Using Bamboo

In the past bamboo was central to life in many cultures. This was especially true in Asian countries. A Chinese farmer may have lived in a bamboo house, sat in a bamboo chair, and eaten food stored and prepared in bamboo containers. He may have used bamboo mats for flooring, beds, and covers. His sandals would have been made from bamboo and his hat woven from split bamboo. His livestock would have been in bamboo cages and pens and a bamboo fence would have enclosed his yard. The shoots of his bamboo might make up part of his meal which was eaten with bamboo chopsticks. A fisherman might use a raft made from bamboo that used bamboo for it's sails and ropes. Tools would have been made from bamboo or used bamboo as handles.

Today things have changed but bamboo is still used in the same way in many rural cultures. Hundreds of new uses have been found for bamboo. No other plant has impacted so many cultures in so many ways over such a long period of time. This page will grow over time as we explore the ways bamboo has been used in the past and it's changing role today.

Common Uses of Bamboo

Landscaping - There are hundreds of nurseries around the world specializing in bamboo. Landscaping with bamboo is 99% of my business! The vast majority of customers want bamboo to use as a screen. This may be for privacy, to block a view, to cut down on noise or simply to provide dramatic beauty in the landscape. Small, dwarf bamboos are used as groundcovers, slightly larger bamboos make beautiful hedges, and the larger species make beautful specimen plants in the garden. There's nothing quite like a grove of giant bamboo with towering canes. Walking through the grove is an experience few will forget. There are many places in the US where bamboo has been used in the landscape. Besides the locations listed here some others include Fairchild Gardens in Miami, Fl. and Quail Botanical Gardens in LaJolla, Ca.
Both locations have huge collections of tropical bamboos. Most botanical gardens have a section devoted to bamboo or Japanese gardens.

Shelter - Everything from simple sheds to complex buildings have been built with bamboo. Bamboo may be used for the entire structure, for walls alone, for roofs, for floors, for most any part of the house structure.

Bridges - Bamboo has been used to bridge everything from small streams to big rivers. These bridges may be as simple as a few pieces of bamboo placed across a stream up to complex truss bridges, to suspension bridges using bamboo rope.

Fences - There must be hundreds of kinds of fences built from bamboo. The Chinese and Japanese have taken this to a high level of art. There are multple books about bamboo fences with with information on techniques and tools devoted to the craft. Fences range from simple lattice, to woven panels, to living walls. Fences made from bamboo may be used for privacy, for decoration, to contain livestock, as guard rails, to block unpleasant views, for every use imaginable. Building a bamboo fence can be quite simple or extremely elaborate. How to build a simple bamboo fence.

Music - Bamboo has been used to make music since humans first began to make music. Probably as percussion instruments first, but over time almost every type of muscial instrument has been made with bamboo. Flutes, panpipes, saxophones, digeridoos, xylophones, marimbas, whistles, wind chimes, pipe organs, gongs, rainsticks, and the list goes on!

Construction - Domes, tea houses, roof tiles, gutters, ladder, concrete reinforcement, scaffolding, pergolas, temples, gazebos, shade pavilions, garden trellises, scaffolding, towers, churches, barns, pig pens, fish traps, piers, retaining walls, chicken pens, play structures, ladders, shelves, most anything you can think of. Bamboo flooring has become one of the most popular "hardwood" flooring products on the market today. "Plyboo" takes the place of plywood.

Furniture - Beds, chairs, tables, stools, book shelves, desk, bread racks, folding chairs, chest of drawers, wine racks, clothes racks, cabinets, lamps, chests, coffee tables, benches, work benches, any piece of furniture you can think of has been made of bamboo.

