Bamboo is a renewable resource that grows everywhere. These objects are used in crafts, to make furniture, and even as building materials. When freshly cut and still green, bamboo is very flexible, and can be shaped and manipulated for a variety of uses. Learn how to simply bend bamboo to suit your needs.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Bending Bamboo Using Water
Step 1. Fill a tub with warm water
Place the bamboo in a tub and let it soak overnight.
- Like wood, bamboo needs moisture to bend. The water will soften the coating and hemicellulose in the bamboo cells and allow the bamboo to be flexible. Without heat and water, these molecules crystallize, making them almost immobile.
- Depending on the size and thickness of the bamboo, the soaking time may take longer.
Step 2. Test your bamboo
Remove the bamboo from the water and slowly bend the bamboo, trying to bend it little by little into the shape you want. If you hear a snapping sound, it means the bamboo hasn't been soaked long enough, and needs to be soaked again.
Step 3. Draw the shape you want
Take a large sheet of paper and sketch the shape you want to make with the bamboo. Lay the paper on top of your large plywood board.
Step 4. Nail your design
Using the sketch as a guide, use a hammer to drive nails into the plywood board, following the shape of the sketch. Each nail should be about 2.5 cm apart from each other.
Drive the second row of nails. This row should be parallel to the row of nails you just installed, and the distance between the two rows of nails should be slightly larger than the diameter of the bamboo
Step 5. Shape your bamboo
Once the bamboo is sufficiently soaked and pliable, remove it from the water and place it on the plywood, between the nails. Let the bamboo dry for 1-3 days.
You can test whether the shape is ready by taking the bamboo from the board. If the shape is fixed, it means the bamboo is dry with the shape according to the sketch
Method 2 of 3: Bending Bamboo Using a Knife
This method is often used by furniture makers to correct a bent piece of bamboo, or to create a smooth curve or curved edge. This technique can be used on whole bamboo or split bamboo.
Step 1. Cut the bamboo
Make a V-shaped cut under one bamboo book. The bamboo book is one of the bamboo joints that looks like a knee and divides the bamboo into segments.
- Make a narrow cut if the desired shape is not too bent. Make a wider cut if the bend you need is more dramatic.
- The cut can be as deep as two-thirds the diameter of the bamboo. Cuts can be shallower for less dramatic shapes.
Step 2. Make several book pieces in the bamboo to create a circular shape
Cropping near the book will make this change less noticeable.
Step 3. Bend the bamboo into the desired shape
Secure it with a punch, or use adhesive to keep the bamboo in place.
Method 3 of 3: Bending Bamboo Using Heat
This method is more advanced than the one above. It mainly employs skilled craftsmen who use bamboo to make highly elaborate furniture and crafts.
Step 1. Empty the bamboo
Use a concrete iron (long iron commonly used as a support or reinforcement for concrete) to break the books inside the bamboo. This is done by inserting concrete iron into and out of the bamboo from one end to the other. You will get an empty tube.
Step 2. Drill some smoke holes
Smoke builds up as the bamboo is heated. In order for the smoke to escape, it is recommended to make several holes in the book.
Step 3. Heat the bamboo
Use a gas torch and start heating the bamboo with fire, continuing to move from the widest to the slenderest. The heat should be at the boiling point. This will accomplish two things:
- Hot color on bamboo. Applying heat will stain the bamboo and give it a warm coffee color.
- The lignin and pectin in bamboo make it soft and pliable, making it easier for you to shape the bamboo.
Step 4. Check the flexibility of the bamboo
Using a damp cloth, wash the bamboo, making the surface damp. Test the flexibility of the bamboo by bending the bamboo slightly. This should be done fairly easily.
Step 5. Plug one end of the bamboo and fill it with fine sand
Hit the bamboo with the edge of your hand or the edge of a small trowel to move the sand straight into the bamboo base. The sand will make the bamboo stable so that the bamboo wall does not break when bent.
Step 6. Prepare to bend the bamboo
Dig a hole in the ground 15-20 cm deep and slightly larger than the circumference of the bamboo. Hold it firmly, you are now ready to shape the bamboo.
- Start heating the bamboo again with the gas torch. Concentrate on the area you want to bend, and keep the flame moving.
- Wash the bamboo with a damp cloth every time. The water will prevent the bamboo from drying out and becoming brittle. Dried bamboo can break or split easily.
- As you work the bamboo with the gas torch, begin to bend the bamboo into the desired shape.
- Repeat heating, bending, and wetting until you get the bamboo of the desired shape. It will take time. At this point the bamboo can often split open, due to all the pressure it is subjected to. The longer you shape the bamboo bit by bit, the less likely it is that the bamboo will split.
Step 7. Enjoy the brown bamboo on your new bent heat
Wide diameter bamboo is commonly used for furniture, but is also commonly made into various crafts.
Tips
- After drying, bamboo cannot be bent into a permanent shape.
- Try working on freshly cut green bamboo. The bamboo is flexible and easier to work with (especially for beginners).
