Bamboo Surfboards – a history

Bamboo surfboard by Gary YoungGary Young recounts his history in building bamboo surfboards – starting back in 1970 and finishing his first surfboard two years later. He has some really interesting points about his experiences with bamboo:

  • After over 10 years of bamboo board making, I would estimate that each layer of rotary bamboo veneer is roughly as strong as one layer of 4 ounce unidirectional fiberglass.
  • Two layers of bamboo veneer with grains crossed (Eco-Logic 3.2 mm bamboo plywood has 7 layers of crossed grain bamboo veneer), epoxy laminated and vacuum bagged uses less resin than a hand laid-up 8 oz. fiberglass.
  • These are truly “green” boards – the sanding dust is not itchy, the foam dust is recyclable, and the renewable bamboo fiber trimmings decompose into soil.
  • Epoxy has very few volatile fumes, is stronger and is used more efficiently than polyester resin in regular boards.
  • Very little epoxy winds up on the floor and very little acetone is used in cleanup.
  • Polyester resin does NOT bond well to bamboo plywood.
  • Pre-laminated bamboo panels have water absorbing problems too, often due to funky, non-waterproof glues and voids (Eco-Logic bamboo plywood panels use water friendly glues).

[Read more…]

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Which bamboo finishing products should I use for my project?

We’re often asked which products to use for their bamboo finishing.

So here we have a guideline for you to follow when finishing your bamboo countertop or bamboo plywood project.

Preparation

Preparation is always the most critical step in any bamboo finishing application, get that wrong and the quality and durability of your finish is drastically reduced.

The first step is to give the surface a light sand just to remove the grime.

Bamboo finishing – oil

Oil is one of the most traditional finishes used.

Oils do not provide as much protection as the more modern finishes e.g. varnish. Oil finishes however, bring out the natural beauty of bamboo boards and counter tops. If you want to stain your bamboo prior to oiling it, use a water-based stain. Oil-based dyes will clog-up the bamboo’s “pores”, stopping the oil finish from soaking in effectively. [Read more…]

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Bamboo coffee table – sustainable furniture design

Strand Woven Bamboo coffee table - side view

Strand Woven Bamboo coffee table – side view

Make a Bamboo coffee table, you ask???

DIY ready bamboo boards are ideal for the DIY enthusiast. Working with solid wood requires all the prep time to get the timber ready for assembly.

Bamboo boards, with all the qualities of solid hard woods, simply need to be cut to your required dimensions.

In this post we’re going to take you step by step through the making of a bamboo coffee table.

See how it’s done … [Read more…]

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