Bamboo Poles, the miracle of bamboo

Bamboo Poles and the miracle of bamboo.

Bamboo Poles and Bamboo canes are used in many various ways all over the world. 

Bamboo poles for construction

Bamboo poles have been used in construction for hundreds of years all over Asia and South America. The unique properties of bamboo mean that it is stronger per weight than steel making it an ideal material for construction. bamboo poles are used around Asia as scaffolding and reinforcements. Thomas Edison even used bamboo poles or canes to add strength to concrete in some of his projects as it was stronger and cheaper than steel. bamboo is one of the strongest and hardest products on the planet. Bamboo fact : bamboo is only native to countries where diamond can be found. 

Bamboo poles in the garden.  

The garden is one of the most common places for bamboo, it is used in many from plant support to decoration. Bamboo poles can be turned into bamboo fences, bamboo flooring, bamboo guttering and many more things. almost everyone has some sort of bamboo in their garden. 

Bamboo and the environment.

Thousands of bamboo poles and canes are harvested every day all over the world, with trees this is a problem but not with bamboo. Bamboo is one of the most sustainable plants on the planet, growing from a tiny shoot to a full pole in a matter of weeks. Some species of bamboo are known to grow up to 4ft per day! As all living plants bamboo converts carbon dioxide into the oxygen we need to breathe, bamboo converts more carbon dioxide per day than most other plants. scientists have documented over 1000 species of bamboo each with slightly different properties but overall a miracle plant.

Bamboo poles and canes are available in the uk from www.bs-bamboo.co.uk

 

How to join bamboo poles

Bamboo Pole Joints and Joinery Techniques

Basic Principles and Techniques

How to join bamboo and what are the best bamboo joints? Well first of, it is important to know a few basics principles about joining bamboo before discussing the different joinery techniques. So here goes...

• Do not use green, fresh cut bamboo. Bamboo has to be completely dry before using it in construction (preferable air dried). During the drying process the bamboo diameter shrinks, so when bamboo is used in joinery this will result in lose and weak joints after a few weeks.
• Do not use bamboo when it is less then 3 years of age. Only use mature bamboo of 4-6 years.
• Do not use bamboo infected by insects (powder beetle for example). Bamboo has to be properly cured with a boron mix immediately after harvesting.
• Do not use bamboo that has flourished. Rest assured bamboo only flourishes once in a lifetime (60-120 years).
• Do not use bamboo poles with profound vertical cracks.
• Use appropriate cuts and joints when building with bamboo.
• Use bamboo with the right diameter and wall thickness for your project.

• Do not use conventional wood nails in bamboo joinery, they will cause the bamboo to split. Instead use nylon, steel or vegetal cord of the appropriate diameter.

• When using bamboo as a column make sure that the lower part connecting with the surface ends with a node. If not the bamboo will splinter when struck (for example to position the column).
• When connecting bamboo poles with bolts, make sure to bolt them together in between 2 nodes, otherwise the bamboo may crush. More about utilizing the nodes below...

Bamboo Has Nodes, Use Them!

In construction, using bamboo nodes is very important. Bamboo columns or beams need to have a node at both ends (or as close as possible towards the ends), if not the pressure of a structure on the joint may crush the bamboo.
Often it isn't possible to find bamboo of the required length with both end nodes in place. When this occurs you should insert a wooden cylinder of the appropriate diameter or a fitting piece of bamboo with a node.

 

Bamboo Cuts

These are the most common cuts to use when making bamboo joints:

one ear / two ear / beveled / flute mouth / fish mouth

As you can see in the illustration below, making basic cuts in bamboo doesn't require expensive or heavy power tools, just a few traditional hand tools will work fine.

 

Bamboo Joinery Techniques

Making good and aesthetically pleasing bamboo joints is rather complicated because bamboo is hollow, tapered, has nodes at varying distances, and it is not perfectly circular. It is important to keep all these constraints in mind when designing a bamboo joint.
Although traditions, local practices and publications give some information on bamboo joinery, this information is far from complete as essential data is missing in most cases. Many traditional joinery techniques suffer from weakness or deformation, where the strength of the bamboo culm itself is lost.
Before bamboo gets widely adopted in modern architecture (and becomes affordable for all to use), the problem with bamboo joints and universal joining systems has to be solved. After all, timber, steel, and more recently prefabricated concrete, only became proper building materials for the same reasons. How many cumbersome solutions for joints have one seen, before these materials became a standard in construction?
Only if the problem with bamboo joinery can be satisfactorily addressed, and simplified, we can expect to see much more bamboo in Western buildings, bridges and furniture.
Below you'll find some examples and illustrations of traditional bamboo joinery techniques.

