Bamboo strips

Erlo

Erlo

Joined
Sep 16, 2022
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Hi, was wondering whether it is acceptable or would work to use bamboo strips for planking a hull. I have received some carbonized (brown) bamboo strips from China and they look pretty good with a fine grain and is very flexible and of course cheap.:)
Not sure how long this would last for on a model and whether it expands and contracts more than wood would.

Would appreciate any comments.
 
Hi Erio

Deagostini supplied their Sovereign of the Seas partwork with Bamboo first planking. It was not a great success. Bamboo by it's very nature has hard and soft spots. It can be a pain to get it to bend in the curve you want and even more of a pain to sand smooth due to the varying hardness.

Yes it will stand the test of time, but personally I would stick to wood as Bamboo is a pain to work with.
 
I used them and they are okay, I bought them as coffee spoons.
But I like to use real wood coffee spoons, they are cheaper.
 
Bamboo can be used for virtually anything IF you have the expertise to make it do what you want, but it can take a lifetime to learn that. What I have seen artisans here in Japan do with bamboo is astounding, but they are using techniques that have been developed over generations. Not sure you want to put that kind of effort into learning to work with bamboo. With that said, if you have bamboo planks that are ready to use, then durability should not be a concern. Adhesives might. I have not had good luck with PVA glue and bamboo.
 
Bamboo is fantastic for making treenails with a draw plate, otherwise may be problematic depending on which bamboo. There are over 1500 species of bamboo under 123 genera and even for treenails, some (from my sister's backyard) were not too good.
Allan
 
Philski said:
Use bamboo chopsticks
Click to expand...
I agree Phil as I settled on both chopsticks and skewers which work with equal ease. With upwards of 10,000 treenails in a frigate's hull, it still costs only a couple dollars, at most, for all 10,000. They are subtle in color so do not give the ship a look of having a case of the measles and they are easy to make.
Allan
 
AllanKP69 said:
I agree Phil as I settled on both chopsticks and skewers which work with equal ease. With upwards of 10,000 treenails in a frigate's hull, it still costs only a couple dollars, at most, for all 10,000. They are subtle in color so do not give the ship a look of having a case of the measles and they are easy to make.
Allan
Click to expand...
For treenails, yes, but the question was about use of bamboo for planking.
 
Thank you all for your responses, the advise to take is not to use it for planking.
Need to find something to make with the bamboo planks I received..:)
 
Erlo said:
Hi, was wondering whether it is acceptable or would work to use bamboo strips for planking a hull. I have received some carbonized (brown) bamboo strips from China and they look pretty good with a fine grain and is very flexible and of course cheap.:)
Not sure how long this would last for on a model and whether it expands and contracts more than wood would.

Would appreciate any comments.
Click to expand...
I use supermarket bamboo skewers for yards of less than 1/8" diameter. You have to pick out a straight one and turn it to shape, but I have found them to be much stronger than yards made form other woods and less liable to break..
 
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