This must be the umpteenth new thread of mine, but, here it is: Bamboo

Gorog

Gorog

Joined
Mar 4, 2011
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That's right. Bamboo. It comes in many shapes and sizes, from dwarf to giant. Nothing on dwarf bamboo, but I prefer my 'boo large and in charge. Greater tensile strength, greater durability, thicker (not the culm walls, mind you, just the general width), denser, stronger (as I sort of said already), and yeah, I like it. I like it a lot. So, can anyone tell me what or where is the best place to find real thick stock bamboo poles, or bamboo carving stock, in particular the Guadua bamboo, yeah, the one that is supposedly as strong as steel and used extensively in construction? If not, can anyone tell me where to find bamboo turning blanks I could carve? I know I probably should not carve turning blanks, but, unless someone comes up with a sound argument as to why I should not, like, 'it creates toxic dust that will kill you, or something like that' then I probably will end up doing it anyway, to kill some time. So, I'll let this process, and come back to either more answers than I can shake a fist at, none at all, or something in between. Probably something in between, I can always count on you guys for some good old fashioned Q&A, right? If no one really knows, just let me know, and I'll post this wherever you guys recommend. Oh, and, guys/gals? Do not post links to websites for me, and don't violate any rules for me, just pointing me to the right google search is all I really need, though more would certainly be appreciated, as long as it is by private message or email. Thank you in advance to everyone. Peace.
EDIT: I looked on Google for Bamboo turning blanks and came up empty handed, so thats a no go. Any helpful information would be VASTLY appreciated. It has to be out there, they make bamboo everything nowadays, so why not turning blanks of bamboo? Peace.
 
Thanks for the tip. I was actually looking for a site that plain old sells the bamboo at a decent price, but it does not really matter, because I made a new find to go along with it, its called Sweet Dragon, and it looks cool, plus it exceeds thirty meters. Cool stuff, I'll look some more. Thanks again. Peace.
 
Bamboo ( not sure which sub-species) is plentiful in my area, the Mid-Atlantic region seems to hit the weather right for prolific growth. My Step son's paternal Gramma has a huge stand of it in her yard, which requires frequent management to keep it from taking over her whole yard. It seeems it wouldnt be too tough to grow a stand of it yourself in our region.
 
Oh we have bamboo, don't get me wrong, its just that this bamboo we get is the weak, common variety, whereas I am looking for either the humungous variety, or just the strong variety. I was thinking of buying my karate master a Phyllostachys Nigra/ Black Bamboo pole, but he sets me down 120+ dollars a month! What a ripoff! I'm just kidding, I learn a lot there. Anyway, there is little I can do with the bamboo I have, it is too flimsy and susceptible to mold, mildew, rot, and other such plagues of bamboo. I love bamboo, it is awesome, by the by. I WISH I could make bamboo plywood using the fibers we have, but that seems like a very expensive idea, unless all you need to do is take a green poll, shave a lot of fibers off, and iron them together with an epoxy or something. I don't know. Anyway, thanks everyone for your responses, I really appreciate it. Peace.
 
I don't know, man. I'm down to trying to order some seeds or maybe find a greenhouse that sells some trees that have already started and grow my own. There's a lot I could do with a bunch of good bamboo around here.
 
You are going about this backwards. Get a panda. Feed him less and less every day. Soon he'll be so hungry he goes hunting for the bamboo he likes to eat and you follow him there!
 
Esav Benyamin said:
You are going about this backwards. Get a panda. Feed him less and less every day. Soon he'll be so hungry he goes hunting for the bamboo he likes to eat and you follow him there!
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I dunno. Pandas are so lazy they don't even mate. I think you would just end up with a very skinny panda and eventually a fine from the EPA.....well, and a unique rug for your den;)
 
Here's a search term: Lumboo

"Lumboo™ the worlds first engineered bamboo dimensional lumber is made from 100% compressed bamboo. Large bamboo poles are shredded into strips and configured into a matrix optimized for structural integrity. Once the bamboo matrix is built a low VOC resin is added and the bamboo is placed into a hydraulic press which compresses the material at several hundred thousand pounds of force. The result is an extremely dense bamboo block and is nearly indestructible. The bamboo block is then milled and sanded into the world’s first dimensional bamboo lumber: LumBoo™"

"Density: Lumboo™ is dimensionally smaller but still heavier and stronger
Strength: So dense you will not be able to nail into Lumboo™, you must pre-drill and use screws
Termite resistance: The high silica content of bamboo cannot be digested by termites"

Available in 1x4, 2x4, 2x6, and 4x4 nominal lumber sizes.

The 4x4 size (actually 3" by 3") comes in 8' and 10' lengths, and lists for $25 or $35.
This could presumably be sawn into 4 blanks, each about 1.5" square.
 
Nice joke Esav, I'm laughing, though to find the bamboo he/she likes, he/she would be dismayed to discover either the Atlantic or the Pacific in the way, Giant Bamboo grows usually in China, I think.... I agree with you, Steely Gunz, there is something to be said about the Giant Panda's slothful ways. And THANK YOU Steve Tall, that is virtually EXACTLY what I was looking for! And there we go. I thank you, my friends, for the timely responses. I shall look into it. See you and peace.
 
My old neighborhood in Greensboro, NC, had lots of yards that were full of bamboo. I made extra money taking my M-43 around the neighborhood and clearing folks' yards for them. I then made more extra money making things from it and selling them, occasionally to the same folks who had it growing in their yards. There wasn't enough useable bamboo to actually make a living at it, but it sure helped. I like the Cpl's idea of growing your own. If I had a lot of land, I'd look into planting a bunch. The stuff doesn't seem to need much encouragement to grow.
 
I love bamboo. The forest in Japan was pine and bamboo. The bamboo was like a woman's hair in the wind. The sight and sound have never left me.
 
Carolina River Rat said:
My old neighborhood in Greensboro, NC, had lots of yards that were full of bamboo. I made extra money taking my M-43 around the neighborhood and clearing folks' yards for them. I then made more extra money making things from it and selling them, occasionally to the same folks who had it growing in their yards. There wasn't enough useable bamboo to actually make a living at it, but it sure helped. I like the Cpl's idea of growing your own. If I had a lot of land, I'd look into planting a bunch. The stuff doesn't seem to need much encouragement to grow.
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It doesn't. Once it really gets going ... even way up here in VA ... it's practically impossible to stop. We've got some impressive bamboo forests that began in some poor fool's backyard. A year or two ago I spent a very sweaty weekend knocking one overrun backyard back into shape with a Swamprat Waki.
 
OldPhysics said:
It doesn't. Once it really gets going ... even way up here in VA ... it's practically impossible to stop. We've got some impressive bamboo forests that began in some poor fool's backyard. A year or two ago I spent a very sweaty weekend knocking one overrun backyard back into shape with a Swamprat Waki.
Click to expand...

Sounds like fun:thumbup:

There was an apartment complex also in VA with a pretty big bamboo stand, but I didn't get my scrapizashi in time to have any fun before they decimated it. Large flock of birds took roost and blanketed the parking lot so there was good motivation to remove the bamboo.
 
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