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How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

bambooimport.com

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Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#141

Post by lazide »

bombcar wrote: post #136
NoImmatureAdHom wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the themes in this thread is reminding people that it's not actually bamboo, it's a bamboo composite--sort of like plywood. I doesn't work without petrochemical glues. I think it's fairer to say your build is 40%-ish bamboo composite. When we're calling it bamboo we're doing that industry's greenwashing marketing for them. Cool guitar!

I've noticed more and more "glue" boards - even beyond the classic MDF or plywood - such as "Edge Glued" boards. Lots of the Ikea "wood" furniture is made this way, some apparently from relatively small scraps.

Some of the terms being used are getting more and more ‘artistic’ too - I’ve seen a lot more use of the term ‘manufactured wood’ for instance, and like you’re noting hybrid ‘core is mdf, edges are real wood, top is veneer’ type stuff that you have to dig to find out, and that is way more complicated than the ‘traditional’ mdf+veneer junk.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#142

Post by lazide »

twobitshifter wrote: post #116
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.

Keep in mind these aren’t what you would get if you cut down some bamboo and used them. They’re usually processed, compressed, and a high % by weight of glue or epoxy. Many of them are harder and tougher than all but a tiny percent of exotic hard woods.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#143

Post by artificialLimbs »

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.

The bamboo in our yard in Arkansas is about 30 ft tall already, only a couple years old. Pine is much softer and easier to work with as a general wood.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#144

Post by lazide »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #132

Really neat article, love things like this on HN. I thought this was really interesting: > A bamboo stem reaches its maximum height in just a few months and shall not grow taller or thicker over time. In the following 4 years the fibers will "lignify" and get their extraordinary mechanical properties in terms of hardness, strength, density. That seems pretty fascinating to me. Are there any other plants/trees that gr…

Most trees won’t grow that fast (well almost nothing grows as fast as bamboo). Usually height of a plant or tree is determined by the available shade (more shade, the more the tree will try to climb above it), and available water. Less water generally means shorter, and more (easy) sun usually means shorter, though there is a huge genetic element of course. Some trees will collect significant water from rain or fog when it’s hard to get water up the tree from their normal transport methods (like redwoods) because of their height.

A normal tree (which is slow growing) typically will get taller and wider each year until it starts maxing out something like water transport, or dies due to disease and competition from other trees.

The rings you are referring to are generally gathered from the base of the tree as that is the part most likely to grow (for sure). If you go to the top of the tree, it’s a bit harder to tell what has been going on.

And the ring itself is formed when the tree stops growing as part of the yearly seasonal cycle.

Bamboo doesn’t have rings.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#145

Post by DoneWithAllThat »

oblio wrote: post #79
nuerow wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Engineered lumber (MDF, OSB, glulam... all of them actually) also involves the same glues and chemical treatments used in bamboo, and both use formaldehide-based glues which are known carcinogens.

Why isn't there more of an uproar about this?

Uproar about what?

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#146

Post by DFHippie »

david-gpu wrote: post #110
op00to wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What happens to anything when you throw it away? It gets encapsulated in more garbage and stays there for basically ever.

Wood rots. It doesn't even take that long. Let's not pretend natural biodegradable materials are the same.

Not so much in a landfill.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#148

Post by kleton »

dan353hehe wrote: post #147

This probably made it to the front page because of yesterdays discussion on Hardend Wood. [1] In my mind I can see bamboo lumber just made with the Hardened Wood process being extra “green” as no glue would be required. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28945312

If you were doing the hardened wood process on it, you wouldn't even have to wait 4 years for the culm to lignify, since you were just going to delignify it with a hot chemical bath.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#149

Post by varelse »

woobar wrote: post #137
samstave wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

Interesting. Bamboo flooring usually has higher Janka rating then other wood used for flooring.

Same nonsense I was told when I put in bamboo flooring. In my case it was destroyed by the late night shenanigans of an 11 lb cat. I think hardwood comes with its own tragedy at no extra cost. What we need is a flooring material that acquires character as people walk on it and scratch it. Edit: And it turns out we have it.

https://www.sheogaflooring.com/flooring/textured-flooring/

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#150

Post by kleton »

TedShiller wrote: post #49
aembleton wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bamboo grows so much quicker that even with glue it might be more sustainable than using other woods.

What happens to glue when you throw it away?

Phenol-formaldehyde thermoset breaks down into phenol and formaldehyde. It degrades a lot faster than polyolefins.
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