Boats - As a boat lover this is one of my favorites. Bamboo rafts are probably some of the earliest boats ever. With hollow, watertight compartments bamboo is a natural choice. But over time the ways bamboo has been used for boats has expanded. Chinese junks used bamboo for mast, booms, oars, rails, woven into sails, push poles, ropes, outriggers, etc. Several years ago Tim Severin built an entire boat of bamboo to try to prove that the Chinese may have crossed the Pacific hundreds of years ago. Over a hundred years ago Fridtjof Nansen was marooned in the artic and used bamboo poles and sail cloth to build a kayak to save himself. The Japanese used split bamboo to make a basket like boat for fishing. The Vietnamese make a type of boat from plaited bamboo. In ancient Polynesia the people built big catamarans using bamboo for mast, shelter, rails, floors, and as containers for fresh water. In modern times bamboo has been laminated and used for surfboards and modern boat construction.

Bamboo and food - Of course most bamboo shoots can be eaten and in times of massive flowering of bamboo the seeds are used as grain. But besides being a food item bamboo has been used (and continues to be used) in the kitchen. Just a few uses include, cups, bowls, place mats, chop sticks, egg beaters, tea whisks, forks, knives, spoons, canisters, rice cookers, salad bowls, napkin rings, and just about any other kitchen utensil you can think of! Rice is steamed in the sections of cane. Salad bowls are made from thin, woven strips of bamboo. Woven screens of split bamboo or used in rice steamers.

Miscellaneous -, airplanes, arrows, fishing poles, fly rods, bee hives, books, buckets, bean poles, blow guns, charcoal, paper, books(some of the earliest known books were written on strips of split bamboo), pens, baskets (every kind imaginable), beer, walking sticks, birdhouses, bird feeders, bows, fountains, bicybles, swings, carts, kites, windmills, jewelry, toys, hammocks, all kinds of containers, back scratchers (I've got one of these and it works great), cannons, carrying poles, crutches, curtains, cribs, cables, charcoal, candle holders, water pipes, oil pipes, tobacco pipes, dirigible, fans, firewood, flag pole, fishing floats, jewelry, kiosk, lanterns, light bulb filiment, bats, writing brushes, wheelbarrows, windmills, scoops, netsuke, polo balls, pole vaulting, paint brushes, umbrellas, rakes, rattles, record needles, concrete reinforcement, rulers, sandals, scoops, back scratchers, shoehorn, sieves, skewers, snow fence, stilts, tipi poles, toothpicks, torches, walking sticks, waterwheels, torches, towel racks, bird cages, curtains, rakes, mats, vases, flooring, hats,plywood, and more.

Erosion Control

Bamboo is an ideal plant for erosion control. Running bamboos spread out forming a dense, underground network of rhizomes and roots making a very effective barrier to erosion. Planted along streams or gullies it can help to stabilize the sides.

With two streams and a pond I've had several opportunities to try out different species in different situations and evaluate their effectiveness. One of my earliest plantings, specifically for erosion control, was in the bend of a small creek. With development upstream creating more and more run-off, the small streams on our place have changed over the years. Thirty years ago they were small streams that usually increased in flow after a hard rain but it was nothing dramatic and rarely caused much damage. Now, during the spring, these streams can swell to dangerous levels after a heavy rain and erosion has become a real problem. While I can't do much about the source upstream I have been able to stabalize some of the worst areas downstream on my property. These streams naturally form "S" shaped curves along their length. With the heavy flow in the spring the banks of these curves have begun to erode and in several places we now see red clay banks where before it was leaves and undergrowth. There is an especially bad stretch along my driveway where the damage is highly visible. About five years ago I planted five Giant Leaf bamboo plants. The area is in full shade and the soil was just red clay. It took some time for the plants to establish and spread but now they have filled in nicely and cover an area about 20 feet long and 10 feet wide. The red clay bank is completely hidden and erosion has stopped in that area.

