jrbaja
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San Bartolo/Baja Bamboo
Baja Bamboo was started as an idea to supply building materials to areas that previously had none besides cutting down the palm trees. This practise
has become a "no no" in Mexico and especially the Baja peninsula.
So we explored all parts of Baja looking for places with water and where people needed materials for growing families, progress, expansion, etc..
I began planting about 3 years ago and teaching the locals about the uses of bamboo, the rate of growth, and the low maintenance involved with
growing bamboo. PROFEPA, the environmental agency down here is very interested in promoting bamboo in all parts of Mexico so this idea went over
well.
San Bartolo Bamboo came about because of a lack of jobs in growing communities. These communities have not "benefited" from the tourists as the
beach communities have so in order to keep up, they needed some sort of income and jobs.
The thing about bamboo is that it can be used for just about everything. The original bamboo came from the Cortez days and since then, there have
been shipments brought in by whalers and others and these groves are very few and far between but there are still a few left.
The furniture we are now making comes from these original groves of Baja. There is a very limited supply but we are teaching the grove owners about
the care, water and replanting of this wonderful plant.
We also have many groves planted and begun in many areas of Baja and in the future, we should have a fairly good supply of local bamboo.
Bamboo is not straight. And it is not square or uniform by any means. Because of this, the furniture pieces will be a one of a kind, unique item.
We can come close to making copies of chairs and things but each piece will have it's own character and "feel". This is why we like bamboo!
We are also starting a bamboo park in San Bartolo so rather than just stopping there for mango candy, come on by and see what's going on.
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jrbaja
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Bambusbench
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Bajaboy
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Just curious...is this a non-profit?
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jrbaja
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So far !
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N2Baja
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Jrbaja - I'm hoping you may be able to help me. I love bamboo and have recently been experimenting with it as a building material. I am by no means
a carpenter, but I'm learning as I go. I've built a 10' ladder and I just got the material to build some bar stools. My question is regarding
lashing. I've searched the internet, but I've only been able to find one or two sites that give detailed info on how to lash poles together (Conbam
& Univ Aachen). I want strong connections, but also want something decorative.
Can you help me with this, or can you suggest a place for me to get this info? Thanks, I greatly appreciate it.
N2Baja
Forget about the danger and think of the fun.
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Bruce R Leech
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Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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Don't use nails
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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jrbaja
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N2
I as well have found very little info on the lashing but, we have been experimenting with rawhide, palms and just plain old nylon string.
As far as the wraps go, wet the rawhide prior to lashing and when it dries, it really secures everything nicely including the rack on my truck.
Probably the only lumber rack ever held together with deerskin and chicharones
But, it has made two trips loaded, up and down the peninsula and it's still carrying bamboo, etc.
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Dave
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| Quote: | Originally posted by N2Baja
I've built a 10' ladder..... I've only been able to find one or two sites that give detailed info on how to lash poles together
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Have you tried the ladder yet?
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Bruce R Leech
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Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
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Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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Oh oh be careful
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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jrbaja
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Good one Dave
http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1142
N2, the site listed above should be able to help.
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N2Baja
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Actually, I'm going to ask my husband to try it first 
Thanks for the info, jr. I have some leather strapping soaking right now. I also have some cane stripping that I'll experiment with also. I'll let
you know how it goes.
Forget about the danger and think of the fun.
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N2Baja
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BTW - thanks for the Bamboo Workshop website, jr! So far it seems to have alot of good info. 
p.s. husband said 'no way, YOU go first'
Forget about the danger and think of the fun.
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Me No
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Good post JR.
As someone who drove a pick-up with the aforementioned BAMBOO rack, halfway down the peninsula, I can say, Yes It Works!!!!
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jrbaja
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De nada N2
check your u2u's and keep it quiet please. hahahahahaha
Me No, I need a trailer in a couple weeks and you guys may be interested in a trip?
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Me No
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My flippin u2u says I have 37 new pm's and it takes forever to crawl though them with the connection I am on. Start a new thread or something.
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Me No
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read u2u unable to reply.
Faulllker. YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU gowd dambn fmn pies of cow pie.
We just missed each other. How dare you travel baja and not give a full and complete accounting of where you are going to be at any given second here
on NOMOMS!
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jrbaja
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Hahahahaha, we came up on the autobus and I'm driving Carol back down for the art show.
But, I'll be back in a couple weeks. Let's get together for sure!
Here's some bamboo info for those that live in l.a.
Bamboo has been, and is, an obvious choice of building material for those in the third world that are truly poor, and living off the land. Bamboo is
cheap, renewable, available, and has very desireable structural qualities. The relatively recent discovery of bamboo as a structural material in the
developed, industrial world, is hampered by a quality of bamboo that is beyond the established norms for more established, and traditional building
materials. Bamboo bends. It can bend alot.
