On Thu, 25 Jan 2007 09:40:38 -0500, Dave Hall <[email protected]> wrote:
>On 25 Jan 2007 00:27:34 -0800, "scott" <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>My mom recently bought some towels (damn nice towels by the way) made
>out of a bamboo mix. Stuff is really a jack of all trades (sorry
>JOAT).
I bought a sheet set recently for the guest room made from birch
fibers, feels real close to silk. Of course I did not read the laundry
instructions, (gentle cycle, air fluff dry) well I do the laundry
generally on one setting, grumble now I have to flip the switches.
Mark
(sixoneeight) = 618
I have done nearly most of my first floor of my home in Bamboo from
Bamboard and its been over five years and we're very happy. When you
cut it, it smells a bit like grass (it is technically) and it can't be
stained (too dense) but seems to finish well by the factory, I never
tried finishing it. I see all sorts of new stuff made with it every
few months, eventually maybe sheets to make projects out of.
On Jan 25, 1:16 am, Joe Bleau <[email protected]> wrote:
> Just curious. I see it sold as flooring. It looks a bit too plastic
> but maybe that's just the finish the factory applies. Wonder if
> anyone is using it for cabinetry and wonder if it is available in
> anything for flooring widths.
On Jan 25, 1:16 am, Joe Bleau <[email protected]> wrote:
> Just curious. I see it sold as flooring. It looks a bit too plastic
> but maybe that's just the finish the factory applies. Wonder if
> anyone is using it for cabinetry and wonder if it is available in
> anything for flooring widths.
Wicker?
On Jan 25, 9:12 am, "TinWoodsmn" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "scott" <[email protected]> wrote in messagenews:[email protected]...
>
> >I have done nearly most of my first floor of my home in Bamboo from
> > Bamboard and its been over five years and we're very happy. When you
> > cut it, it smells a bit like grass (it is technically) and it can't be
> > stained (too dense) but seems to finish well by the factory, I never
> > tried finishing it. I see all sorts of new stuff made with it every
> > few months, eventually maybe sheets to make projects out of.
>
> > On Jan 25, 1:16 am, Joe Bleau <[email protected]> wrote:
> >> Just curious. I see it sold as flooring. It looks a bit too plastic
> >> but maybe that's just the finish the factory applies. Wonder if
> >> anyone is using it for cabinetry and wonder if it is available in
> >> anything for flooring widths.We have had 'engineered' bamboo flooring installed for about 3 months. If I
> had it to do over, I would choose about anything else. Our dogs have
> scratched it by just walking on it. Don't drop anything hard on it, it dings
> just fine. Don't use water (damp mop) to clean it, it cups. Appliances must
> have a board under them before they can be moved without major scarring of
> the floor. The compression rating is at the very low end of the usual
> flooring woods, and meets the ASTM test while a specified steel ball is
> allowed to penetrate into the material up to .222 inches!
>
> Obviously your mileage has varied.
>
> Tin Woodsmn
Tim,
Sorry but it is understandable that you had bad results with
"engineered" bamboo, as the filler is no doubt something softer than
bamboo, and that doesn't support the bamboo. Also, as one poster
noted, quality varies. The flooring is fairly inexpensive, I wonder
why you were so cheap and didn't get the solid stuff? Most is 5/8"
solid bamboo. Its not for everyone, but for the price and
environmentally (grows fast w/o replanting...its grass!) it makes a lot
of sense. YMMV
There are many brands, but I like the bamboard brand (which is not the
cheapest BTW). Their flooring is so hard its rated "light industrial"
and thousands of square feet are installed at DFW airport terminal
where it gets a lot more punishment than you could likely dish out.
http://www.bamboardusa.com/default.asp
I can't find the link but it was rated harder than oak and many
hardwoods. Also, the poster that said the bamboo had to be 'flattened
out" is incorrect I belive, its much to ridgid to flatten out, I think
they just plane the sections square.
Scott
<snip carping, etc... about bamboo flooring>
>
> I can't find the link but it was rated harder than oak and many
> hardwoods. Also, the poster that said the bamboo had to be 'flattened
> out" is incorrect I belive, its much to ridgid to flatten out, I think
> they just plane the sections square.