Another area that I was concerned about was the back of a dam that forms a small pond. There is a concrete spillway that handles the overflow from the pond. When we built the pond about 20 years ago we made the spillway large enough to handle what we thought would be the maximum flow we could expect in the spring. Beside the spillway is an area that the water can go through in the event the flow gets to be too much. Water rarely flowed thru this area even in the heaviest rains but in the past few years it we've seen it overflow the spillway regularly going through the overflow area and down the back of the dam. We planted P.n.Henon in the overflow area about 10 years ago just because it was such an ideal place and looked so nice there. On the back of the dam we planted Sasa vetchii never thinking it would be needed for erosion control. This year water levels reached their highest levels ever. The Sasa vetchii was completely covered with flowing water and was flattened. After the water went down the bamboo sprang back up and looked fine. Best of all, there was no erosion of the dam!

Bamboo Project: Digeridoo

Building a bamboo didgeridoo is easy!. You'll need a piece of bamboo about two inches in diameter and 4 to 5 feet long. The pitch of your didgeridoo will depend on the length of the tube. Here is a chart to help you determine how long to make it. The ideal piece of bamboo will be well dried, cut when it was 3 to 4 years old, with no obvious cracks. I like to cut the mouth end right at a node. This gives a good place to make the mouthpiece. When cutting the bamboo it's a good idea to use a very fine tooth saw. I've found that a small handsaw makes the best, smoothest cut. If using a power saw you should first wrap the bamboo with masking tape at the place you'll be cutting. This helps keep the bamboo from splintering.

Next step is to remove the nodes inside the bamboo. I use a piece of 1/2 inch re-bar. This is the steel re-inforcement bar used in concrete. You can find a 3 to 4 foot piece at most building supply stores. The rod works great for punching out the nodes and then the rough sides of the rod do a good job of removing and cleaning whatever is left of the nodes. Just slide it in and out several times while rotating the bamboo. Unless you have a long piece of rod you'll need to do this from both ends. Once the nodes are removed, take a look thru the bamboo. You should have a nice, clean tube.

Now is a good time to try your 'didg'. You can find information on the web about playing the instrument but basically you press your lips against the mouth end and make a sort of "bronx cheer". You know, where your lips are pursed together and you blow making a sort of "motorboat" sound? With practice you can get the didgeridoo to make a nice, resonant sound. This will be easier once you've constructed the mouthpiece.

To make the mouthpiece you'll need a couple ounces of clean beeswax. I usually take a small, marble sized piece and soften it by warming it in my fist. The wax should get soft and pliable. I roll it out into a skinny, snake- like tube. Press it around the edges of the bamboo, so that the tube has a wax coverd end. If this is not clear think of it as way to make your mouth seal better against the end of the didgeridoo, sort of a wax "O-ring". I usually melt a little bees wax in a can and dip the mouthpiece into it to make a good seal and a better looking end. When you play the didgeridoo the warmth of your mouth and skin will soften the wax giving it a custom fit. Here is a web page all about making a beeswax mouthpiece.

That's it! You are now the proud owner of a custom made didgeridoo. I make a final adjustment to the length at this point. If the digeridoo sounds nice and is easy to play, I leave it alone. By adjusting the lenght you can tune the "didj" to a particular key. At least that's what I read but I'm tone deaf so it means nothing to me! If not, I try cutting just a little off the end. Once you have a good pitch, sand the end to smooth the edges. You can decorate it with traditonal art, or use your imagination. Once the didgeridoo is painted you can varnish it. I usually varnish inside and out in order to help preserve the bamboo, hopefully makeing it less susceptible to cracking as it can't dry out as fast with the varnish sealing it.

A bees wax mouthpiece.

Bamboo Project: Fence

With a decay resistant support and frame, this traditional looking bamboo fence should last for years. We had a shop that we wanted to hide and didn't want to wait for years for our Leland Cypress trees to hide it. (Yes, we used Cypress instead of bamboo, the bamboo would get out of hand and was in an area where it would be very difficult to control.) A bamboo fence seemed like the ideal solution and we are very pleased with the results.