Joining horizontal with vertical elements

1. Joint with one or two ears. Is used to join bamboo rafters, logs or lumber.

4. Flap joint. Is used when there is no lashing wire available. The flap can be secured with bamboo strips.

5. Fish mouth joint.

Use of dowels and anchors in bamboo joinery

1. Joining bamboo with dowels and lashing. The peg should be placed in the column parallel to the rafter.

2. Fish mouth joint with pegs.


3. Bamboo joint with wooden anchor. Is also used inverted.

4. Bamboo joint with metal anchor. This technique Is used in various positions.

Double and quadruple bamboo rafter support

1. Beams formed by 4 or 6 members. The top row is separated from the bottom with bamboo or wood slats so that the upper bamboos do not slide over the lower.
2. Central double rafter. It has a wide range of applications in the construction of bridges and structures for rural facilities.

3. Lateral double rafter. Each of the rafters is secured independently at the side support and each other. It is often used in the construction of bridges and structures for rural facilities.

4. Lateral double rafters. Is often used as a central support for bridge structures or sheds.

Joining and fixation of bamboo poles

1. Joint with double wooden wedge.

2. Joint with dowels and clamping fitters.

3. Cross joint with dowel.

4. Lateral joint with dowel.

5. Corner joint.

Splicing bamboo poles

1. Top splicing.

2. Bevel splicing.

3. Ray splicing

4. Half bamboo splicing.

5. Splicing with internal union.

6. Splicing with external union.

7. Telescope splicing.

bamboo poles and canes are available at www.bs-bamboo.co.uk

Miss Bamboo's Tiki Bar

Here at BS-Bamboo we're always keen to know what you've been up to and what you've been doing with your bamboo, especially when it's something a little bit out of the ordinary - we've had some weird and wonderful enquiries over the years and the start of this blog felt like the perfect opportunity to share some of the more exciting projects with you.

Kicking us off in style is the fabulous Miss Bamboo - her website is well worth a look if you're in the market for a new dress or pair of shoes [or even a shirt, for you guys.] Miss Bamboo specialises in 1940's/50's style designs and her stuff has the girls in the BS Bamboo offices drooling. She even stocks handbags made out of bamboo!

Miss Bamboo bought a selection of our wider canes to build a bamboo themed Tiki Bar, in keeping with her 50's style house and garden.  After several conversations with BS Bamboo's in-house designer, who when he's not coming up with his own bamboo inspired designs [watch this space for more info on those] is always on hand to offer friendly advice, Miss Bamboo placed her order and got to work.

We think it looks great!

If you'd like to see your project on our blog, why not drop us an email: jo@bs-bamboo.co.uk with some information and photographs and we'll see what we can do!

Coming soon...

It's all very exciting here at Bs-Bamboo this week!

After plenty of discussions with our friends over in China, we're pleased to announce that we'll be adding bamboo planters and birdhouses to our stock range towards the end of this year.

The planters, made from our popular bamboo slats, look like being simply stunning - we've had to order extra just to cover orders already placed by our staff!

The birdhouses are something we've been talking about for a while; I have several prototypes on my windowsill so it's it's very exciting to think that they'll be available for sale relatively soon.

I don't have any photographs or prices yet, but I think I can say with confidence that they'll be a welcome addition to any garden.

Watch this space - I'll be back with more info as soon as I have it!

It's all go at BS-Bamboo today as our new container has (finally) arrived from China. It's felt like a long time coming this one. It was supposed to be outside our door at 9am this morning but didn't actually show 'til almost 2 so now it's all hands on deck* to get it unloaded. A 40ft HQ container with a three hour time limit. Eeek. It's a good job our guys (and the super Joanne who is in charge of counting the packages off, of course) work well under pressure.

The good news is, that this delivery today means our ever popular bamboo slats are now back in stock. We do have a few back orders to get out in the next few days, but there's plenty left....for now! 
Get your order in quick before it's too late - the last delivery of these sold out completely within a week so there really is no time to waste!

*I say 'all hands' - all hands except mine. Well. Someone has to man the phone and take all your orders, right? That's what I'm telling myself anyway.

Those little extras

Guess what!

We're broadening our horizons a little! In addition to the bamboo canes and fences, we also now stock a range of garden sundries. Need some bamboo toppers, or a pack of cable ties for attaching your climbing plants to your canes? How about a new pair of gardening gloves - a steal at just £2.50 per pair - or some of our black plastic polypots; a popular alternative to a plastic polypot? Be sure to look at our sundries page before you place your order.

Make sure you keep checking back too as we're adding new items all the time!

Welcome

Hello, and welcome to our new blog!

To coincide with the recent update to our website, Bs-Bamboo, which I’m sure you will agree looks fabulous, we’ve also decided to launch a blog, where you can keep up-to-date with all that’s going on here at BS-Bamboo.

We’ll be talking about special offers and new products and posting write-ups of your projects along with any ideas we think might be interesting. Watch this space because after all, who knows: you might find your own inspiration here.

Been working on something using our products? Feel free to drop us an email on info@bs-bamboo.co.uk if you’d like your project using BS-Bamboo featured on this page. We’re always interested to know what you’ve been up to and we’d love to hear from you!