--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, Scott Perkins <2scott@...> wrote:
>
> I have seen a lot of charts showing the various strengths of different
> species
> of wood but never bamboo listed among them because I suppose bamboo is a
> grass.
> Why do you think bamboo laminate would be stronger?
>
> Where would you get bamboo laminate? I can only think of purchasing
> bamboo flooring strips and ripping on a table saw. Is that
> what they are doing? Perhaps the flooring mfgs that are using
> bamboo have some material properties to share.
> Scott

On the strength of bamboo: all the fibers are longitudinal, this makes it very
strong in one direction. The trouble with bamboo and charts is that bamboo is
not so easily certified, the difference in strength between individual peces of
bamboo and its shape make it to much of a natural product to allow for exact
qualification. If one rips the bamboo tostrips and glues them into a laminate
then it becomed more of an industrial product.

Bamboo comes to Europe through for instance Moso Europe:
http://www.moso.eu/ I have been trying to get strips as an unfinished product -
no luck sofar - this is the closest I have found:
http://www.moso-bamboo.com/products/panels-panel-covering-materials/tambour It
is only available in 2 meter lenghts. That is why I made my own strips. That
takes a lot of time unfortunately. I also had the impression that bamboo and
tablesaws don't seem to agree, it spinters easily.