>
> Scott
The solid bamboo IS harder than oak and hard maple.
Bamboo flooring is split, flattened, and laminated, IIRC.
I have the non-solid laminated crap (vertical grain) click together
flooring. Love the look but an earlier poster is right, the hardness
of the top layer is meaningless given the soft plies underneath. And
the lifting due to expansion (and yes, I left about 1/2" gap around the
perimeter of the room) is annoying. And the pieces, though left in the
room for three weeks to acclimate, seem to have a permanent crown in
each.
At least it was cheap ;).
Ya pays yer money and ya takes ya chances -
D'ohBoy
I would put it down again, but solid stuff.
D'ohboy
<snip carping, etc... about bamboo flooring>
>
> I can't find the link but it was rated harder than oak and many
> hardwoods. Also, the poster that said the bamboo had to be 'flattened
> out" is incorrect I belive, its much to ridgid to flatten out, I think
> they just plane the sections square.
>
> Scott
The solid bamboo IS harder than oak and hard maple.
Bamboo flooring is split, flattened, and laminated, IIRC.
I have the non-solid laminated crap (vertical grain) click together
flooring. Love the look but an earlier poster is right, the hardness
of the top layer is meaningless given the soft plies underneath. And
the lifting due to expansion (and yes, I left about 1/2" gap around the
perimeter of the room) is annoying. And the pieces, though left in the
room for three weeks to acclimate, seem to have a permanent crown in
each.
At least it was cheap ;).
Ya pays yer money and ya takes ya chances -
D'ohBoy
I would put it down again, but solid stuff.
D'ohboy
Here is a very intersting site showing how laminated bamboo is made.
http://www-users.rwth-aachen.de/Christoph.Toenges/pagesEN/leimbambus.html
On Jan 25, 2:16 am, Joe Bleau <[email protected]> wrote:
> Just curious. I see it sold as flooring. It looks a bit too plastic
> but maybe that's just the finish the factory applies. Wonder if
> anyone is using it for cabinetry and wonder if it is available in
> anything for flooring widths.
bamboo ain't that any cheaper than anything else.
And until I see some proof that it has some benefit for a project, I'll
use my tried and true.
Hell, pine's cheap, they grow it on farms so it's renewable and you
expect it to be soft... and it's cheap cheap cheap.
Piss on bamboo... and the Panda bears we're killing by using all their
food for our floors.
Do everyone a favor, get a breast augmentation.
-Jason
"TinWoodsmn" <[email protected]> writes:
>We have had 'engineered' bamboo flooring installed for about 3 months. If I
>had it to do over, I would choose about anything else. Our dogs have
>scratched it by just walking on it. Don't drop anything hard on it, it dings
>just fine. Don't use water (damp mop) to clean it, it cups. Appliances must
>have a board under them before they can be moved without major scarring of
>the floor. The compression rating is at the very low end of the usual
>flooring woods, and meets the ASTM test while a specified steel ball is
>allowed to penetrate into the material up to .222 inches!
The homes section of the local newspaper recently recommended against
bamboo flooring for exactly the reasons lists by this poster. It damages
too easily.
Brian Elfert
Joe Bleau wrote:
> Just curious. I see it sold as flooring. It looks a bit too plastic
> but maybe that's just the finish the factory applies. Wonder if
> anyone is using it for cabinetry and wonder if it is available in
> anything for flooring widths.
The top of my cheesy, Chinese-made B&D Workmate is bamboo. <G>
Joe Bleau wrote:
> Just curious. I see it sold as flooring. It looks a bit too plastic
> but maybe that's just the finish the factory applies. Wonder if
> anyone is using it for cabinetry and wonder if it is available in
> anything for flooring widths.
Item number one, it is not wood, its a grass. It is also hollow, so to get
a usable piece for cabinetry you would have to do what the flooring folks
do, cut it lengthwise, hollow the pith out of it, soak it and press it
flat. Seems a lot of work for something that will only be, at the most, a
half inch thick.
