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If it is all right to share failures as well as success, I mention that I still struggle with splitting some cane I bought years ago from Partridge. These are 6 foot culms that have been heat treated in some fashion - I was told 2 hours, but not the temperature. Due to this and probably their age, they are extremely hard culms and splitting is a real trial, with runoffs and short bits that would break your heart. I found rough planing this material was tough going till I heard about soaking the cane for 4 days or more; then it cuts easily. So I thought to soak an entire culm, before splitting. Well the second split to halve the culm went fine, but thereafter the dreaded runoffs and short bits started again, as well as highly angled splits. So no progress there. At least I have some strips now that will be easy to plane and my dream of getting more strips than you need for one rod is still unachieved. (Sean McSharry) I split by hand and as you have seen in prior posts, it is almost too easy. If you place a mark on each node and place each node in a vice as you split to it, you might be able to control the runout. also, I split before I soak my strips. I don't believe that you will have any success trying to split wet strips. (Mike Canazon)
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