Working with Bamboo

Without any protective treatment, most bamboo species have an average natural durability of less than 2 years. Stored under cover, untreated bamboo may last 4-7 years.

Bamboo is one of the most useful plants as it can be used to make houses, traps, cages, furniture, tools, weapons, bridges, rafts, towers, fences, water wheels, irrigation pipes, and thousands of other items. The challenge however, is learning how to connect those bamboo canes.

In this DIY tutorial we'll show you how to make a bamboo chair with very basic hand tools and without the use of any metal nails or screws.

In this DIY tutorial we'll show you how to make a bamboo bed with very basic hand tools and without the use of any metal nails or screws.

Splitting bamboo poles, is another basic technique when working with bamboo. Split bamboo is often used in bamboo fences, wall decoration, furniture, etc. The applications are endless and it basically all depends on your own creativity.

Bending bamboo, isn't that difficult. In case of freshly cut, green bamboo you could even dry 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), unless you apply a special technique that we explain in this article!

Although it is widely assumed that the original Australian aboriginal didgeridoos where made from termite hollowed eucalyptus wood, traditionally it is suggested that the first didgeridoos were in fact made from bamboo.

Untreated bamboo, just like almost any other wood, has a high chance of being attacked by insects. Bamboo insect infestation occurs due to the presence of starch and other carbohydrates. Insects obtain their food supply from the bamboo and degrade it.

The forming of mold, spores and mildew on the surface of bamboo canes is not uncommon, especially when bamboo is not 100% dry, or when products are shipped internationally in ocean freight containers.

Storing bamboo in water or "leaching bamboo" is a traditional bamboo preservation method, used by indigenous communities and farmers of several Asian and Latin American regions. In Latin America it has been the tradition to transport bamboo from the mountain and jungle areas towards the urban centers by means of bamboo rafts.

Chemical preservation (with or without the help of special equipment) ensures long term protection. Depending upon the method of bamboo treatment, chemical preservatives can impart short term or long term protection.

Drying bamboo poles requires more time than wood of similar density. This because bamboo possess hygroscopic materials (compound that easily absorbs moisture) that may contain 50-60% moisture content, depending on the felling season, area of growth and species.

How to join bamboo and what are the best bamboo joints? Well first of, it is important to know a few basics principles about joining bamboo before discussing the different joinery techniques.