Deb
"scott" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I have done nearly most of my first floor of my home in Bamboo from
> Bamboard and its been over five years and we're very happy. When you
> cut it, it smells a bit like grass (it is technically) and it can't be
> stained (too dense) but seems to finish well by the factory, I never
> tried finishing it. I see all sorts of new stuff made with it every
> few months, eventually maybe sheets to make projects out of.
>
> On Jan 25, 1:16 am, Joe Bleau <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Just curious. I see it sold as flooring. It looks a bit too plastic
>> but maybe that's just the finish the factory applies. Wonder if
>> anyone is using it for cabinetry and wonder if it is available in
>> anything for flooring widths.
We have had 'engineered' bamboo flooring installed for about 3 months. If I
had it to do over, I would choose about anything else. Our dogs have
scratched it by just walking on it. Don't drop anything hard on it, it dings
just fine. Don't use water (damp mop) to clean it, it cups. Appliances must
have a board under them before they can be moved without major scarring of
the floor. The compression rating is at the very low end of the usual
flooring woods, and meets the ASTM test while a specified steel ball is
allowed to penetrate into the material up to .222 inches!
Obviously your mileage has varied.
Tin Woodsmn
[email protected] wrote:
>
> The solid bamboo IS harder than oak and hard maple.
>
> Bamboo flooring is split, flattened, and laminated, IIRC.
>
There was just a radio article aired in my area about the general
disappointment of many people who've purchased bamboo flooring.
There are no standard for rating bamboo as there are for hardwoods.
Bamboo can be softer than fir or harder than oak depending on when it is
harvested. It gains it's maximum hardness after it is about five to six
years old. Bamboo used for flooring is often harvested at the three
year mark by some manufactures.
It has also been speculated that the Janka hardness of bamboo stated by
the flooring manufactures is the measure of the hardness at a knuckle
which is the hardness part of the plant.
--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
[email protected]
In article <Gepuh.7810$2n.7232@trndny06>, [email protected] says...
>
> There are no standard for rating bamboo as there are for hardwoods.
> Bamboo can be softer than fir or harder than oak depending on when it is
> harvested. It gains it's maximum hardness after it is about five to six
> years old. Bamboo used for flooring is often harvested at the three
> year mark by some manufactures.
>
> It has also been speculated that the Janka hardness of bamboo stated by
> the flooring manufactures is the measure of the hardness at a knuckle
> which is the hardness part of the plant.
>
There are many different species of bamboo. We have in our family some bamboo
poles that were used as cores for rolled up rugs - these are around 40 years
old and as strong and hard as metal pipe.
I have bamboo windbreaks around my house and farm and *that* stuff, after you
harvest and dry it, displays the strength of crumbly weet-a-bix after about 3-5
years, it just disintegrates, even when kept dry, indoors and out of the sun.
I was amazed when I visited Singapore 20odd years ago how those guys were
building scaffolding out of bamboo poles, merely lashed together, all the way
up the side of high-rise buildings (10-20 floors)!
I've also seen cured bamboo that was tough & durable, yet incredibly flexible
when dry (remember spliced bamboo fishing poles, anyone?)
I expect one would really have to learn about the different species, their
characteristics and durability before going out and buying the stuff for
furniture making or flooring. I'd be extremely cautious after experiencing the
failure characteristics of the stuff I grow on this place.
-P.
--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
> Here is a very intersting site showing how laminated bamboo is made.
>
> http://www-users.rwth-aachen.de/Christoph.Toenges/pagesEN/leimbambus.html
>
I was NOT impressed with what I saw in those pictures. Looks to me like the
stuff was deforming and cupping even in the lamination, and like some of the
joints were failing even outside the stress tests.
May be ok for your cheap tropical 'rude hut', but I don't think I'll be buying
roof beams made that way any time soon! I think I'll stick with pine and
resorcinol for gluelam.
-P.
--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
says...
> On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:11:04 +1300, Peter Huebner
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >
> >There are many different species of bamboo.
>
> Which one is this?
>
> <http://www.calfeedesign.com/pages/bamboolarge.php>
>
Phyllostachus nigra, possibly.
