Bamboo Ply

Bamboo is brilliant as it grows very quickly, and is faster renewable alternative to wood (International Bamboo and Rattan Organization, n.d.). However its often difficult to get consistent material from due to its natural varying sizes and thicknesses. Turning it into ply gives it a uniform shape which makes it a lot easier to work with. (Sharma et al., 2015)

Image: (Northwest bamboo, 2022)

How Bamboo Ply is made

(ANOS® Bamboo Decking Factory, Manufacturer, Supplier, 2023)

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Splitting and Stripping

It takes about 5-6 Years for bamboo logs to be ready to harvest, the logs are typically larger than 10cm in diameter. They are run through a bamboo splitting machine and then a planer to remove the outer shiny green skin.

Carbonising

Carbonising is key to improve the durability and stability of Bamboo strips, they are placed in a large chamber which is heated to 140°C for around 2 hours.

Drying

They are then laid flat in a large kiln for drying until their moisture levels are between 8% and 12%. This helps prevent cracking.

Squaring

The bamboo strips are planed again but on all sides this time, to create a very uniform strip.

Sorting, Gluing & Pressing

Bamboo strips are sorted by colour to enhance the aesthetic appeal for a combined plank. Bamboo strips can also be separated by quality for different purposes or grades.

The Bamboo strips are then coated with an adhesive which is usually waterproof and formaldehyde-free resin. A good adhesive is key to establish a strong bond between the strips

The glued bamboo strips are compressed under high pressure and temperature. Afterwards the ply will be refined (sanding, trimming) and will receive either a protective coating or stain.

References

International Bamboo and Rattan Organization. (n.d.). Sustainable Development with Bamboo and Rattan. [online] Available at: https://www.inbar.int/why-bamboo-and-rattan/.

How To Make Bamboo Plywood - (2023) ANOS® Bamboo Decking Factory, Manufacturer, Supplier - Providing high-quality bamboo decking, cladding, railing, beams, and other bamboo building materials. Available at: https://anos-bamboo.com/how-to-make-bamboo-plywood/.

Northwest bamboo. (2022). Bamboo Lumber | Dimensional Bamboo Lumber | Northwest Bamboo, Inc. [online] Available at: https://nwbamboo.com/bamboo-lumber/.

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Sharma, B., Gatóo, A., Bock, M. and Ramage, M. (2015). Engineered bamboo for structural applications. Construction and Building Materials, 81, pp.66–73. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.01.077.

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