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

I have the Oldhami species, the timber bamboo with thick walls. It is very strong and very cheap since it is free. It is not resistant to the weather and anything I make out of it that is exposed to the elements must be replaced frequently. It is good that it costs me nothing since I am growing my own.

 

You are right,

and it contains funghi to a unbelievable extend.

We tried it many years ago, the results were disappointing. Apart from rot and mold, the procedure to flatten it out, get rid of the lumps and cut the too soft inner part, to get a predictable material, is a investement in time and money not worth to think about for a homebuilder.

Regards
Richard

 

Or a boatbuilder.

 

Both..................

 

I have Henon, Nigra, Golden, and Arrow. Arrow is absolutely gorgeous, 12' lengths of smooth, 3/4'', uniformly bending in smooth and fair curves.

I assume using best engineering\construction techniques can and will ease rot concerns. My balsa cores are still going strong after 25 years, bamboo could work.

 

Mine only grows to 40' with walls up to 1" thick.

 

Compass timbers were definitely used for frames and knees. What I posted earlier had been related to me orally. I've not found a specific citation for the intentional shaping of the trees, but given that they wanted curved timbers and had dedicated forests, it's hard to imagine that it never occurred to them to only accept the random natural curves and branchings.

 

No, it will not work!
Of course we used high tech when we made our tests. It´s not worth the effort.

And Balsa is a completely different animal, btw.

Regards
Richard

 

bamboo seems to be a first choice with minimalists also http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...a=X&ei=YHYpTKurLdfhnQfhu7iSAQ&ved=0CCAQ9QEwAA

 

here's a fascinating read on bamboo resisting tropical boat worms better than wood http://www.usssatyr.com/bamboo.htm

 

Ja ja,

those are the perfect "boats" for Bamboo! Will you weave your boat?

Your statement above is wrong! May I quote the site you linked to?

One cannot (or should not) use bamboo on what we understand being a boat.

And then we are at the end of this story....................

Richard

 

Originally Posted by apex1 View Post
Ja ja,

those are the perfect "boats" for Bamboo! Will you weave your boat?

Now you're thinking, woven bamboo core with hemp canvas vacuum bagged on a cylinder mold, then proceed with normal stitch and glue construction technique

Your statement above is wrong! May I quote the site you linked to?

Well I wouldn't call it ''wrong'', as much as an interpretational emphasis differential. It's a common conversational stumbling block, but need not be entirely fatal to ongoing discussion. i don't mind having ideas challenged



One cannot (or should not) use bamboo on what we understand being a boat.

So, we only need to reunderstand what a ''proper'' boat is, and the innovations might proceed at a furious pace.

And then we are at the end of this story....................

my father used this line whenever we discussed electric or hybrid vehicles, oh well

by the way, your english is very good

more food for thought http://www.thecheappages.com/n_the_other.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Well,

we had this senseless dispute a few times here already (including the hemp nonsense).
Use the forum search function and you´ll find it.

 

I read a few engineering papers a few years back about carbonizing bamboo and other fibrous plant materials (but bamboo in particular) and then infusing it with resin. Essentially you are making a type of carbon fiber in a loose sense. I am not sure of the feasibility of this or the mechanical properties etc.

I know people have produced bicycles this way, but for scaling up I would think you would need mills, presses, autoclaves etc etc.

Alternatively while we are "pie in the skying" it, you could probably develop a chemical process which stripped the binder from the bamboo and just left the fibers, then you could weave those fiber, maybe carbonize them, etc etc.

10 years from now it might be cheaper than carbon fiber, then again maybe not. Petroleum products are widely used not just because we like the stuff, just that it is much more economical and sometimes less environmentally impacting than the alternatives.