Tiki Decorating & Building Ideas

Tips & Tricks For Working With Bamboo
 
NEVER:
  • Never use bamboo for fence posts. They will rot with in 3-4 years. They make a great stake but not a fence post.
  • Never push bamboo through a table or other saw. It will shred. To get a nice clean cut roll bamboo through a saw. You need to score the outside skin first.
  • Bend bamboo except when green. It will collapse like a straw.
  • Nail through bamboo. It will split on you. Pre-drill and then use finishing nails to affix.
  • Bring your order of bamboo into a different climate right away. Slowly acclimate the package. This may help reduce splitting and cracking. Remember, a UPS truck can reach temperatures of upwards of 140 degrees in the summer and freezing in the winter.
  • Expect a refund or compensation for split bamboo. Your supplier cannot guarantee that your bamboo will not split.


DO

  • Use ordinary tools such as table saws, hacksaws or band saws. No special toos are required. If you wish to spend alot of money you can purchase special saws, but ordinary toos will work fine.
  • Use bamboo in the half round whenever possible. This will greatly reduce the chances of it splitting elsewhere.
  • Plan on working with an inexact product. There is nothing uniform about bamboo. Every piece is different, just like a snowflake.
  • Keep all fencing just above ground contact or it will rot.
  • Plan on maintaining your bamboo fencing. At first there is very little you can do to preserve it. It must weather approximately 6 months to a year. It will then turn a grayish color. The outside skin will then be able to absorb a water sealer or stain. Oil base stains work best. Do clean thoroughly before treating with a fence or deck cleaner.
  • If you are making your own fence, flip the poles top and then bottom. Otherwise you will wind up with a fence or deck sealer.
  • Use a fine toothed (metal) working bladed tool to cut bamboo.
  • Whenever possible, make a relief cut on one side of the pole. This will greatly reduce the possibility of further splitting.

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