Bamboo Tips - Tips Area
Planing - Final - Strip Curves

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I am planing out strips for a tip section and they are coming out very curved. The curve starts a little past halfway and deflects away from the enamel side by about 7 or eight inches. I have never had this much of a bend in the tips and I’m looking for ideas on what might cause this problem. I don’t think that I have done anything different from ones done in the past but who knows.  (Gary Jones)

I find the finer the tip the more curl in the strips.  I put one of them small pink rectangular pencil erasers on the end to hold it in place while planing, the plane just knocks it off when you plane through.  (Pete Van Schaack)

I, too, experience this condition and like Pete says, it’s more apparent on finer tips.  It’s likely due to relieving internal stress in the cane.  Much like taking a rip cut in a board which then bows.  Since you are removing material all from one side, the stress remaining on the enamel side forces the strip to curve toward the pith side.  It won’t affect the straightness of your rod since all the curves are balance out by the strip opposite upon glue up.  It sure does make it more difficult to get all the strips bundled up though!  (Al Baldauski)