Comments on: What can I do with a ton of cut bamboo?

Question: What can I do with a ton of cut bamboo?

dunstanorchard — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 13:56:34 -0800

One of my neighbors has been 'pruning' his 30ft-high bamboo forest recently, and being a bit of a scavenger I've been taking the 5ft lengths he's chopped and storing them in my shed. It seems such a waste to have them shredded. Having grabbed all this lovely bamboo, I'm now at a bit of a loss as to what to do with it. I've made a couple of little holders for odds-and-ends (like my toothbrush), but I'm wondering if there's a great resource out there that would give me some more ambitious ideas. What would you do with a shed full of bamboo? (Diameters of the bamboo range from twigs up to 5 inches thick.)

By: Ostara

Ostara — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:02:15 -0800

Bambbo fencing! Or trellises. Or you can get these and make giant tinkertoy-like structures. What about using it to make a Bamboo Tiki Bar?

By: saladin

saladin — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:03:35 -0800

Build a bamboo bike frame.

By: gally99

gally99 — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:03:41 -0800

American Bamboo Society

Personally, I'd build a bike. calfee's bamboo bikes are some of the sexiest frames I've ever seen.

By: JohnnyGunn

JohnnyGunn — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:06:44 -0800

A raft?

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:07:24 -0800

Flutes, frames, flooring, flyrods, flyswatters.

By: Floydd

Floydd — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:08:03 -0800

A flute!

By: Steven C. Den Beste

Steven C. Den Beste — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:10:39 -0800

A shishi-odoshi, perhaps?

By: Floydd

Floydd — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:11:13 -0800

1000 things made of bamboo!

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:23:49 -0800

Build a Tiki Bar

By: inigo2

inigo2 — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:37:39 -0800

Contact a zoo that has pandas? They might take it.

By: gauchodaspampas

gauchodaspampas — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:13:22 -0800

I vote for a bike also.

A few more brainstorm ideas:
-Some picture frames.
-A floor lamp.
-A ladder
-wind chimes

By: M.C. Lo-Carb!

M.C. Lo-Carb! — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:13:42 -0800

Not just a flute -- a whole pipe organ!

By: M.C. Lo-Carb!

M.C. Lo-Carb! — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:15:33 -0800

Also, thanks to a brief stint years ago at a temporary zoo panda exhibit, I can report that old, brown bamboo won't be much use to a panda.

By: jb

jb — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:18:59 -0800

You can make a Bamboo Didgeridoo, but I would be careful about not letting it dry out too much, as they can crack. (I had a beautiful one made by a friend that broke that way, due to electric heating).

By: wsg

wsg — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:24:03 -0800

Bamboo bongs!

By: phearlez

phearlez — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:54:31 -0800

So much less interesting that previous suggestions, but my darling girlfriend uses them to tie up tomato plants or other vines. Much more attractive than those ugly wire things.

By: dbmcd

dbmcd — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:57:44 -0800

You can make plant stakes to hold heavy blooms (like Peonies) using slender stems stuck in the ground with the branches trimmed to leave a bit sticking up, then wrap/weave the stripped branches into hoops and pop the hoops onto the little "hooks" (bits of branch untrimmed). Wish I had a diagram, it's easier - but you may get the idea. The hoops have to be done when the bamboo is still fresh, but you could make/store them for all your gardening friends (just get the hoop diameters first).

By: plinth

plinth — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 17:38:39 -0800

How about a shakuhachi for the bigger stuff?

Or go wild and make a bamboo pipe organ.

You might settle on pan pipes for the smaller stuff.

By: casarkos

casarkos — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 19:18:16 -0800

Stakes/scaffolding for vines (start your own hops farm!)

By: xulu

xulu — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 21:14:12 -0800

The Craft & Art of Bamboo may give you some ideas.

By: Rash

Rash — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 09:18:16 -0800

I would select a few large-diameter lengths and try to cut radial slices from them for use in basket-weaving, like the old asian guy did in that film I saw at the Smithsonian several years ago. He made it look easy.