Hey, I have become quite into "green" products as of lately, and a while back remembered seeing Bamboo flooring. It was nice because, besides looking nice and being durable, Bamboo is a reed, like grass sorta, and grows much quicker than tree's. I recently bought a bunch of bamboo cutting boards and noticed that the construction was like a butchblock or plywood construction. I looked around and found a few places that sell actual Bampoo plywood, and was wondering if anyone had ever thought of using it as a speaker enclosure material before, and if so, what they thought. If not check it out and let me know what you think, good or bad. Its quite attractive.
http://www.wfibamboo.com/home.html
http://www.wfibamboo.com/home.html
I've been interested in the alternative plywoods as well, since seeing them advertised in a magazine. The lumber does look quite nice!
Some more links:
http://www.plyboo.com
http://www.durapalm.com
-Hans
Some more links:
http://www.plyboo.com
http://www.durapalm.com
-Hans
Why does it have to be alternative plywood to be "green"? You could buy plain standard plywood from forests that are replanted. Or was it some other environmental aspect that I missed?
BTW, isn't bamboo a rather porous and low density material? If so, they must have compressed it quite hard or otherwise treated it if it is suitable for floors and similar.
BTW, isn't bamboo a rather porous and low density material? If so, they must have compressed it quite hard or otherwise treated it if it is suitable for floors and similar.
its just the outer husk of the bamboo, a very very dense and hard wood like material. It is not pressed dust, and it is rather pricey at times, but not terrible either.
I consider this "more Green" than just plywood from a replanted forest in that, Bamboo grows in a much quicker time than trees. Even a replanted forest is not as good as switching to alternatives like Bamboo as far as regrowth.
As for the cost, its understandable. If you look at how they form it into useable pieces, it really is quite an intensive process. The wood is cut into fourths, or whatever, then soaked, then pressed, etc. Once that is done, they then layer it much like a butcher block to create the "plywood." As far as I can tell thus far, I have a fiew samples, its very hard, very rigid, and about as dead as a piece of maple or ash. It is lighter weight too, though I am not really sure why that is, it does give a strange feel to the boards. Actually, I have a rock maple butcher block I made a while back, it was one of the hardest pieces of maple I had ever seen, and I fully expected that to be the ultimate block. I am impressed thus far with my Bamboo cutting boards, they seem to cut less easily than the maple does. My only concern at this point is that it may be so hard, like ironwood, that its actually dulling my blades.
I consider this "more Green" than just plywood from a replanted forest in that, Bamboo grows in a much quicker time than trees. Even a replanted forest is not as good as switching to alternatives like Bamboo as far as regrowth.
As for the cost, its understandable. If you look at how they form it into useable pieces, it really is quite an intensive process. The wood is cut into fourths, or whatever, then soaked, then pressed, etc. Once that is done, they then layer it much like a butcher block to create the "plywood." As far as I can tell thus far, I have a fiew samples, its very hard, very rigid, and about as dead as a piece of maple or ash. It is lighter weight too, though I am not really sure why that is, it does give a strange feel to the boards. Actually, I have a rock maple butcher block I made a while back, it was one of the hardest pieces of maple I had ever seen, and I fully expected that to be the ultimate block. I am impressed thus far with my Bamboo cutting boards, they seem to cut less easily than the maple does. My only concern at this point is that it may be so hard, like ironwood, that its actually dulling my blades.
pjpoes said:
Why? OK you need less space perhaps, because it grows quicker, but so what? If wew save some space here we will use it for some other purpose like farming, cities, highways or whatever that is less friendly for the nature. Here in Sweden we have legislation since more than 100 years that all forests that are cut down must be replanted, and it works very well. We actually have more trees now than when this started. Besides, bamboo doesn't grow very well in Sweden.
Audiophilenoob said:replanted forests are generally where they clear huge old oaks and replant pines
Not here at least, but maybe in some countries. Thats just insufficient regulation of the wood industry if that happens.
Christer said:
I'm the owner of a very very large reforesting non-profit in my area... and yes... that's exactly what they do
that or they clear cut a few thousand acres it for housing and don't replant a single tree in any yards... or maybe 1 or 2
also they don't use the wood they cut down for housing... it simply goes to landfills...
at least that's what we are lobbying to stop
Too bad if that's what they do. That problem is almost non-existing here. But that is largely because large forests had been clear cut already 200 - 300 years ago and some people were clever enough to realize the forests wouldn't last forever. The wood industry actually started large scale voluntary replantations around 1850, and in 1903 we got the first laws that required replantation. Our problem now is that mother nature herself clearcut very large forest areas last winter, so we are swamped with timber that wasn't supposed to be cut down. It most certainly will be replanted though.
and then they put duties on imports from canada - where we reforest quite intensely.
Even under clearcut conditions, the clearcuts are now in app. 160 acre cutblocks with sufficient distance to the next block to permit game to still be abundant. I'm a hunter, so I care.
Anyway, this product looks rather attractive. The question is - what natural habitats are going to be destroyed if they start this as competiton to regular wood products from trees in countries that have more ore less tough forestry laws?
Bamboo being very tough should need no further protection or finish than a coat of laquer.
managed forests
Large managed forests in the US are just agribusiness , they are mono cultures. They are relatively sterile places. When cleared they become really sterile. Regrowth it slow no matter what the species. I have no idea if US forests are cutting smaller areas to allow wild life to retreat but displacing wild life usually is a death sentence to it . if there is a place for it , then there is something in that place and it knows where it is.
I really no nothing about the management of commercial bamboo forests, but as a grass the growth bud is below ground level , so unlike trees if you don't disturb root stock it regrows from the root without replanting. If you time the harvest at a time of plenty , the displaced wild life maybe be able to support itself while the harvested forest regrows as growth cycle is much faster
Celeste
Large managed forests in the US are just agribusiness , they are mono cultures. They are relatively sterile places. When cleared they become really sterile. Regrowth it slow no matter what the species. I have no idea if US forests are cutting smaller areas to allow wild life to retreat but displacing wild life usually is a death sentence to it . if there is a place for it , then there is something in that place and it knows where it is.
I really no nothing about the management of commercial bamboo forests, but as a grass the growth bud is below ground level , so unlike trees if you don't disturb root stock it regrows from the root without replanting. If you time the harvest at a time of plenty , the displaced wild life maybe be able to support itself while the harvested forest regrows as growth cycle is much faster
Celeste
I have done speaker stands with bamboo cutting boards.
Simple, 1 small cutting board for the top and larger one for the bottom of the stand.
Used broom stick cut in half so that I get 6 pieces of 60cm pieces.
I screw 3 pieces of the stick per stand and voila. $15 for a pair of speaker stand.
Could have them even more exotic looking by using real bamboo sticks, but haven't found any yet.
As for making speaker enclosure with those boards, I am still hesitating as them seem to resonate a lot.
Simple, 1 small cutting board for the top and larger one for the bottom of the stand.
Used broom stick cut in half so that I get 6 pieces of 60cm pieces.
I screw 3 pieces of the stick per stand and voila. $15 for a pair of speaker stand.
Could have them even more exotic looking by using real bamboo sticks, but haven't found any yet.
As for making speaker enclosure with those boards, I am still hesitating as them seem to resonate a lot.
pjpoes said:
Hi,
I am quite exciting with your idea. In my country, bamboo is very very cheap and we also export bamboo flooring to US market.
We also export MDF but if bamboo flooring can be good to make enclosure, I thing it can save a lots of money.
The appearance of bammbo flooring is nice and I also though than even it pressed, still in low densitive and I hope some one can tell us if bamboo flooring is good to make enclosure.
Cheer !/hth
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