dwacker Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 I need to build a simple pedestal 12x12x36, needs to be bamboo. Doesn't matter if edges are exposed and polished or mitered, I prefer mitered to match the flooring. Now the question to anyone that has some longer term experience with this stuff. I'd like to know if it truly stable? Some say its terrible others say it as stable as it gets, no real consistent answers. If its not stable I don't want to miter the edges. Ive never received a complaint even with slab doors but want to make sure, on the other hand have only done a bunch euro cabs with the stuff. Thank you Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbarton22 Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 bamboo plywood as in flooring? Or are you talking about something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted November 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 bamboo plywood as in flooring? Or are you talking about something else? Plywood to build a pedestal for a customers expensive vase. I'd like to make it look seamless with a miter but a miter is not a good choice if the material is not stable. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pbmaster11 Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 incorporate some splines... contrasting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicks82 Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 If you go down to your local hardwood store they should have bamboo ply. It comes in all kinds of different patterns. I know here in San Jose, Ca 4x8 sheet of solid bamboo (which is still ply because all bamboo is ply) cost $200+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick LoDico Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 Here's some: http://www.calibamboo.com/bambooplywood.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted November 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 Not really looking for a supplier I can have it delivered any day of the week. My question was more about dimensional stability. For kitchens its obviously fine but for full length miters is it stable enough to keep the joints from eventually showing. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orientalbamboo Posted November 18, 2011 Report Share Posted November 18, 2011 Hi Don, I've been in the bamboo plywood panel industry for 6 years and this is my experience: Not all bamboo boards are manufactured the same. Think of these boards in the same way you would high quality vs low quality chipboard/MDF pressed boards. It takes skill, knowledge and well controlled factory production processes to produce a quality board. Bamboo boards have the same criteria. Not all bamboo board suppliers are equal when it comes to quality and dimensional stability. This is why you've heard such conflicting reports. One of the most important aspects of these plywood panels is the glue used to press the boards. A quick way to check the quality of the glue used to press the bamboo board, is to request a sample from your supplier and pop it into your dishwasher for a hot wash cycle or two. If the sample starts to delaminate, you need to look for a better supplier. If you find a good supplier, you'll start to wonder why you haven't used more bamboo in your projects. For full length stability, if you have a quality bamboo board supplier, then I suggest the following parameters to work within:For lengths greater than 2 m I would not recommend a thickness less than 18 mm.Vertical cross laminated boards have a recommended maximum unsupported width of 550 mm and length of 3,600 mm at a thickness of 20 mm.An increment of up to 500 mm in unsupported width can be added for each 10 mm gain in thickness. Weight will become a factor to consider at this point, so check your hinges, etc.I'd highly recommend you apply an equal number of coats of the sealant to all surfaces of the board. If you are interested, I have a PDF detailing all the important specifications around bamboo boards & panels - just let me know & I'll send it to you. Regards Bradley @orientalbamboo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted November 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2011 Hi Don, I've been in the bamboo plywood panel industry for 6 years and this is my experience: Not all bamboo boards are manufactured the same. Think of these boards in the same way you would high quality vs low quality chipboard/MDF pressed boards. It takes skill, knowledge and well controlled factory production processes to produce a quality board. Bamboo boards have the same criteria. Not all bamboo board suppliers are equal when it comes to quality and dimensional stability. This is why you've heard such conflicting reports. One of the most important aspects of these plywood panels is the glue used to press the boards. A quick way to check the quality of the glue used to press the bamboo board, is to request a sample from your supplier and pop it into your dishwasher for a hot wash cycle or two. If the sample starts to delaminate, you need to look for a better supplier. If you find a good supplier, you'll start to wonder why you haven't used more bamboo in your projects. For full length stability, if you have a quality bamboo board supplier, then I suggest the following parameters to work within:For lengths greater than 2 m I would not recommend a thickness less than 18 mm.Vertical cross laminated boards have a recommended maximum unsupported width of 550 mm and length of 3,600 mm at a thickness of 20 mm.An increment of up to 500 mm in unsupported width can be added for each 10 mm gain in thickness. Weight will become a factor to consider at this point, so check your hinges, etc.I'd highly recommend you apply an equal number of coats of the sealant to all surfaces of the board. If you are interested, I have a PDF detailing all the important specifications around bamboo boards & panels - just let me know & I'll send it to you. Regards Bradley @orientalbamboo Perfect just what I was looking for. Thank you Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicks82 Posted November 19, 2011 Report Share Posted November 19, 2011 I would like the PDF man I love this forum. I have a question Bradley, how did you come to find this post? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted November 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 I would like the PDF man I love this forum. I have a question Bradley, how did you come to find this post? My guess is google Google crawls this site on a very regular basis. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onboard Posted November 22, 2011 Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 If you are interested, I have a PDF detailing all the important specifications around bamboo boards & panels - just let me know & I'll send it to you. Regards Bradley @orientalbamboo Bradly, I would be grateful if you would post the pdf file here. Anyone that is interested can download the file. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orientalbamboo Posted November 22, 2011 Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 I would like the PDF man I love this forum. I have a question Bradley, how did you come to find this post? What's the best way to get the PDF to you? I think I first saw it on a Linkedin group post??? Can't recall. Regards Bradley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orientalbamboo Posted November 22, 2011 Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 Bradly, I would be grateful if you would post the pdf file here. Anyone that is interested can download the file. Thank you. Here's the PDF Bamboo Boards - Production Considerations.pdf - we update it from time to time, so there may be a later version available as time marches on - check the date of the post & if it's dated, give me a shout for an updated version. Would love practical comments on the PDF - I always appreciate feedback. I'm in South Africa, so some of my comments are specific to our climate and regional factors. Hope it helps. Bradley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orientalbamboo Posted December 1, 2011 Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 Any feed back on the PDF - Bamboo Boards - Production considerations? I'd love feedback. Don, here's a coffee table project we did using an 18 mm strand woven composite bamboo board. All the edges are mitered. I wrote up a post on the "making of" this bamboo coffee table with pictures of all the steps - used one board for the project. You'll notice that there is no bracing for stability, just stock standard glued mitered edges. You can check it out on this post "Bamboo coffee table – sustainable furniture design" or on our Facebook page - OrientalBamboo. Cost approximately R 1700 ($200) for the project. Don, I hope that helps answer your questions on mitering bamboo boards. Regards Bradley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted December 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 Any feed back on the PDF - Bamboo Boards - Production considerations? I'd love feedback. Don, here's a coffee table project we did using an 18 mm strand woven composite bamboo board. All the edges are mitered. I wrote up a post on the "making of" this bamboo coffee table with pictures of all the steps - used one board for the project. You'll notice that there is no bracing for stability, just stock standard glued mitered edges. You can check it out on this post "Bamboo coffee table – sustainable furniture design" or on our Facebook page - OrientalBamboo. Cost approximately R 1700 ($200) for the project. Don, I hope that helps answer your questions on mitering bamboo boards. Regards Bradley Bradly, Thanks for the info. I did get this little job done. The pillar turned out just fine all five sides mitered easily and it looked great and customer was happy. Don 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onboard Posted December 1, 2011 Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 Any feed back on the PDF - Bamboo Boards - Production considerations? I'd love feedback. Regards Bradley Bradley, thank you for posting your pdf file on Bamboo Boards. I looked through it, and the information looks good. What I did notice, however, is that all of the pictures looked like they were enlargements of smaller pictures. The images look “fuzzy” and pixilated. I’ve seen this in pdf files that were generated online where people can create a pdf file for free. For some reason, this method produces very low resolution images in the pdf, whereas the text is always sharp. The Adobe Acrobat program will allow full resolution images to be generated in the final pdf files. Just an observation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orientalbamboo Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Bradley, thank you for posting your pdf file on Bamboo Boards. I looked through it, and the information looks good. What I did notice, however, is that all of the pictures looked like they were enlargements of smaller pictures. The images look “fuzzy” and pixilated. I’ve seen this in pdf files that were generated online where people can create a pdf file for free. For some reason, this method produces very low resolution images in the pdf, whereas the text is always sharp. The Adobe Acrobat program will allow full resolution images to be generated in the final pdf files. Just an observation. Thx for the feedback. As the file was a couple of MB, I ran the "Reduce file size" command on Pages & it dropped to 680kb so I could upload it to the forum. I have a high res version. Let me know & I can send it to you directly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Harris Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 This PDF file is no longer working. I am looking for a way to make small, thin wood panels (approx 1/4x6x9"). How stable would bamboo be like this?Many thanks,Bart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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