Bamboo and Bananna Wood

[Tim Fulford]

Hi I am looking to purcahse some bamboo and bananna wood for kitchen items to make on my laser cutter can anyone tell who in the UK might sell these materials.

[Matt Turner (physics)]

I don't think banana wood exists. Banana plants have a non-woody psuedostem, not a trunk. You may want to take a look at coconut wood though.

[George Carlson]

One wood I've seen used quite often lately is Rubber Wood. It's the blond, mahogany-like wood you see coming out of Asia. Apparently, rubber trees don't produce very well when they get old, so they cut them down and plant new.

[ray hampton]

rubber tree, what a sap to turn

[Michael Hunter]

Easy to get bamboo - just go to any DIY barn (Wickes, B&Q, Homebase etc.) and look for bamboo floorboards. Cheap.

Unless you can find a specialist supplier to the shopfitting or furniture trade, you won't see bamboo or rubberwood sold as raw materials - 99.9% comes into the country as finished goods.

As Matt says, banana is a non-starter. Maybe you have seen some things made from it in foreign tourist traps, but no-one is going to be importing it : it is just big grass

[Michael Hunter]

Bryan Jater of Trotec UK just sent me this link for UK bamboo suppliers -


http://www DOT mosobamboosurfaces DOT co DOT uk/contact-us/

He says their stuff engraves and cuts nicely.


(For some reason Bryan was not able to post this himself)

[Mike Null]

I was not pleased with the way it engraves as it is quite fibrous and I felt that a fill would have to be used to make it look good.

[Tim Fulford]

Thanks for the info. in the UL you will see quite a lot of kitchen products made from a material which is described by the manufacturers as rubber/banana wood. I know there is a difference in the plants that they come from as I have a good knowledge of trees and plants as well as timbers. I am wanting to laser engrave rather than mechanically engrave these materials.