This post is a follow on the Greene and Greene Dining Table project thread.
In this thread I'll detail the construction of the table top, which I chose to do in Bamboo plywood.
- Why Bamboo?
I've been increasingly unhappy in the selection of QS White Oak, which is the traditional preferred wood for my favorite type of furniture (Arts & Crafts style). Part of this is due to the area we now live in (about half way between L.A. and San Francisco), but also partly due to the fact that the white oak now available just isn't old growth anymore, and that the stuff grown for sustainability is younger and grown faster, and that shows up in the quality of the product.
As a borderline hippie/environmentalist (I live in a passive solar straw bale house that I built myself), I've always wondered if there wasn't an alternative material that could be used for woodworking that would produce nice looking results but be more sustainable.
Enter Bamboo Plywood. This material is harder than maple, and the time to maturity of the plant (Moso Bamboo) is just 5 years. I first saw this material in furniture at a local store which carries products from Greenington (www.bambooathomes.com). What is most important about it as a plywood is that the edge grain can be left exposed without the need for edge banding, and it still looks good (IMNSHO). It is heavy though. It weighs in at 110 lbs per sheet. Cost is a little more than QS White Oak. I paid $205/sheet for it, which brings it in at $6.41/bd ft. Another thing you need to consider is shipping costs if it is not available locally. None of the local stores here carry it. I contacted CaliBamboo (www.calibamboo.com) which is in San Diego and found that shipping on a single sheet would be $70. However, shipping per sheet on 15 sheets would bring it down to $15/sheet. So clearly there is benefit to buying in bulk. I was unable to get any of my local WW friends to go in on a purchase with me, so instead I contacted a local green building supply store (SLO green goods - www.slogreengoods.com). These guys are great and have been literally paving the way in providing sustainable alternatives for construction materials. They agreed to let me "piggyback" on their next order, and as a result I was able to get 4 sheets (three 3/4" and one 1/2" ) for just $60 in shipping costs.
I chose to use 3 ply "carbonized" bamboo, which means that it has been darkened during the laminating process by the natural sugars in the bamboo. This gives me a nice "medium" patina without having to stain it - an added benefit. I'm a typical woodworker - I HATE finishing!
I still have some questions/doubts in my mind about just how "green" this product is when you consider the total embodied energy. First, it is a labor intensive process to convert bamboo stocks into sheet goods (and this accounts for the relatively high price per BF). Pictures on the internet show that is done largely by hand. Also to be considered is the fuel in shipping the product from China to the U.S. However, there is at least one outfit in Oregon which is attempting to establish a bamboo plantation for making the plywood on the N.A. Continent.
Continued in next post….
In this thread I'll detail the construction of the table top, which I chose to do in Bamboo plywood.
- Why Bamboo?
I've been increasingly unhappy in the selection of QS White Oak, which is the traditional preferred wood for my favorite type of furniture (Arts & Crafts style). Part of this is due to the area we now live in (about half way between L.A. and San Francisco), but also partly due to the fact that the white oak now available just isn't old growth anymore, and that the stuff grown for sustainability is younger and grown faster, and that shows up in the quality of the product.
As a borderline hippie/environmentalist (I live in a passive solar straw bale house that I built myself), I've always wondered if there wasn't an alternative material that could be used for woodworking that would produce nice looking results but be more sustainable.
Enter Bamboo Plywood. This material is harder than maple, and the time to maturity of the plant (Moso Bamboo) is just 5 years. I first saw this material in furniture at a local store which carries products from Greenington (www.bambooathomes.com). What is most important about it as a plywood is that the edge grain can be left exposed without the need for edge banding, and it still looks good (IMNSHO). It is heavy though. It weighs in at 110 lbs per sheet. Cost is a little more than QS White Oak. I paid $205/sheet for it, which brings it in at $6.41/bd ft. Another thing you need to consider is shipping costs if it is not available locally. None of the local stores here carry it. I contacted CaliBamboo (www.calibamboo.com) which is in San Diego and found that shipping on a single sheet would be $70. However, shipping per sheet on 15 sheets would bring it down to $15/sheet. So clearly there is benefit to buying in bulk. I was unable to get any of my local WW friends to go in on a purchase with me, so instead I contacted a local green building supply store (SLO green goods - www.slogreengoods.com). These guys are great and have been literally paving the way in providing sustainable alternatives for construction materials. They agreed to let me "piggyback" on their next order, and as a result I was able to get 4 sheets (three 3/4" and one 1/2" ) for just $60 in shipping costs.
I chose to use 3 ply "carbonized" bamboo, which means that it has been darkened during the laminating process by the natural sugars in the bamboo. This gives me a nice "medium" patina without having to stain it - an added benefit. I'm a typical woodworker - I HATE finishing!
I still have some questions/doubts in my mind about just how "green" this product is when you consider the total embodied energy. First, it is a labor intensive process to convert bamboo stocks into sheet goods (and this accounts for the relatively high price per BF). Pictures on the internet show that is done largely by hand. Also to be considered is the fuel in shipping the product from China to the U.S. However, there is at least one outfit in Oregon which is attempting to establish a bamboo plantation for making the plywood on the N.A. Continent.
Continued in next post….