A couple of years ago we decided we were tired of the old wooden fence that helped hide my workshop. The fence needed to be taller and we just naturally wanted a fence made from bamboo. We also wanted the bamboo to last several years before having to replace any part. We wanted the fence to look good but didn't care that it was far from traditional!

We used pressure treated 4 x 4 post for the basic supports, spaced 8 feet apart.We dug holes about 24" deep, placed the post in the holes, and backfilled the holes. Since our fence would be fairly tall, and we wanted it extra strudy, we used concrete in the holes. Make sure the post are straight and vertical and give the concrete a day of so to set. It's a good idea to brace the post temporarily.
For a framework on which to hang the bamboo we used treated 2 x 4's. We spaced these at about 6 inches from the ground, 6 inches from the top and about 2 feet apart in between. We used 3 inch, galvanized screws to connect the framework to the post. An electric screwdriver made this much easier than nailing and you will definitely need the screws and electric screwdriver for all the bamboo strips you'll be adding.

Once you have the basic framework constructed, it's time for the bamboo! We used canes aobut 2 to 3 inches in diameter and split them down the middle. With bamboo this is fairly simple. We used a special tool for splitting the bamboo but a machete or similar tool works well also. With 2 inch canes you'll need about 5 to 6 per foot of fence. (Depending on how close you space them)
Once you have split the bamboo you will need to drill a pilot hole at each point where the bamboo touches the framework. This will keep the bamboo from splitting when you screw it to the frame. We used galvanized screws about 2 inches long and placed one at each 2 x 4. This was the most time consuming part of the project!
Once you have attached all the pieces of split bamboo to the frame you will be left with a long, horizontal line of screw heads on the front of the fence. To cover these we used another piece of split bamboo placed horizontally across the front of the fence.

We used long screws to attach these horizontal members and then covered the screws with the black rope shown above. To finish off the fence we took one of the larger pieces of bamboo and split out about 1/3 of the cane leaving a cane that would fit down over the tops of the split canes. This is shown at the top of the picture below.

One final finishing touch was to place large, 3 to 4 inch canes over the upright post at the ends and between each panel.

The rockwork was needed because the fence was on a hill and we didn't like the look of big, triangular gaps under each section. Where the ground was level we left 4 to 6 inches of space to help keep the bamboo from rotting so fast. After 18 months the bamboo has gone from green, to tan, to finally gray but is still in good shape.

Bamboo Project: Flute

First you need a piece of bamboo with an inside diameter of about 3/4 inches or a little larger. A thin walled bamboo will give the best sound. Preferably the bamboo will be well dried and must be crack free.I try to pick a piece of bamboo with as few nodes as possible.

Now it's time to cut your bamboo to length. When cutting the bamboo it's a good idea to use a very fine tooth saw. I've found that a coping saw or hacksawmakes the finest, smoothest cut. If using a power saw you should first wrap the bamboo with masking tape at the place you'll be cutting. This helps keep the bamboo from splintering. The first cut will be at the mouth end. Cut just behind a node so that the end you blow in is closed. (there is a membrane/partition at each node). The next cut will determing how long your flute is. The length of the bamboo will determine what key the flute plays in. Here is a basic chart for determining the key.

Key of A - 14 inches
Key of F - 18 inches
Key of D - 21 inches

Once you've cut the bamboo to length you'll need to remove any inside membranes, being careful not to pierce the membrane on the mouth end. I use a round wood rasp, about 1/2 inch in diameter and 12 inches long. A long screw driver or a long drill bit also works. The nice thing about the wood rasp is you can use it to smooth the inside of the flute at the nodes. A piece of sandpaper wrapped around a dowel will also work.

At this point you need to drill the hole you blow thru. This hole should be about 1/2 inch from the end and no more than 3/8 inch in diameter. I put tape over the area to be drilled and use a 1/4 inch drill bit. Once I have that hole drilled I enlarge it with a 5/16 inch bit. Sand the hole lightly so that it is nice and smooth.

Next come the finger holes. Spacing and size of these holes determines how "true" each note is. The chart below will show you where ot place the holes.

