forcing trees and bamboo to grow into boat-framing component shapes?

If the bamboo is blocked it will come out sideways at first, then straight up. the bent part near the bottom at least that I have grown is much thicker and heavier than the rest of the stalk. The unfortunate thing about bamboo is it is prone to split, and when it does, the edges are like razors. You must be very careful not to get cut.

I recommend you read this.: http://www.amazon.com/Bamboo-World-Victor-Cusack/dp/0743200667#noop

 

Like you, I believe no shaping of limbs or roots was every done by the British - they just used bits of timber that suited the application. Bonsai is easy on small plants, but the gear you would need to force a 10" limb to a certain angle would be a lot of work.

On the other hand, many plantations have a lot of tricks for encouraging straight growth. eg Surrounding the young sapling with cardboard or PVC pipe to force it into a straight up survival start, and the Japanese have a limb lopper machine that climbs up the trunks of cedars, taking off new horizontal branches that grow each year.

Of course, with the steps being made in genetic engineering these days .....

 

Yes that was done all over northern Europe.
and just a few lines above yor question one method was described here:

Bending down the young side branches for a year or more was another simple method, they later went again more or less straight upwards. Then grew bigger of course in both directions.

Regards
Richard

 

http://www.arborsmith.com/



http://rootbridges.blogspot.com/

 

The question was "did they shape trees for SHIPBUILDING" , not TOPIARY techniques

 

Aw, cmon, Not one of those images is topiary, every single one is shaping trees, posted to show the potential, and the first is clearly a boat!

 

Somebody tied a granny knot.

 

...bloody landlubber

 

Did you get hurt?...or is it somebody else's blood?

 

....actually I am a Landlubber because I do not have a boat.....granny knots are not my way of tying reef knots......

 

That is so square!

 

maybe cheat a little and use solid wood for gunwales, keelson, and stems, bend in the ribs then run stringers external on two inch centers of bamboo.

my bamboo varieties are growing two inches per day

 

It grows very fast here, more than 2 inches per day.

 

Bamboo is not a durable wood, and building a bamboo framed boat would be a most temporary boat. So alright already, I have a 40 year old bamboo fly rod. No rot. But the rod is not a boat. Actually there are about twelve zillion strains of bambo. Maybe some of them might be rot resistant and last more than a few weeks in the Florida heat and humidity.. The bamboo stand in my back yard is not encouraging. The stuff rots right away after it is cut.

 

More Trees

Here is some more.