Correcting Bend Bamboo

Bamboo poles aren't always straight, and when working on a particular project, bends may cause technical difficulties or are just unwanted for aesthetic reasons.

Correcting bend bamboo, isn't that difficult. In case of freshly cut, green bamboo you could even dry the bamboo in a mold to adjust the shape, or by applying heat. However, once dry, bamboo cannot be bend anymore (in a permanent lasting shape that is).

In bamboo furniture construction, fencing, artisan works, bends are often corrected with a cut, and this technique works for either round bamboo canes or split bamboo...

Make a V-shaped cut just below the node, try to make the cut as close as possible towards the node, this will make the correction less visible! Make the cut relatively narrow, when the bamboo is not that heavily bended. When the bend is more dramatic you will need to make the cut a little wider to have enough space to make the correction. Make the cut as deep as two-thirds of the total diameter so that the bend can be corrected appropriately.

This technique not only works for correcting bends it is also suited to make arc shapes or round edges, as in this example below from one of our Guadua chairs.

Guadua Chair