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I would like to get back into making english pipes from bamboo. These are basically recorders. I have a neighbor that would love it if I would come and take some of the stuff.
So how do I dry it? Can I just tuck some up into the rafters for a year or two?
Can I quick dry it in our kitchen oven?
Bamboo will depend on the species, but for most types, the wall thickness is ~1/4"-1/2" in the internode (between the joints) and solid at the node (joint). It tends to dry reasonably quickly and since the nodes prevent cracking, it is simple to just sticker and stack in a covered area. About 3 months should do it. Avoid adding heat or you may risk splitting the internodes. You will have a waste length on the outside of the two end nodes as well.
The bigger issue is what you harvest. You wan't 3-5 year old culms (individual stems). Since they grow all of their height in one season, look for culms that have a slightly faded color and polished look to them rather than bright and green. Their is a fine line where you can tell the surface silica is getting worn off in places and leaving surface scars and this means it is too old. Look at the leaves and you will notices that some have very dense grouping of leaf origins, while the newer leaves sprout from fewer sources. You want the oldest looking culms that don't look beat up. These have the most rot resistance and are the strongest "lumber".
I put a bunch of bamboo in my barn and after a few months it was badly split. I wondered if drying them too fast was the problem. Next time I cut some I'm going to pay attention to what Noah said.
I've made some small native american flutes on the lathe from wood, the kind with a "block", referred to as a "bird" by the flute maker who taught me. I'd like to try one from bamboo.
The first one is made into the handle of a "magic" wand. The flute maker called it a spirit whistle.
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I'm not familiar with the english pipe. Is it kind of like a Shakuhachi? I lost mine years ago when someone downstairs from my niece somehow burned down the apartment building. :-(
JKJ