Bamboo stronger than Maple?

[Don Morris]

My wife bought some kitchen item out of Bamboo, and on the package was a description of the benefits of using Bamboo. One of the benefits was it's strength. I know it's a strong wood. But it said Bamboo was stronger than Maple. Really? Somehow I find that hard to believe. Anything that grows that fast, to me, wouldn't have a grain structure that would be as dense as Maple and thus not as strong. Where is my thinking wrong.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Apples to oranges...
Maple is a tree and bamboo is a grass.

There's a wealth of information available via google that explains why bamboo is so hard/tough.

[Brian Kerley]

Define "stronger". Bamboo can bend quite a bit more before breaking than maple. Bamboo has a higher janka rating, so it's harder. Not sure about other mechanical properties of the two. All that being said, the only way to use it in woodworking is in a plywood type product. Oh, and I'd rather have a maple baseball bat than a bamboo one...it probably would hit a ball much better.

[Mike OMelia]

Certainly, it owes much of it's strength to the way it's turned into a usable product. Like the plywood. It's very dense when compressed into plywood. Heavy too. Not sure what kinds of resins are used. It apparently makes very nice flooring. Given it's fast growth rate, it is incredibly renewable (it's a grass afterall). But right now, unless you live in some huge metropolitan area, access to raw materials is very limited. And expensive. I wish this were not the case.

Mike

[russell lusthaus]

All that being said, the only way to use it in woodworking is in a plywood type product. Oh, and I'd rather have a maple baseball bat than a bamboo one...it probably would hit a ball much better.

Not exactly true in all cases - - as I use bamboo frequently, as splits off the culm, to back longbows with, as the bamboo is extremely strong in tension making it ideal in this application, as is. In this use, it is almost akin to a natural fiber glass.

Russ

[Don Morris]

Ahhh, now I see...it's a grass. Sure doesn't look like my fescue.

[Ryan Mooney]

Not exactly true in all cases - - as I use bamboo frequently, as splits off the culm, to back longbows with, as the bamboo is extremely strong in tension making it ideal in this application, as is. In this use, it is almost akin to a natural fiber glass.

Russ

Russ, do you have pictures of how you prepare the bamboo for this? I'm wondering how you deal with the inter-section bumps mostly..

Thanks.

[Jim Rimmer]

Bamboo is used for scaffolding in parts of Asia. I would guess that there are many different species of bamboo. What is used commercially is a lot different than what I grew in my backyard a few years ago.

[russell lusthaus]

Ryan

I will see if my kid can take some pics for me.

In words though - the boo culms comes about 5-6 inch in dia, so the splits end up about 2 inch wide. When I buy splits, they come about 1 3/4 wide by 1/2 inch think or more. You knock the nodes pieces out with a hammer and then plane and belt sand the inside down till they are about 1/8 inch think in the middle and almost knife edged at the edges, keeping the crown centered down the back.

Since the pieces I need are thinner than the wall thickness of the culm, the nodes on the inside do not get in my way as they are all planed away. The outside of the boo (which will be the outside of the bow), just under the waxy rind, is where the best power fibers are. The nodes on the outside remain visible in the end, although they do get sanded down slightly.

Hope that makes sense.

Russ

[Ryan Mooney]

Ryan

I will see if my kid can take some pics for me.

In words though - the boo culms comes about 5-6 inch in dia, so the splits end up about 2 inch wide. When I buy splits, they come about 1 3/4 wide by 1/2 inch think or more. You knock the nodes pieces out with a hammer and then plane and belt sand the inside down till they are about 1/8 inch think in the middle and almost knife edged at the edges, keeping the crown centered down the back.

Since the pieces I need are thinner than the wall thickness of the culm, the nodes on the inside do not get in my way as they are all planed away. The outside of the boo (which will be the outside of the bow), just under the waxy rind, is where the best power fibers are. The nodes on the outside remain visible in the end, although they do get sanded down slightly.

Hope that makes sense.

Russ

Thanks, I read it twice and drew myself a little diagram and did a google search on bamboo backed bow builds but I'm pretty sure I grok what you're doing now :D.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Ahhh, now I see...it's a grass. Sure doesn't look like my fescue.Thank your lucky stars for that! If your Fescue grew as fast as Moso ( a species of bamboo), mowing your yard would be you life's calling. Moso has been measured to grow over 1 inch - per hour! 1.6" per hour to be exact.

[ray hampton]

Thank your lucky stars for that! If your Fescue grew as fast as Moso ( a species of bamboo), mowing your yard would be you life's calling. Moso has been measured to grow over 1 inch - per hour! 1.6" per hour to be exact.

NO WAY that you are talking about the growth of 1.6 inches in diameter

[Rich Engelhardt]

Nope - growth in height.
Some Japanese guy measured a change of 39" in height of a Moso over a single 24 hour period!

[ray hampton]

Nope - growth in height.
Some Japanese guy measured a change of 39" in height of a Moso over a single 24 hour period!

what are more important to me is the length of time before the bamboo reaches a diameter of 6 inches or more

one yard of length per day means that you can plant a plant and harvest a cane fishing pole one week later