For a 14 inch flute (key of A)

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6
Distance from open end	2 1/4	3 3/4	4 3/8	5 5/8	6 3/4	7 7/8
Note	B	C#	D	E	F#	G#

 

For an 18 inch flute (key of F)

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6
Distance from open end	2 7/8	4 3/4	5 1/2	7 1/4	8 5/8	10
Note	G	A	Bb	C	D	E

 

For a 21 inch flute (key of D

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6
Distance from open end	2 1/4	3 3/4	4 3/8	5 5/8	6 3/4	7 7/8
Note	B	C#	D	E	F#	G#

Remember, these distances are to the center of each hole measured from the open end. Make the holes 1/4 inch in diamter at first. As you enlarge the holes very slightly the notes become sharper. You're on your own at this point. I have no ear for music and can't tell one note from another! Just make sure you drill carefully without splintering the bamboo. You play the flute by blowing across the hole like playing a bottle. These are just the basics. You can find lots more information on the web about building, tuning, and playing a flute.

Bamboo Project: Paper

I've made paper one time. It was fun and I've been wanting to do so again but it's very time consuming. This is just to let you know before you get started! There are a huge number of raw materials you can use for making paper and the easiest is to re-cycle old paper. Using scrap paper to make new paper will save you a substantial amount of time. However, this article is about making paper from bamboo!

Paper has been made from bamboo for hundreds of years. The commercial process uses actual bamboo canes for pulp. You can too but it is very difficult as the bamboo fibers are very tough and need a lot of processing, including a long fermentation period. An easier way to make paper from bamboo is to use the sheaths from new bamboo culms.(canes) These are the outer coverings on new bamboo canes that drop to the ground (in most cases) as the canes mature. They have a texture that is very similar to dry corn husk. When I first began to investigate making paper I was discouraged to find how difficult it would be to process actual bamboo. I then got the idea of using the sheaths.

If you are still determined to make bamboo paper the first thing you will need are some basic tools. Two specialized tools that you can make (or buy at many art supply stores) are a mold and deckle. The mold is basically a frame (much like a picture frame) with fiberglass window screening attached. The deckle is another frame the same size but without the screen. I made mine from strips of wood, about one half inch by three quarter inch. You can also use an actual picture frame.

Here is a list of tools and supplies you will need

• Soda ash - available from paper making suppliers. You can sometimes find at art supply stores that sell paper making
• supplies.
  
• Enamel or stainless steel container to boil the pulp material in
  
• Rubber Gloves
  
• Safety google
  
• Blender
  
• White felt cut into 12 inch squares 
  
• Approx 1 to 2 pounds of bamboo sheaths, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
  
• Rubber tub, large enough for mold and deckle to fit down into. Rectangular and shallow is best. 
  
• Mold and deckle
  
• (Optional) Several pieces of window glass or mirror. They need to be at least the size of the paper you intend to make.

Collecting and preparing the bamboo fibers

You'll need to collect some sheaths to begin with. This will have to be done in the spring or early summer as this is when they are available and they deteriorate fairly quickly once they are on the ground.
I used a paper cutter to cut them into 1 inch lengths. You should have enough to fill at least a gallon container. I used an 8 quart, stainless steel pot. I filled about half way with cut up bamboo sheats, lightly pressed down.
Use about 1/2 ounce of soda ash for each quart of water. Ideally the ph value of the solution should be 10 to 11. You will need enough solution to cover the fibers. Disolve the required amount of soda ash in the water and bring to a boil. When it is boiling, add the fibers. Bring to a boil again and then reduce to a simmer. I did this outdoors on a gas grill. You will need to simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Stir about every 20 to 30 minutes. To check, remove a piece of sheath and rinse. Try to pull apart along the grain. If it seperates easily, the fiber is ready. Let the solution cool and then strain off all the used liquid using a deep strainer with a piece of nylon hose as a strainer. You can also use a colander covered with a fine fabric mesh. You must remove all the traces of the chemicals. The easiest way is to repeatedly wash the drained fibers in a bucket of fresh water. Strain and rinse several times. A small amount of pulp added to a cup of distilled water should be neutral, ph around 7.

