Bamboo as Edge Killer?!

[_centurio_]

Hey guys, I made an interesting experience when cutting some bamboo. I realized that this stuff really takes down a razor edge extremely fast.

I made this test with a Cold Steel Tuff Light (Aus8) and Spyderco Manix 2 (CPM Cruwear). Edge was distressed by cutting 3 or 4 times into a coarse SiC stone, after that the edges were clearly reflecting light and wouldn't cut anything. I reset the edge bevel at 15dps (with the same SiC stone) until no light was reflecting anymore. I distressed again by cutting into the same SiC stone (1 light pass). Then i was only using very light passes until the edge was easily shaving arm hair. Finally I put a 20dps microbevel on the edges with the medium SM rods.

After a few cuts into the bamboo the razor sharpness was gone. Still slicing printer paper rather easily, but there was a rather significant sharpness loss.

I reapeated this experiment, sharpening the same blades the same way, but the microbevel was set with a 600grit DMT stone. Razor sharpness was lost also very fast, but the knives sliced the printer paper quite a bit better.

Do you have some experiences with cutting bamboo? I cut a lot of European woods, some time ago I carved little shavings from very dry beech-wood for at least 1 and a half hour with a Mora (15dps microbevel set with ultra fine SM rods) and had not the slightest edge damage/degradation. Very funny...

BR Oliver

[DutchBlades]

Yeah, bamboo is a real killer on the edge...
I have removed quite allot of bamboo in my garden a few years ago. I grabbed a pair of hedge trimmers for this and for cutting it up into smaller pieces to fit in a container. Later that day I noticed one rod of bamboo wich I had overseen and didn't bother to get the trimmers again and whipped out a knife instead. I believe I used a Buck 110, a much lower steel than CPM Cruwear but should still hold an edge long enough for it to cut the bamboo. It did cut it, but it was pretty much dull afterwards...

Bamboo is just a really moist and dense wood, combining this with the strong and multitude of fibers the wood is made of, will kill an edge extremely fast. Out of all the woods I've ever cut with a knife, bamboo is the worst on an edge by far...

[euphorbioid]

I don't know about cutting bamboo but on a Japanese kitchen knife forum there was discussion about bamboo cutting boards. The consensus there was that would kill an edge quickly. Apparently bamboo is significantly harder than hardwoods due to a high silicate content. Don't know about the mineral content but I can vouch for the edge-killing effects of bamboo cutting boards on Japanese carbon steel knives.

[Evil D]

I have several bamboo cutting boards, but I've never really attempted to test whether or not they kill the edge any worse than a typical wooden board, but I wouldn't be surprised. Cutting green bamboo is one thing, but the dried stuff is ridiculously hard and sturdy stuff.

[DutchBlades]

I have several bamboo cutting boards, but I've never really attempted to test whether or not they kill the edge any worse than a typical wooden board, but I wouldn't be surprised. Cutting green bamboo is one thing, but the dried stuff is ridiculously hard and sturdy stuff.

Loads of people have the bamboo cutting boards, mostly because it's fairly inexpensive, looks good and can handle years of use and abuse from knives and dishwashers. But IMHO the best woods for a cuttingboard are Teak, Beech and Maple. Takes a good beating and are somewhat self-healing since the wood will expand and bond to any cuts even if the wood is dead.

[SteelSpyder]

I use bamboo skewers to test push cutting ability. In my experience it takes a relatively high performing blade to make a straight push cut down through a bamboo skewer. Sometimes damage does happen.

[bh49]

I have several bamboo cutting boards, but I've never really attempted to test whether or not they kill the edge any worse than a typical wooden board, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Bamboo cutting boards kill edges much faster than wood, not only due to bamboo qualities, but also due having a lot of glue to hold bamboo together.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Bamboo has silica in its structure. That is one way it is so strong. The plant is able to process silicate materials and integrate them into its structure.

It accumulates it.

[Farmer Brown]

Bamboo has silica in its structure. That is one way it is so strong. The plant is able to process silicate materials and integrate them into its structure.

It accumulates it.

This is the main reason why it makes short work of blades.

