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How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

bambooimport.com

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Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#181

Post by jameshart »

dd36 wrote: post #125
jameshart wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Pressure treated wood is highly toxic...

Yes, it’s a construction material. I wouldn’t recommend eating it. Same advice goes for reinforced concrete slabs and steel girders.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#182

Post by itronitron »

Cerium wrote: post #156
dan353hehe wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. I saw a sibling comment after I posted that mentioned that. It seems like a nice way to skip an additional step! Thanks for point that out! Also during the 4 year wait for it to harden it doesn’t increase in size. So there wouldn’t be a decrease in the amount of bamboo harvested, it would just allow it to be harvested every year instead of every 4.

Bamboo is already harvest every year. Every year new shoots come up out of the ground. The shoots start to form in the winter about one meter away from mature culms. In the spring the shoots emerge from the ground and quickly grow to full height. Changing the harvest schedule will not increase the availability of bamboo, since already all new culms are harvest, just after they become four years old - the system is st…

Exactly, and during years two and three the culms are adding energy back into the rhizome/root system enabling future shoots to emerge.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#184

Post by labawi »

soperj wrote: post #176
labawi wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the mentioned bamboo composite is 95% bamboo and 5% glue (going by comment from hwillis), isn't it fair to say it's 40%-ish bamboo? 5% glue is far from something like carbon composite, where most content is epoxy. Common wood surface treatment is probably more than 5%, yet we don't call it a wood composite. IMO, total surface sealant makes more of a material difference than 5% glue on the inside.

that would be 38% bamboo then.

It's within error bounds, so more proper to say 40% (ish), which is kind of the point.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#185

Post by quesera »

dd36 wrote: post #125
jameshart wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Pressure treated wood is highly toxic...

There are several different kinds of pressure-treated wood.

The old bad stuff is CCA, which uses arsenic. It's been restricted (in the US) for about two decades, though still available for some applications. Home Depot does not carry it.

The newer stuff is ACQ (several types) which are Al and Cu-based. Not considered toxic by the EPA, however some people (including myself) are still not comfortable using it for, e.g. garden beds.

Sawdust of all woods is considered an irritant, toxic, and a possible carcinogen.

Work outside, and/or use good dust collection. Always wear a dust mask.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#186

Post by JAlexoid »

F_J_H wrote: post #183

Related - cool "circular economy" company in Vancouver that collects chopsticks from restaurants and, using a similar process, makes some pretty amazing stuff: https://chopvalue.com/

Considering how fast bamboo grows, this seems excessive.

They're not even saving energy in doing this. Mulching those chopsticks would probably be much more energy efficient.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#187

Post by JAlexoid »

hahamrfunnyguy wrote: post #123
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.

Not sustainable or cost effective. Look at the amount of labor and processing it takes to make one sheet of plywood! By comparison, plywood manufacture is a simple process. Entire logs are shaved into veneer sheets, rough cut, laminated together then finish cut. 302 Euros for a 4x8x3/4 sheet of 5-ply plywood that's inferior in most ways to hardwood plywood is crazy. By comparison, the same sheet of hardwood A-B grade…

Please note that this is not automated yet. I bet that automation could make bamboo plywood cheaper than hardwood plywood... with the same level of quality.

I mean... Some species are ready to harvest in 90 days(not sure if those are applicable, though).

But typical hardwood is decades of growth time to harvest.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#188

Post by JAlexoid »

jameshart wrote: post #181
dd36 wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pressure treated wood is highly toxic...

Yes, it’s a construction material. I wouldn’t recommend eating it. Same advice goes for reinforced concrete slabs and steel girders.

I would advise not eating any kind of concrete.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#189

Post by handrous »

bombcar wrote: post #154
lazide wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The edge-glued boards at Menards are quite good - they're foot wide "shelves" if you will made from glued 4 inch wide pieces; they work and are roughly as strong as normal boards at a cheaper price - and come finished.

Edge-gluing's one technique you'll find in woodworking books, for making large surfaces. Desktops or table tops made out of a single piece of lumber are wicked expensive, or practically impossible once you reach a certain size, so you join a bunch of smaller boards to make it happen. The really cheap & easy version of this skips the gluing and just frames them so they're smushed together, leaving visible seams and gaps like a slightly-tighter version of an outdoor picnic table (I've even seen this look imitated by solid table tops made from particle board and veneer, which... WTF? Those seams are crumb-traps! They make dealing cards a pain in the ass! Why would you go out of your way to have them?), but the better kind involves gluing.

Re: How is bamboo lumber made? (2016)

#190

Post by dang »

Some past related threads:

Why isn't bamboo wood a bigger industry? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18844258 - Jan 2019 (98 comments)

Bali’s 'magic' bamboo homes [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18521724 - Nov 2018 (78 comments)

Then there were these:

Bikes built from Bamboo - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2846074 - Aug 2011 (2 comments)

Bamboo Bikes - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=683085 - July 2009 (4 comments)

From bush to bike - bamboo bicycles - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=682329 - July 2009 (1 comment)

Bamboo Bike Maker Grows His Frames, Bonsai Style - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=316325 - Sept 2008 (1 comment)

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