3 Ways to Bend Bamboo - WikiHow

8/13/2019 3 Ways to Bend Bamboo - WikiHow

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12.12.2013 3 Ways to Bend Bamboo - wikiHow

www.wikihow.com/Bend-Bamboo

How to Bend BambooBending Bamboo Using Water Bending Bamboo Using a Knife Bending Bamboo Using Heat

Bamboo is a widely grown, renewable resource. It is used in crafts, furniture

making, and even as a building material. When bamboo is freshly cut and green,it is very pliable, and can be shaped and manipulated for various uses. Learn

how simple it is to bend bamboo to meet your needs.

1 Fill a tub with lukewarm water.Place your bamboo poles in the tub and allow themto soak overnight.

As withwood, bamboo requires moisture to bend. The moisture softens the lignin

and hemicellulose in the bamboo cells and allows them to flex. Without heat and

moisture, these molecules crystallize making them virtually immovable.[1]

Depending on the size and thickness of the bamboo, soaking time may be longer.

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Method 1 of 3: Bending Bamboo Using Water

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Test your bamboo.Pull the bamboo out of the water and slowly bend the bamboo,attempting to coax i t into the shape you need. If you hear a crackling sound, the

bamboo has not been soaked long enough, and needs to be placed back in the water.

Draw your desired shape.Take a large sheet of paperand sketch out the shape

you want you bamboo to take. Place this paper on top of your large piece of plywood.
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Nail the design.Using the sketch as your guide, hammer nails into the plywood,following the sketched shape. Each nail should be approximately an inch apart.

Hammer in a second row of nails. This row should run parallel to the shape you just

nailed and the distance between the two rows should be slightly larger than the

diameter of the bamboo.

Shape your bamboo.Once your bamboo has been adequately soaked and is

pliable, remove i t from the water and place it on the plywood between the nails. Allow

the bamboo to dry 1-3 days.

You can test whether your shape has been set by picking the bamboo off the

board. If the bamboo retains the desired shape, it has finished drying into shape.[2]
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This method is frequently used by furniture makers to either correct a crooked

piece of bamboo, or for creating a gentle curve or rounded edge. This

technique can be used both on round bamboo canesor split bamboo.

Cut your bamboo.Make a V-shaped cut right beneath one of the bamboo nodes. A

node is one of the joints in the bamboo pole that looks like a knee and divides the

cane into segments.

Make your cut narrow if the bend you desire is slight. Make your cut wider if thebend you need is more dramatic.

The cut can be as deep as two-thirds the diameter of the pole. Cuts can be

shallower for less dramatic bends.

Method 2 of 3: Bending Bamboo Using a Knife
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Make multiple node cuts in the same cane to create a circular shape.Cuttingnear a node makes this alteration less visible.

Bend your bamboo into shape.Secure it either by lashingit, or using an adhesive

to set your bamboo in place.[3]

This method is more advanced than the ones above. It is used primarily by

seasoned craftsmen who use the bamboo to make furniture and very complex

Method 3 of 3: Bending Bamboo Using Heat
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handicrafts.

Hollow out your bamboo poles.Use a piece of rebar (a steel bar commonly used

as a tension device to reinforce concrete) to break the bamboo's internal nodes. This

is done by shoving the rebar in and out of the bamboo pole on one end, then the other. You

should end up with a hollow tube.

Drill some vapor holes.Vapor builds up during the application of heat to the

bamboo pole. In order to let the vapor escape, it is recommended that you drill a few

holes at the nodes.
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Heat your bamboo.Take your torch and begin applying heat to the pole with theflame, continually moving from the widest part of the bamboo, to the thinnest. The heat

should be above boiling temperature. This achieves two things:

The heat coloringof the bamboo. Application of the heat acts as a stain on the

bamboo and gives it a warm, coffee color.

The lignin and pectin in the bamboo becomes soft and pliable allowing you to

more easily mold the bamboo.[4]

Check the bamboo for flexibility.Using a wet rag, sweep down the bamboo pole,

wiping moisture over surface. Test the flexibili ty of the bamboo by bending the pole

slightly. It should give fai rly easily.
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Repeat torching, bending, and dampening until you finesse the bamboo into the

desired shape. This may take time. It is at this point that bamboo often splits, due

to all of the stress it is under. The more time you take shaping the bamboo

gradually, the less chance you have of splitting your pole.[5]

Enjoy your newly-bent, heat-colored bamboo pole!These larger poles are used

primarily for furniture, but can also be made into a variety of crafts.

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Once dried, bamboo cannot be bent into a permanent shape.

Try to work with green, freshly cut bamboo. It is f lexible and easier to

work with (especially for beginners).

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Expertiza Tehnica Constr.

Epoxy Floor Coating

Exercise caution with blow torches. Make sure you a familiar with their

use and maintenance before you begin a project.

For bending bamboo using water:

Bamboo poles

A tub large enough to accommodate the bamboo poles you wish tobend

Water

Plywood board

Paper

Pencil

Hammer

Nails

For bending bamboo with a knife:

Freshly cut bamboo poles

A sharp knife

For bending bamboo using heat:

Freshly cut bamboo poles (larger poles for furniture making arerecommended for this method)

Rebar

Hand drill with a small bit

Blow torch

Small shovel

Fine Sand

Rags

Warnings

Things You'll Need
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