The bending of a material is measured as "deflection"-the amount of distortion a material demonstrates with a certain amount of force applied
laterally. This quantified measure dictates construction parameters, and is then established in a uniform building code. The parameters for
steel,concrete, and wood have been well established, and they dictate the design of a structure such that the finished product is rigid. But rigid to
an arbitrary degree, that which a person does not feel or experience the distortion of a structure under normal "loads". The lack of noticeable
distortion or movement has been a fundamental "given" for good, solid construction.
Although bamboo has been shown to have a tensile strength comparable to steel, a compressive strength of concrete, and a strength to weight ratio
greater than wood; it ability to bend under loads has hindered its ready adoption as a building material. The rigidity that is required necessitates
heroic efforts in bamboo design. Either prodigious amounts of bamboo must be used, or, for rigid wall and roof support, an elaborate "truss" system
has been developed, with well engineered joinery. The resulting structure can have the requisite rigidity, but will no longer be cheap, easy to
build, or reflective of the most unique and advantageous structural quality of bamboo-its flexibility.
The requirement of rigidity in structures has several disadvantages. Concrete is rigid, and coupled with its mass, causes its rapid failure in
earthquakes. A buildings' huge inertia tends too keep it in one place, while the ground moves in all directions. The tremendous sheer resulting
quickly crumbles the concrete, and destroys the structure. Cement floors are rigid to the degree of causing discomfort, there is no deflection to the
the human body, either in walking or, in hopefully rare instances, falling down. This may be of little consequence for adults, but young children do
fall down. One of the worst sounds I know of is the sound of a childs' head hitting a tile floor. The resulting trauma can be serious.
Wood, like bamboo, has advangages of flex , but has well established building parameters to reduce flex to a degree compatible with the human
need for rigidity in a structure. Wood structures can be made earthquake and hurricane proof, and are much more comfortable in terms of deflection.
A wood floor is comfortable to walk on, and much more forgiving to a childs' head impact. However, though wood can be a renewable resource, and
instrumental to a path towards sustainability, population and economic pressures often push the harvesting of a countrys' forest inventory beyond
sustainability. Bamboo, as another quickly renwable building resource, can alleviate pressure on forest reserves.
I doubt very much that a special accomodation for bamboo construction will be established that allows its deflection. But for structures less
than 120 square feet of floor area, a flexible design strategy could be adopted, as this is the minimum structure size that the uniform building code
applies. The "flexible flyer" strategy for small bamboo structures is appropriate. The structure is affordable, uses the minimum of materials, and
reflects a bamboo mindset.
A bamboo structure, with a new tolerance for deflection, is indeed a major departure from our collective experience. Bamboo bridges bend and
sway with the human load, but this flex is to its advantage, distributing the stress caused by the load throughout the structure. In addition, by
designing bamboo flex into the design, less stress is focused on the bamboo joinery, the achilles heel of bamboo structures. Earthquake resistance
of bamboo buildings has been well documented, and is attributable to its flex, coupled with its very low mass. Hurricane resistance, the other
environmental extreme that must be addressed, is also aided by flex of bamboo. Ultimately, structure failure in hurricanes is attributable to the
failure of its fasteners. Sustained winds can cause lift, pulling the roof up, and off. Powerful gusts can cause tremendous lateral force upon a
structure. Flex will distribute these forces throughout the structure, making any individual joint less likely to fail, and start a cascading failure
of structural integrity. I was witness to all these forces on my bamboo pole "hooch" through the early morning hours of our rendezvous with hurricane
Georges. The structure was subjected to category three hurricane conditions, and the resulting flex was substantial. I observed my structure for
three hours, as it was buffetted by lateral gusts and aerodynamic lift, and could not believe the contortions it assumed, while always snapping back
to its designed shape. The open bamboo pole design, with no vertical walls, and a hip roof, all contributed to its resilience. But the degree the
bamboo poles flexed, and returned to their original shape, was no doubt instrumental in the structures' survival, and a testament for the
incorporation of bamboo flexibility in the design strategy of bamboo structures.
The experience of living in a flexible bamboo structure is one of celebration in the "life" that the bamboo imparts. Its' movement reflects the
natural world, where a tree or, for that matter, bamboo, distributes environmental stress throughout its "body", insuring against failure by moving
with the force. This distribution, or dilution of stress, is not only throughout the structure, but ameliorated by the spreading of the impact
through time. A sudden impact on a rigid structure can cause tremendous force, and consequent failure of even the strongest of materials. By
flexing, the sudden impact is distributed through time to a fraction of its instantaneous level. The maximum resilience to the forces of nature is
achieved with the least amount of material, or energy investment. That is why nature has designed its plants to flex, and move, and flow. A flexible
bamboo structure imitates life, and I cannot think of a more tested and evolved design strategy.
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