constructing bamboo dwelling

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gutsy

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Sep 27, 2005
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ive got a small bamboo forest growing on my fiance s property and took a look inside for the first time the other day and got this crazy idea . some of the stalks are almost as big around as my leg , pretty healthy too. i was wondering if anybody around here would know exactly how to go about building a small structure out of this stuff , i was thinking that it would have to be at least three feet offf the ground seeing how it floods around there [next to a creek] any advice would be helpful. :D
 
I don't know, but I can see building code "issues" if you are thinking about an "on the record" structure.

From a structural standpoint you would have to figure out how to make connections and not destroy the structural integrity of the wood. I know it bears a load as a hollow tube. Large diameter pegs with lashing to prevent splitting maybe?

Scott
 
Years ago I read the book about Lt. Hiroo Onada, the Japanese soldier who held out for 30 years in the Philipines. There were some good drawings of the bamboo huts they made in the jungle. Sort of raised leanto's with a slanting roof.
 
im not worried about building codes where i live [way out in the boonies ].so far im thinking ill probably build it about three feet off the ground with maybe plywood postholed into the ground for support . as for the roof? i have no idea yet . id like this "dwelling" to be somewhat permanent so its not going to hurt my feelings to use more conventional means and materials . i guess i should also start looking for a good machete.
 
gutsy said:
im not worried about building codes where i live [way out in the boonies ].so far im thinking ill probably build it about three feet off the ground with maybe plywood postholed into the ground for support . as for the roof? i have no idea yet . id like this "dwelling" to be somewhat permanent so its not going to hurt my feelings to use more conventional means and materials . i guess i should also start looking for a good machete.
Click to expand...

I was half joking about the codes ;)

Bamboo is quite elegant structurally. It would almost be a shame to mix construction types. Here's a commercial link with a picture of a cool bamboo bridge:

http://www.mastergardenproducts.com/bamboostake.htm

Since the major difficulty (to a westerner) is the structural connections or joints, I did a quick Google for "bamboo construction joints" (not in quotes, or you'll only get that string). It revealed a lot of good links. There is an American Bamboo Society:

http://www.americanbamboo.org/About.html

Here is one on construction using someone's "cheater" parts:

http://www.bambooliving.com/construction.html

Scott
 
There are special long knives made for working bamboo. There are quite a few special bamboo working tools. I think that Dick Fine Tools in Germany carries some of them. www.dick.biz


These bamboo forums may help.The link goes to their tools and techniques forum.


http://www.bambus.de/infos/1000/indexx.php This site is in German, but has some great pictures of bamboo products, including structures. There are some links that might be useful as well, though you may have to use one of the translation pages, or search for "1000 Things Made of Bamboo" on yahoo and hit "Translate this page."

Do some research into drying it too. My Dad and I cut some when I was a kid and lived in Georgia, but we didn't dry it properly and most of the good pieces split. Post some pictures when you're finished if you can.
 
The Dick Fine Tools site didn't have the tools I thought they did. The Hana Nata they carry is close to the other knives I've seen.

The bamboo forums, that I linked to previously, has a nice thread on building a fire bow out of bamboo.

Be careful not to let the bamboo start itself somewhere else. It will take over pretty easily.
 
Bloody hell! Now I have seen it all, Bamboo forums :D

There is a guy (for what reason I know not) that is building a structure from bamboo on some companies land.

Basically what he has done is drive stakes (not Bamboo) into the ground in a circle so they protrude from the ground by about 2 feet. Then he split the Bamboo into flat lengths and lashed one end to the stake and bent the lengths into a dome section to reach the opposite stake where he lashed that in situ. Once the frame was set up he added cross braces and other stuff (its hard to see exactly as its on a fenced in private area) anyway, the thing basically looks like a bamboo igloo.
 
wow thanks for all the responces guys! i talked to a freind of mine today who was a LRP in nam and claims he knows how to build a mekong delta style structure or "hootch" . well see how much he actually remembers:rolleyes: . its going to be fun anyway , ivegot a bunch of freinds that are all wanting to be in on the constructing of this thing . we'll see how this goes . id really like all you guys to be able to partake in this but im sure we'd all kill each other :D . just kidding but think for a moment or just imagine cliff stamp along with some of the others trying to build a bamboo structure "together" . theres a little humor in that if you think about it hard enough. right now im trying to figure out how to use the bamboo poles as far as sticking them in the ground to suspend the floor up about three feet . how would i use supports and such? all these dang questions . once i get the floor and it off the ground in a stable manner i think ill be pretty well set, as far as the rest of the construction goes , ill cross that creek when i get to it . it floods regulary in the place i intend to build , practicly the whole area where it grows and its starting to get warm so snakes are probably going to be an issue. ill get a machete for sure anyway . thanks for all of the replies and keep em comin .
 
An interesting note on bamboo....My mother's college advisor was Buckminster Fuller. She built a small geodesic dome, out of locally gathered bamboo, (we just called it "cane") with him and a few other students.

She stated that it held together for "years", until it was torn down for some special event on campus.

Take Care,
Jeff
 
Keep in mind that belly button lint is most flamable if you wear a 100% cotton shirt...

I have an idea in my head to make a bamboo ground shelter using split bamboo to make a frame kind of like a dome tent. It would be covered with plastic tarp stretched tight. I'm going to test the concept next time I get out for a weekend.

I have a great place, a clearing in the jungle where there used to be a ranch. The whole lower end of it is a bamboo grove on a slope above the creek. Mac
 
seems that bamboo likes to grow near water. at first i thought bamboo was just bamboo , wrong . there has to be at least a dozen diferent kinds that ive found . some are good for building some are not . ive started cutting more heavy stalks today for the floor and my buddy said hed help me get started some time soon on the rest . BAMBOO IS TOUGH TO CUT! ive got a cold steel machete that i tried using and the edge rolled / folded really bad , the ranger rd7 actually chopped better than the machete without any noticable effect on the blade . sounds like i need to look for a better machete , one that can hold somewhat of an edge . any recomendations ? might just get an HI kukri.
 
Use a saw to cut bamboo, not very cool I know but its a damned sight faster and neater.

Cut just below a node.
 
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