I'm working on a design for a parking-shade structure and need a small diameter, woody material that will last a while and not require maintainence
(such as varnishing) to put on top for the shade.
I have used pitaya ("agria", not the "dulce" with the fruit) in the past because the guys from the local ranchos swear by the stuff as "muy duro". I
love the look of pitaya but it takes a very long time to find the good straight palos and they go way up in the mountains and bring them out by
horseback!!
It took 1 year for ol Jesus Maria to collect enough pitaya to make this little sombra and the one I'm planning will be about 10 times as big:
Palo de Arco looks like it would be the perfect size but I don't know if we can get up in San Juanico/Cd Constituci?n since it's so much drier than in
the south. Is Palo de Arco used in Loreto? Any experiences with it ?
I may wind up using tallos (the stems on fan palm leaves) but would like to find something longer.
The structure will have stone-covered concrete posts that form the framework, and the shade material will lie flat on wood crossbeams that are tucked
inside the stone frame. It will span the front of the garage and be about 10 ft deep and 27ft wide so we'll need alot of the stuff.
Any ideas, experiences, and resources ?
Muchas gr?cias.bajajudy - 3-20-2006 at 04:51 PM
I have no idea where to find this but we have friends who have a place right on the water up the East Cape and they have these plastic palo de arco
panels that unless you look real close and notice the uniformity, they look like wood. They used them for a pergola on their terrace right by the
sea. If I see them, I will ask where they got them but you might be able to find something like that. Any kind of wood, cactus, etc has the danger
of termites or other insectos and requires maintenance. They are also light weight and would be easy to transport. I am thinking that they came from
Guadalajara.
These last for a long time. I almost said forever.....but as we all know....nothing lasts foreveroladulce - 3-20-2006 at 06:25 PM
Judy are the plastic panels in a woven design like a patate, or parallel palos like a reed fence? Do your friends have them horizontally in the
direct sun? I'll ask some friends to keeps their eyes open for something like this. I can think of several other vertical applications for panels
like this which sounds like a good replacement for patate.
We've gotten tired of sanding and re-varnishing sun-exposed palm posts and that's the kind of maintainence we're trying to avoid. Occasional bug
spraying is inevitable and no big deal. The best thing about the pitaya is it's so hard that even termites leave it alone. Our friend says that the
pitaya sombra on his grandma's rancho has been there since he was a little boy (and he's in his late 50's). It would take us years to collect the
amount of palos we'd need unfortunately.
Pompano, Bamboo looks great and works well in the tropics where there's lot of rain for the plants to grow, and lots of humidity to keep cut posts
used in structures from drying out and splitting. We get almost no rain, and the air is dry as a bone most of the time in the mid-peninsula, Pacific
desert. There is no resource for the amount of posts we'd need and it's not really a practical material for us to use horizontally in the baking sun.
Carrizo, the approx. 1" diameter grassy, weed that grows in some Baja riverbeds, looks ok when kept out of the sun but isn't durable enough for what
we're doing. Thanks though.
Todos Santos
Al G - 3-20-2006 at 06:39 PM
I am sure it's to far to go ,but they have plenty. I went through several large bundles on carports I constructed for a friend there. If I recall
correctly it was like 250 pasos a bundle??? Maybe 20" bundle. I could ask.oladulce - 3-20-2006 at 07:34 PM
Al-
Our builder goes to La Paz periodically, so he may be able to go to Todos Santos to get palo de Arco. This would be out of his normal supply loop
though, so it would help if I could find some resources for him. Do you recall any names or locations ?
Would this be something that he'd "order" and pick up later, or do guys have big bundles on hand at the Palo Depot?
How did you secure the Palos ? Tie, nail?Tomas Tierra - 3-21-2006 at 12:16 PM
ola dulce..
How about the trimmed fronds from the date palms.. I guess they are kinda skinny but justa suggestion.. Lots in San Ig.bajajudy - 3-21-2006 at 01:51 PM
These look like a pergola...not woven.
I am on the trail. Should have more info soon.
Please dont use palo blanco. They are damned near endangered here.
As far as I know there is no shortage of palo de arco. They are so prolific, it is amazing. We have them all over our yard.capt. mike - 3-21-2006 at 02:30 PM
i use sunbrella shade screen, very tough and lets enough light in, great shade.Bob H - 3-21-2006 at 02:55 PM
Please dont use palo blanco. They are damned near endangered here.
As far as I know there is no shortage of palo de arco. They are so prolific, it is amazing. We have them all over our yard.