[ohcyclist]

Apparently I need to get rid of the bamboo board in the kitchen that my wife likes so much. No reason to dull edges prematurely.

[Jax]

Reminds me of the Virtuevoice video
Where the chopsticks mess up his Bark river knife's edge.

[zhyla]

I'm surprised anyone has the patience to hack at bamboo with a knife. By the time you've cut a stalk and resharpened your knife another stock has grown up.

A long machete makes quick work of it.

Haven't noticed edge degradation from bamboo cutting boards vs anything else. Probably secondary to people leaving knives in the sink.

[arty]

One of the reasons it is so difficult to work Teak is the silica in the wood. Bamboo is really a grass, but what a jumbo grass. I only use maple cutting boards. Bamboo and plastic are edge killers.

[Mjc1973]

I would think teak would be an edge killer. I know it dulls saw blades and router bits quickly because of its high silicon content.

Loads of people have the bamboo cutting boards, mostly because it's fairly inexpensive, looks good and can handle years of use and abuse from knives and dishwashers. But IMHO the best woods for a cuttingboard are Teak, Beech and Maple. Takes a good beating and are somewhat self-healing since the wood will expand and bond to any cuts even if the wood is dead.

[_centurio_]

Thanks for the answeres. It was very hard and dry bamboo. Cut it only for testing. Won't cut it any more in future unless I have to

Oliver

[razorsharp]

I have never really noticed a lot of edge degrading from cutting bamboo... I might go cut some when I get home ... I think coincidentally when ive gone to cut it I already had a working edge,

[Stuart Ackerman]

Board surfaces should be end grain against the edge of knives...

The wood cells open up more than across the grain cutting...

[Greg Walker]

The primary reason testing a Japanese custom made sword on bamboo is a test of its edge and a clean cut when properly delivered. Ancient.

[Cliff Stamp]

In regards to bamboo having silica, your blood also contains iron, that doesn't mean if you bleed on a piece of paper and try to cut it that it would be similar to trying to cut an iron frying pan. Silica is a common earth element and many plants have high concentrations including things like cucumbers and peppers. The silica in these plants is not in great big lumps of aggregates which form abrasives (how would that be useful to the plant) but is on the nanoscale and smaller. In bamboo it is commonly extracted from the leaves as they are waste matter and silica has a growing popularity in the health care industry, especially hair.

In regards to edge retention there are many reasons why some things blunt an edge fast, the bamboo could have been very dirty on the outside, it could be much harder than the other wood, or you could have been cutting it in a way which is more harsh on the knife. It is not at all trivial to conclude so easily something like my knife went dull on bamboo - has to be the silica. Consider for example if someone used that argument this way :

"I was using my knife to cut up garlic and it went dull immediately, all that calcium just takes the edge down immediately (garlic has one of the highest concentrations of calcium of all vegetables). We know this is true because the shell of a oyster is very high in calcium, if I try to cut oyster shells my knife goes dull fast."

[Mjc1973]

Would the silica in teak then not be the reason saw blades and router bits dull faster while cutting teak? It is what I have always heard as the reason teak is harder on blades and bits.

In regards to bamboo having silica, your blood also contains iron, that doesn't mean if you bleed on a piece of paper and try to cut it that it would be similar to trying to cut an iron frying pan. Silica is a common earth element and many plants have high concentrations including things like cucumbers and peppers. The silica in these plants is not in great big lumps of aggregates which form abrasives (how would that be useful to the plant) but is on the nanoscale and smaller. In bamboo it is commonly extracted from the leaves as they are waste matter and silica has a growing popularity in the health care industry, especially hair.

In regards to edge retention there are many reasons why some things blunt an edge fast, the bamboo could have been very dirty on the outside, it could be much harder than the other wood, or you could have been cutting it in a way which is more harsh on the knife. It is not at all trivial to conclude so easily something like my knife went dull on bamboo - has to be the silica. Consider for example if someone used that argument this way :

"I was using my knife to cut up garlic and it went dull immediately, all that calcium just takes the edge down immediately (garlic has one of the highest concentrations of calcium of all vegetables). We know this is true because the shell of a oyster is very high in calcium, if I try to cut oyster shells my knife goes dull fast."