The fibers must now be beaten in order to seperate. Fill a blender about 3/4 full with water and add a handfull of pulp. Run the blender for about 10 seconds. Start at low speed and increase to medium. Don't overdo it. Add a little of the bamboo pulp solution to a glass of clear water. Look through the glass and the fibers should be approx. the same length.

Now comes the fun part - making paper!

You will need to dilute the bamboo pulp solution. Try about one blender full of pulp solution to four equal parts of clean water. You may want to add more - trial and error will help you determine. Also, each time you make a sheet of paper this dilutes the fiber solution and you will need to replinish as the mixture becomes thinner. The pulp will tend to settle to the bottom so you will need to stir gently each time you make a sheet of paper. A small bamboo stick works well for this.

Wet your mold and deckle and place the mold on top of the deckle. Dip into the suspension of bamboo fibers. Raise the mold and deckle up out of the vat in a smooth horizontal motion. As the water drains through the screen, quickly shake the mold slightly, front to back and side to side. This evens out the fibers to make a sheet of even thickness. This also helps to interweave the fibers. When the water has drained from the mold you will transfer the freshly made paper to another surface. This is called "couching".

Couching and Drying

Place the mold and deckle on the edge of the vat, mold side up. Remove the deckle being careful not to let any water drip on the wet sheet. You will need to couch on a firm surface. I had a marble cutting board that I used. The sheets of felt (couching cloths) should be 1 to 2 inches larger than the paper size around the edges. Place the felt on the smooth, firm surface. Place the mold upright on the side of the felt and couch from the longest edge. Using a firm rolling action lower the mold onto the felt, transferring the wet sheet to the felt. This is your first sheet. Cover with another piece of felt and couch another sheet on top. You can do several sheets this way. When you have several sheets in a stack place a piece of felt on top. Place a piece of plywood on top of stack. You will need to press the stack to remove as much of the water as possible and to help bond the fibers into a strong sheet of paper. I placed a couple of heavy concrete blocks on top of the stack and left for about 3o minutes to an hour. Remove the press, carefully peel off the top layer of felt and there is your first sheet of bamboo paper. The simplest way to dry is to slowly lift up each piece of felt with it's attached paper sheet and place on a clean, flat surface. The felt will restrain the sheet from shrinking and wrinkling. However, this method leaves a textured surface. For a smooth surface, take each felt piece and place paper side down onto a piece of glass. Use a roller to gently press the paper to the glass then gently peel off the felt. You can peel the paper from the glass and place on another dry felt. Repeat with several more sheets, placing a clean, dry felt between each sheet. When you have another stack, place a piece of felt on top and return to the press. Gently press overnight. The next day, remove each piece of felt with it's paper and place on a flat surface. Leave until completely dry. When completely dry you can peel each piece of paper from it's felt. These can be stacked and stored in a box in a dry area.

Conclusion

Making paper from scratch is a pain. It takes a lot of preparation and time but I found it to be very rewarding. As I said, I've only done this once but it worked very well and I ended up with about a dozen sheets of nice bamboo paper. It was a very nice color and the sheets I dried on glass were slick and smooth. I fully intend to try this again in the future. If you want more information I suggest checking out some books on papermaking at your local library. The book I used for my first (and only) time was The Art and Craft of Paper-Making by Sophie Dawson

Good luck, Jim

Bamboo Project: Fishing Pole

This is a simple fishing pole, not the classic bamboo flyrod. We used these when we were kids. Sometimes they were "store bought" a gas station/bait shop near the river. Other times we took string, hook, float, and pole and made our own.

