straightening

Step one

Selection, splitting and staggering.

Step two

Straightening

Step three

Basic beveling

fly fly rods

Step four

Heat treating

Step five

Hand planing 1
Hand planing 2

Step six

Gluing

Step seven

Final dimensions

Step eight

Attaching hardware

Step nine

Wrapping

Step ten

Finish

Step eleven

Rod sock and tube

Step 12
Shipping and
Customer care.

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After the bamboo is split and cut to lengths, it has to be straightened. there are two problems that have to be addressed.
Sweeps (where the bamboo did not split as straight as I would like) and notes. Nodes are always a problem. Here's a picture of two nodes, the top one is a problem. The bottom one has been addressed.

The other problem with nodes is a "bump" at the node damn. Both of these problems can be corrected by sanding, by heat or by the use of both. Heating usually involves a small vice to press the nodes flat. Bamboo is very pliable when heated.
In the picture at left I'm heating a strip.

At right I've placed the strip in a small vice to straighten it and allow it to cool. The other strips are in the background.

Sweeps don't have to be perfect. They only have to be good enough that the remaining sweeps will come out when heat treated. However the problems with nodes and kinks should be addressed at this stage.

Step 3