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How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

bambooimport.com

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Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#111

Post by etrautmann »

colinb wrote: post #55

My standing desk top, a Fully Jarvis, is made from bamboo. Comparing the illustrations in TFA to the thing I'm leaning on, I think it is constructed of a core of side-pressed pieces, with a thin layer of plain-pressed pieces giving the working surface and underside. I've had it for < 1 year. It is a little soft, and shows dents and scratches where I set down moderately heavy objects with too much force, but it still…

Almost all wooden surfaces will show dings and dents from heavy objects. Denser woods with a matte finish will show them less of course, but it's inevitable.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#114

Post by yarcob »

lostapathy wrote: post #103
yarcob wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never worked with bamboo plywood, but the product on the website looks like it should be compared with 20mm 3 ply wood panels made from cut hard wood instead of the cheap ply wood made from peeled wood. So a better comparison would be something like [1], which is a lot more expensive than standard birch plywood. [1]: https://www.arbeitsplatten-shop.de/epages/61566463.sf/de_DE/...

Baltic birch isn’t cheap plywood - it’s good stuff.

I'm not saying it's bad, I've used birch plywood myself and I like it.

But you can't compare the 13 layer plywood made from peeled wood with the stuff made from 3 layers of sawed wood. They are completely different types of product, and the cost is also very different.

Apart from mechanical properties, the 3 layer stuff is also much nicer optically usually (eg. they use camera sorted boards to achieve nice and even patterns). That's why it is more expensive.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#115

Post by snarf21 »

TedShiller wrote: post #43

If you start with something that is natural and sustainable (for example, bamboo), and you add to it something that is neither (for example, glue), then you end up with something that is neither natural nor sustainable. Sorry.

Sure but so what. It is a question of how sustainable. Cutting 2x4s from pine trees still use a lot of non-sustainable energy sources. Saws burn gas and so do the trucks of the people who cut them down, so do the trucks that hall the logs, so do the mills that cut them, and so on and so on.

There are always more externalities we don't consider. To me, the question is whether bamboo worse than other composite wood products. Does it store more carbon? Does it store the same carbon but more quickly? Can it grow using less land? Does it last longer than what would be used instead? If it is at least neutral on all the other questions, does it have other properties that make it preferable?

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#116

Post by twobitshifter »

g0gzs wrote: post #33

Long time lurker here, first time poster. I got pulled into the rabbit hole of building guitars at home during the covid lockdowns. My first build used traditional "tonewoods" (mahogany, ebony, rosewood etc.) and while purchasing materials for my second build, I stumbled upon bamboo boards on a German wood retailed shop. Compared the properties to the wood I wanted to use for parts of it (mainly the core/neck and fre…

I always thought that hardness is most important in a fretboard, is bamboo hard enough for this? I have a Parker guitar with a glass composite fretboard (carbon glass they call it) and it’s the best part of the guitar for playability.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#117

Post by lostapathy »

yarcob wrote: post #114
lostapathy wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Baltic birch isn’t cheap plywood - it’s good stuff.

I'm not saying it's bad, I've used birch plywood myself and I like it. But you can't compare the 13 layer plywood made from peeled wood with the stuff made from 3 layers of sawed wood. They are completely different types of product, and the cost is also very different. Apart from mechanical properties, the 3 layer stuff is also much nicer optically usually (eg. they use camera sorted boards to achieve nice and even p…

Birch plywood and baltic birch plywood are completely different animals.

Regular birch plywood is indeed often the cheap stuff.

Baltic birch will be void-free and of a very consistent quality and made from thinner veneers. It's much more stable and high quality product, although you're correct that it probably won't be as pretty on the surfaces.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#118

Post by throwaway743 »

DeathArrow wrote: post #66

I wonder how long does take for bamboo to grow and if it can grow in US and Europe. Maybe it's economically viable to grow bamboo instead of cutting down trees.

Kinda sorta off topic, but recently, to my surprise, learned that every continent, except Europe and Antarctica, has at least one native bamboo species. Pretty neat

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#119

Post by NortySpock »

jameshart wrote: post #90
geoffmunn wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It really bothers me when people try and pass off bamboo-based fabrics as being natural. It's called rayon and it's about as synthetic as you can possibly get. For those who are interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayon

Sure, but ‘synthetic’ is a weird word. At root it just means ‘made via synthesis’. Rayon is not made by synthesizing cellulose, though - it is made by extracting natural cellulose. You could say the fibers are synthesized - but cotton needs to go through a spinning process too. Where do you draw the line between ‘synthesis’ and ‘manufacturing’? Sure, for rayon the cellulose extraction process is chemical, unlike the…

> Where do you draw the line between ‘synthesis’ and ‘manufacturing’?

I assume the layperson will respond: "Synthesis uses chemicals, and manufacturing doesn't!" (visualizing a bandsaw or a punch-press machine)

Of course manufacturing uses plenty of chemicals, but we don't always think about that when visualizing mechanical assembly processes.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#120

Post by samstave »

etrautmann wrote: post #111
colinb wrote: post #55

My standing desk top, a Fully Jarvis, is made from bamboo. Comparing the illustrations in TFA to the thing I'm leaning on, I think it is constructed of a core of side-pressed pieces, with a thin layer of plain-pressed pieces giving the working surface and underside. I've had it for < 1 year. It is a little soft, and shows dents and scratches where I set down moderately heavy objects with too much force, but it still…

Almost all wooden surfaces will show dings and dents from heavy objects. Denser woods with a matte finish will show them less of course, but it's inevitable.

I installed all bamboo flooring in my house and then threw a party... some woman who was at the party was wearing 6" heels and after the party my floor was dimpled all over... she apparently walked like five miles within my living room, dining room, kitchen...
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