Could be Bambusa Lako also.
Other candidates?!?
;-P
-P.
--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com
On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 00:38:58 GMT, B A R R Y <[email protected]>
wrote:
>On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:11:04 +1300, Peter Huebner
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>>There are many different species of bamboo.
>
>Which one is this?
>
><http://www.calfeedesign.com/pages/bamboolarge.php>
bamboocycle
On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:11:04 +1300, Peter Huebner
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>There are many different species of bamboo.
Which one is this?
<http://www.calfeedesign.com/pages/bamboolarge.php>
"TinWoodsmn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "scott" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>I have done nearly most of my first floor of my home in Bamboo from
>> Bamboard and its been over five years and we're very happy. When you
>> cut it, it smells a bit like grass (it is technically) and it can't be
>> stained (too dense) but seems to finish well by the factory, I never
>> tried finishing it. I see all sorts of new stuff made with it every
>> few months, eventually maybe sheets to make projects out of.
>>
>> On Jan 25, 1:16 am, Joe Bleau <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> Just curious. I see it sold as flooring. It looks a bit too plastic
>>> but maybe that's just the finish the factory applies. Wonder if
>>> anyone is using it for cabinetry and wonder if it is available in
>>> anything for flooring widths.
>
> We have had 'engineered' bamboo flooring installed for about 3 months. If
> I had it to do over, I would choose about anything else. Our dogs have
> scratched it by just walking on it. Don't drop anything hard on it, it
> dings just fine. Don't use water (damp mop) to clean it, it cups.
> Appliances must have a board under them before they can be moved without
> major scarring of the floor. The compression rating is at the very low end
> of the usual flooring woods, and meets the ASTM test while a specified
> steel ball is allowed to penetrate into the material up to .222 inches!
>
> Obviously your mileage has varied.
>
> Tin Woodsmn
Like everything else I've seen crap bamboo flooring and hi-grade bamboo
flooring. The more "processed" bamboo the softer, but many US people prefer
the carbonized which is softer. But you can get bamboo thats pretty damn
hard and the least hydroscopic.... it just cost more.
On 25 Jan 2007 00:27:34 -0800, "scott" <[email protected]>
wrote:
My mom recently bought some towels (damn nice towels by the way) made
out of a bamboo mix. Stuff is really a jack of all trades (sorry
JOAT).
Dave Hall
>I have done nearly most of my first floor of my home in Bamboo from
>Bamboard and its been over five years and we're very happy. When you
>cut it, it smells a bit like grass (it is technically) and it can't be
>stained (too dense) but seems to finish well by the factory, I never
>tried finishing it. I see all sorts of new stuff made with it every
>few months, eventually maybe sheets to make projects out of.
>
>On Jan 25, 1:16 am, Joe Bleau <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Just curious. I see it sold as flooring. It looks a bit too plastic
>> but maybe that's just the finish the factory applies. Wonder if
>> anyone is using it for cabinetry and wonder if it is available in
>> anything for flooring widths.
Thu, Jan 25, 2007, 9:40am [email protected] (Dave=A0Hall) doth defame me
with:
My mom recently bought some towels (damn nice towels by the way) made
out of a bamboo mix. Stuff is really a jack of all trades (sorry JOAT).
The Woodworking GOds thought it a bit funny, so you et a pass -
this time. I've got some plates and bowles ut of pressd bamboo, had 'em
for 30+ years.
Actually bamboo is quite versitile. If you don't know much abou
it, then it's worth googling and reading a bit on it. It's used for
scaffolding, water wheels (lifting wter for irrigation), water pipes,
fishing poles of course (cane, a relative of bamboo, used over here),
buckets, cups, punji sticks, blutes, building material, road material,
etc., etc. Like I said, worth a read.
JOAT
Bugrit. Millennium hand AND shrimp.
"Joe Bleau" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Just curious. I see it sold as flooring. It looks a bit too plastic
> but maybe that's just the finish the factory applies. Wonder if
> anyone is using it for cabinetry and wonder if it is available in
> anything for flooring widths.
I have seen a bunch of cutting boards made out of it.