SPLITTING OUT AND ASSEMBLING 59 



further splitting into approximately square or rec- 

 tangular strips just a bit thicker than actually needed 

 just before trimming them down to their final form, 

 ready for gluing up into rod-joints. 



We go about this second splitting somewhat dif- 

 ferently. The section to be split into these narrower 

 strips is laid upon its back, convex side against the 

 bench. The knife now is held with its length length- 

 wise of the strip, the point of the blade being placed 

 against the inner surface at the knots or remains of 

 the nodes, as it receives the blow of the hammer. 

 Thus we now are splitting on the flat, from within 

 outward, and not endwise of the wood as before. 

 Begin at the top and split successively at each knot, 

 moving toward the bottom end of the strip. After 

 the hammer-blow has sunk the knife-blade through 

 the knot, give the knife a sudden side-prying wrench, 

 which extends the split for some distance both ways 

 from the knot. When all the knots have thus been 

 split through, take hold of the top of the narrow 

 strip to be rent off and complete its separation by 

 smartly pulling it away. 



In assembling the strips to be used in individual 

 rod-joints, 4 it is necessary that most of them be cut 

 some inches longer than the intended length of the 

 completed joint, for the reason that some of the 

 bamboo necessarily is sacrificed in the next process, 



4 The word " joint " may signify either an individual rod-section, the 

 ferrule connection, the knot at site of a node in the bamboo, or the node 

 itself. 



