Bamboo Hard On Tools?

[Derek Arita]

I'm getting a couple of bamboo boards from Rockler and I'm wondering if there are any issues machining the bamboo that I should be aware of?

[Larry Frank]

Bamboo has one of the highest silica contents

[Frank Pratt]

It doesn't hurt carbide edges at all, but it does seem to dull steel quicker than most hardwoods. Not nearly as bad as the glue in plywood though. I don't hesitate to use a plane or chisel on it. When routing a cross grain edge, use a backer board at the end cause it like to tear off the last few millimeters.

I love the look of bamboo & don't mind working with it. Just watch out for the tiny slivers from a freshly cut edge. They're tiny, sharp & plentiful.

[Mark Canter]

I also build bamboo fly rods and can verify that bamboo dulls plane blades with impunity.

[Erik Loza]

I know a local gentleman who works with plyboo and says it's brutal on tooling. Let us know how it goes.

Erik

[Rob Luter]

12 years ago I had a Bamboo floor installed. It looked amazing. The floor guy said he'd never do it again. It dulled his tools, resisted sanding, scratched easily, and wouldn't take a stain to save your life. He lost his butt on the job. If I had it to do again, tried and true red oak flooring for me.

[Derek Arita]

I know a local gentleman who works with plyboo and says it's brutal on tooling. Let us know how it goes.

Erik

Ya...plyboo is what I'll be using. I only have to make a few cuts and I am using carbide blades, so I hope they will be fine.