" maybe) Here is the process I used but I used a fryer burner to cure mine. I attached a picture of the push poles for reference. (my sons in pirogues with limits of Black Bellied Whistlers!)

Making your own bamboo push-pole
I have cured bamboo before in making hiking sticks, cane fishing poles, and wind chimes... with excellent results! Bamboo is such an awesome material, it's so light and strong. I now plan on making a push pole for my little bateau. Here's what I've learned in my limited experience:

FYI - People always think you need to dry it out, but that only makes it brittle. It needs to be cured!

1) When choosing your bamboo, look for the stalks that are not bright green (indicates newer growth = thinner walls). You'll want to find one that's the right diameter - both comfortable to grip but with a large enough inner diameter to insert attachments into the ends. Cut the bamboo down with a hacksaw as low to the ground as possible. Once down, trim all of the branches and cut the top off at your desired length.

2. DRILL ONE 1/8" HOLE IN EACH "CHAMBER" OF BAMBOO. (MY RECOMMENDATION)

3) Now it's time for the heat treatment! The curing process changes the bamboo at the molecular level, making it as strong as wood! Basically, the sugars in the sap are cooked and turn to "glue." Get a few old rags you don't care about (you'll be throwing them away when you're done) and purchase a large propane torch (that hooks to a standard propane tank). Set the bamboo stalk across a couple of sawhorses in a safe area. i USED A TURKEY POT GAS BURNER AND DIDN'T WIPE OFF THE SAP, IT HARDENS LIKE A SHELLAC COATING

4) Starting at one end of the stalk, heat-blast a 2-foot section at a time all the way around, rotating the pole with your free hand. As you cook it, you'll notice that with every pass the color changes like you were spray-painting it (first light green, then yellow, then tan, then brown, then darker). Once you start to get a golden brown and the black sap is bubbling to the surface, you're there (but you can keep going to make it darker if you want to). The key here is to get it the color you want and set down the torch asap to wipe that sap! The stuff will dry quickly and you're pole will be covered in little black bumps (useful as a grip if you so desire). Using your rag, wipe the sap all over the area that you just cooked - it will leave a shiny gloss finish!

5) Move down the stalk working in 2-foot sections. Once complete, do a quick heat-blast from one end to the other and follow by wiping the sap from one end to the other to even it out. You can also over-cook areas to get unique color splotching affects, but keep the torch moving quickly so they appear random. Let it cool, and you're done!

6) At this point, I'm going to inject expanding foam into the entire body, leaving some space at each end for attachments. Going to go with some sort of boat hook attachment on the top, with a duck foot attachment at the bottom. Also going to use the foot of the pole to plant a spike anchor. i CAULKED THE DRILL HOLES WITH CLEAR SILICONE AND MY POLE FLOATS.


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View attachment THE BOYS AND BLACK BELLIES 2.JPG
 
Thanks for the tutorial. I seem to loose an aluminum push pole over board at a rate of one a year. Always in too deep of water to retrieve. Always had problems with closet rod rotting off at pole foot junction no matter how well it was sealed and end up looseing pole foot when it broke. Once pretty common in our area was cedar cypress in lengths suitable for push poles but can,t find any now. Going to give this bamboo a try if I can find the proper size.
 
Huntindave McCann said:
That sounds way interesting. Unfortunately I don't think Iowa is a hotbed of wild bamboo patches..
Click to expand...

The southern and mid-Atlantic guys could go into business--I am seriously intrigued about adding a bamboo pole to the collection now--but shipping would be a bitch.
 
Thanks P Taylor for the info... You said you sealed the holes, did you do the expanding foam too?

Guys, look around your area, I'd be surprised if there wasn't any bamboo in your areas, The stuff was used a lot for screening, which it excels at, and escapes captivity real easy. Here on L.I., you can find it easily, in fact if I remember right, NYS banned the stuff from being sold, as it's considered an invasive species. Of course its way to late to stop it.

Thanks everyone for your inputs...
 
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