Choosing a BambooPole

Take a bamboo pole about 3/4 inch or a little larger on the base, about 8 to 10 feet long. This should be a dry pole. The best choice is Golden Bamboo (P.aurea) This bamboo is often called "fish pole bamboo". It has lots of canes about the right diameter and length. The canes taper nicely and the base ends are very thickwalled. Best of all, the base of P.aurea has distorted nodes giving the butt end a natural handhold. This thickened end near the base combined with a tapering, flexible tip make this an ideal rod. It's easy to handle, and you can feel all the action.

Drying

My uncle used to take long, slender bamboo canes and attach a hook made of coat hanger wire on the base end and tie a brick onto the tip. He then hung them in tall pines and let the mdry. It didn't take long in the summertime and they did seem to be nice and straight. I like to take a green pole and run a torch over it. The waxes and oils come to the surface and can be wiped off. Another way to dry bamboo poles is tied up under the eaves of a house or garage. Just keep it somewhere dry and stored straight. When the bamboo pole you have is dry, ligtly sand it with fine sandpaper. Clean the bamboo and let dry. Coat with a couple of coats of spar varnish. It will last a long time if you keep it out of the weather.

Assemble

On the tip of the bamboo pole attach a piece of clear fishline just a few inces shorter than the pole. You can experiment with how thin you want the tip to be, about a quarter inch in diameter. You can cut off as much of the base end as you want to make the pole just the right size for a child, or leave it long for yourself. Tie on a hook and place a small split shot a few inches up from the hook. Attach a sliding float above that. We used these mostly to fish for bream along the river bank. You could set the bait exactly where you wanted and it. The water was fairly shallow and we could often see the fish. Other times we would paddle out to the mouth of the slough and fish in deeper water.

Bamboo Project: Boat

I received a call today that started me thinking. A man was looking for large Moso bamboo poles, 18 feet long. He asked about the possibility of splitting them into strips and planing these down into rectangular, flat strips. These were to be used to create a strip built sea kayak.With strip building a form is covered with long strips of wood veneer strips. When the hull is covered, it is sanded smooth and a layer of fiberglass cloth is applied saturated with epoxy. This is done inside and out creating a super strong shell. In most cases western red cedar is used. The bamboo strips would have much more strength than the cedar but would be heavier. Still, I think it's a great idea and I asked to be put on his mailing list to see some pictures when he finishes the boat.

I've built a couple of boats over the years and still have the desire to build a few more. The first was a "skin on frame" kayak. This was a framework of wood covered with canvas and waterproofed. It had a big cockpit and was very wide to make it more stable for the kids. The next was built with very thin plywood. This method forced the plywood into compound curves making a smooth, very streamlined, sea kayak. It was covered inside and out with epoxy.

The next boat I build will use bamboo in some form. I've started another baidarka (sea kayak) that will use cedar for the longitudinals and split bamboo for ribs. This will be covered with a strong dacron cloth that is waterproofed after stretching it tight over the frame. The cloth and specialized coatings available today make this type hull extremely tough and resistant to punctures and abrasion.

I would really like to built entirely from bamboo. I've experimented in using bamboo canes about 1 inch in diameter as 15 foot long "chines". Most all the bamboo I can find with that diameter tapers a good deal in 15 feet. I took two eight foot pieces of bamboo and cut the base of each so that I had about 6 inches of internode. I used a wooden dowel that fit snugly in the end of the cane. I cut it 12 inches long, coated wih epoxy and slid both canes over the dowel so that they met, base to base. When the epoxy set I had a 16 foot long cane that tapered from the middle toward each end. I made two of these. They are still hanging in the rafters of my shop. Finding the perfect canes was a problem. They had to be very close to the same size in diameter at the base and taper equally. I wanted nodes that were not very prominent, and no bends or curves in the bamboo pole. I sorted through dozens of canes to find a few that were right. These are hanging up under the eaves. The baidarka will have split bamboo ribs and be lashed together. Lashed joints allow the boat flexibility as it was designed for ocean use.