Jeff and Jon got off to a quick start Monday, splitting cane, staggering nodes, straightening strips and pressing nodes!  The classroom looked like a job shop for bamboo fly rods!

Jeff starts his week of rod building by splitting cane for his fly rod

Jon prepares to start splitting cane

Jon and Jeff cut strips to length after staggering nodes

Both Jeff and Jon made quick progress, going from the culm of bamboo to straight strips, ready for roughing in less than a day.  Both students remarked how easy it was splitting cane  into equal widths using my method.

Hand splitting cane

Jon, splitting cane, surrounded by bamboo rod strips

Both students quickly learned how to keep the widths of their strips even along the entire length.  Jon and Jeff transitioned to straightening and pressing nodes in the afternoon, and by quitting time, had their strips straight and flat, ready to be roughed into triangles.