Making chopsticks

[Maiden69]

BAMBOO Chopsticks are just easy to get (unless you are making your own), cheap and durable.

Let me add a little bit there, because this is the main reason.

Why is it necessary to use only bamboo and not any other hardwood to make chopstics?

You can use any type of hardwood you can find, the main advantage of bamboo is that it is very strong, has a very tight grain, and it resist water damage. a few of the hardwoods I have worked with that could be suitable for this are bocote, wenge, bubinga, ipe, and purpleheart. There are others, but this are the few I remember that have a high janka rating and are resistant to water damage and constant contact to the ground. The thing with them is price, as most of them if not all are exotic hardwoods. If you have a Rockler or some other wood working store that carries exotic wood you could buy some small pieces to try them out.

 

[proninyaroslav]

It's not necessary to use only bamboo for chopsticks. You can use whatever wood you want. Chopsticks are just easy to get (unless you are making your own), cheap and durable.

I meant in the context of Ryan Neil's use of bamboo.

 

[Maiden69]

I meant in the context of Ryan Neil's use of bamboo.

Ryan sells the bamboo rounds, and he uses bamboo exclusively. For him, it is an inexpensive thing that he enjoys doing and advocating the use of bamboo also gives him a small profit... so of course he is going to advocate for bamboo use.

 

[rockm]

I meant in the context of Ryan Neil's use of bamboo.

He mostly enjoys making them. I'm sure he could give an answer as to why bamboo is better, but it boils down to a matter of preference

 

[Gabler]

Are the bamboo wars a spinoff of the soil wars?

 

[Katie0317]

In a hot sunny environment bamboo is plentiful and free. It's easy and quick to carve. People in the south plant it as a privacy hedge and it grows 30 to 40 feet high quickly. We have more than a hundred feet of it and our neighbors do too.

Landscape architects use it in their designs a lot and that's how/why we had it installed and we like it a lot.

 

[Cajunrider]

If any one here want to make chop sticks out of hardwood, I have plenty of Brazilian cherry (Jatoba) and Bloodwood that I can make chop stick blanks for you.

 

[rockm]

In a hot sunny environment bamboo is plentiful and free. It's easy and quick to carve. People in the south plant it as a privacy hedge and it grows 30 to 40 feet high quickly. We have more than a hundred feet of it and our neighbors do too.

Landscape architects use it in their designs a lot and that's how/why we had it installed and we like it a lot.

People in the South are also fighting to get rid of the stuff. Some species are INCREDIBLY invasive. We have yellow bamboo everywhere and it is a problem. It's not big enough to make of anything, it just takes over land.

 

[Katie0317]

People in the South are also fighting to get rid of the stuff. Some species are INCREDIBLY invasive. We have yellow bamboo everywhere and it is a problem. It's not big enough to make of anything, it just takes over land.

The invasive 'stuff' as you call has been ripped out from most properties and newer noninvasive clumping styles are being used in landscaping and have been for years. GRACEFUL bamboo is non-invasive!!

 

[Gabler]

People in the South are also fighting to get rid of the stuff. Some species are INCREDIBLY invasive. We have yellow bamboo everywhere and it is a problem. It's not big enough to make of anything, it just takes over land.

The invasive 'stuff' as you call has been ripped out from most properties and newer noninvasive clumping styles are being used in landscaping and have been for years. GRACEFUL bamboo is non-invasive!!

We definitely need to be rehabilitating the native bamboo population. Half the southeast U.S. used to be bamboo forest or “canebrakes” as they’re called in this hemisphere. It’s a shame we can’t bring back the Carolina parakeet that used to nest in the canebrakes.

 

[proninyaroslav]

Another question I'm thinking about is that Ryan claims it's better to use a sharp chopstick tip to get a clean wound on the root, while in a recent video Nigel Saunders said the opposite, he prefers stainless steel chopsticks with a blunt and smooth tip to apply as little damage to the roots as possible. Which of them is right ?

 

[August]

@proninyaroslav I think it tracks that Ryan's opinions shift as he grows in his practice. It does seem a bit flip floppy but that guy's whole life is dedicated to experimenting with the practice of bonsai. Perhaps he had a misconception about it, did some more testing, and landed on the stainless steel sticks.

 

[proninyaroslav]

I think it tracks that Ryan's opinions shift as he grows in his practice.

I found an old blog post from 2013 and it looks like Ryan has always made sticks of this shape

 

[Gabler]

Another question I'm thinking about is that Ryan claims it's better to use a sharp chopstick tip to get a clean wound on the root, while in a recent video Nigel Saunders said the opposite, he prefers stainless steel chopsticks with a blunt and smooth tip to apply as little damage to the roots as possible. Which of them is right ?

@proninyaroslav I think it tracks that Ryan's opinions shift as he grows in his practice. It does seem a bit flip floppy but that guy's whole life is dedicated to experimenting with the practice of bonsai. Perhaps he had a misconception about it, did some more testing, and landed on the stainless steel sticks.

I found an old blog post from 2013 and it looks like Ryan has always made sticks of this shape

Saunders has been known to get things wrong.

To be clear, I don’t say that to disparage the guy. He clearly knows how to do bonsai the “right” way insofar as he enjoys it thoroughly. He’s just more oriented toward fun projects than impeccable technique.

 

[August]

Saunders has been known to get things wrong.

To be clear, I don’t say that to disparage the guy. He clearly knows how to do bonsai the “right” way insofar as he enjoys it thoroughly. He’s just more oriented toward fun projects than impeccable technique.

I missed that, i thought ryan had contradicted himself. Nigel is a really excellent "amateur" artist. Focus on experimenting for his own experience, whether its technique or supplies or the species hes working with. Most importantly he gets kids like me interested in the hobby. And though hes not perfect, he has better trees than a lot of folks!

 

[proninyaroslav]

I wonder if the combination of stainless steel and Ryan's angled corner in one chopstick will work ... Metal is stronger than any wood, it can also be given any shape.

 

[Maiden69]

I wonder if the combination of stainless steel and Ryan's angled corner in one chopstick will work ... Metal is stronger than any wood, it can also be given any shape.

Yes it is stronger, yes it can be formed, yes it is MORE expensive, yes it is HARDER to work, Yes it weighs 5x more than the same size piece of wood or bamboo.

 

[proninyaroslav]

@Maiden69
I have not been able to find large diameter bamboo, which seems to be quite difficult outside US. But I have access to ash wood, is that a good option?

 

[Maiden69]

@Maiden69
I have not been able to find large diameter bamboo, which seems to be quite difficult outside US. But I have access to ash wood, is that a good option?

Ash is not as strong as other hardwoods. Also, according to the wood-database, is a "soft" hardwood. All the ones I mentioned above score 2000 lbf or more in the Janka scale.


Also, Rot Resistance: Heartwood is rated as perishable, or only slightly durable in regard to decay. Ash is also not resistant to insect attack.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

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.