Palo Blanco is my favorite tree and I wouldn't chop any down down just to get some sticks. I'd feel guilty ever time I looked at the sombra. I once
told a friend that it was my favorite, and a couple days later he drove up with a tree that he'd gotten near his family's rancho in the mountains on
the hood of his car . There wasn't a speck of dirt on those bare roots by the time he got to our place, but it survived the transplant.
I have to remember to be more careful- Mexicanos will often take you literally.
The palm leaf stems ("tallos") do work well Tomas, and that may be what we end up using.
We used tallos on this sombra and they provide great filtered shade
[Edited on 3-22-2006 by oladulce]Bob and Susan - 3-21-2006 at 08:04 PM
oladulce
anything you do will look GOOD!!!
both pictures are very nice stuff....
this was from an eariler post....maybe this guy would have something for you....oladulce - 3-22-2006 at 07:27 AM
Well actually, I was trying to motivate others to post project photos to glean some new ideas and maybe some new materials I hadn't thought to use for
a sombra. Willing to share any photos you guys?Tomas Tierra - 3-22-2006 at 08:41 AM
Ola Dulce...
Ther is a guy from San Jose de Gracia named Miguel (curly hair in his fifties, looks about thirty)who comes to San Jaunico to market his "tallos"..If
you end up purchasing from him(please please try to!) He is a very good friend and is probably wondering where the heck my family and I have been for
the last year. If you could pass a message that we had a little boy recently and thats why we have not been to vistit him lately.. and that we are
trying likr heck to get there but not until boy is a little older...That would be soooo cool!!!..probably a long shot but, thank you...Tomas Tierra
Oh yeh.. good luck witht the shade!!bajajudy - 3-22-2006 at 12:01 PM
Here you go!
This is one amazing site. It is fiber glass not plastic. The columns look interesting too.
Wow Judy, that is some cool looking stuff and talk about no maintainence!
I'll email them to find local reps. in Baja Sur. Thanks for your research.Bob and Susan - 3-22-2006 at 06:46 PM
wow remember ola....you HAVE to tell me
Unless I missed it, I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Cardon ribs.
vgabndo - 3-22-2006 at 06:46 PM
If you keep them up off the ground, they last a long time. They are often very straight, and by alternating them thin end with wide end, you can
avoid a "fan" pattern. Most any remote Cardonal will provide a good supply. Bring a saw, an axe is wasteful and irritating.Al G - 3-22-2006 at 07:17 PM
Sorry Oladulce Been busy and missed this thread yesterday.
I will email my friends in Todos Santos and get the info.
His name is Chuck and he has the answers.
As to the the assembly, I don't know the Mexican way.
The method a contractor should use is #6 galvanized, DRILLED with slightly smaller bit or cut head off #6 nail and drill with that.
There is a lot of eye balling to get the best fit, but we are talking DIY,
because hired help won't give it much effort. Do not use box nails. They will rust before you finish nailing.
The very best way is to use a SFN1 (senco nailer) with galvanized or aluminum nails. I want go down again without my nailer!!!!
I will email Chuck and get the resources. He may have to call you or your contractor, because things change daily. Baja is Baja.
Albertbajajudy - 3-23-2006 at 07:19 AM
I believe that it is illegal to cut down a cardon. Could be wrong.Capt. George - 3-23-2006 at 07:46 AM
You can take dead cardon, which is what you need..
great for sombra..., as v saos, off the ground no problem
capt goladulce - 3-25-2006 at 02:14 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by oladulce
I have used pitaya ("agria", not the "dulce" with the fruit) in the past because the guys from the local ranchos swear by the stuff as "muy duro".
Estoy confuso, otra vez. This site says that the Pitaya Agria has the sweet fruit , not the Pitaya dulce (which they say is the Organ
pipe cactus).
The nice straight palos of the Organ Pipe do seem like they'd make the best construction material, but I didn't know it was the sour pitayas that
everyone loves to eat.
We called Afibra today (Guadalajara) and spoke to the owner who speaks English. They don't have distributors for their products because they don't
stock the items. You work directly with them and everything is made to order.
They have standard items like bamboo matting and bamboo poles in 1", 1 1/4", 2?". The matting is measured per sq. meter, and the poles are per meter
in length.
The bamboo is unfinished (clear fiberglass) on the top surface and he recommended painting the top every couple of years if it will be exposed to the
sun. Out of the sun, he said it lasts 8-10 years. He didn't give a life expectancy if it's in the sun.
We told him we're making a sombra so he focused on their "bamboo". I'm going to email and ask if the larger beams and other "pergolada" materials are
finished on all sides and get a life expectancy for that stuff too. The "bamboo" may be considered an interior material which may be the reason for
the maintainence and short life span.
They ship in to La Paz and he said they can get the products delivered to most of the larger cities in Baja Sur.
We're going to send him a materials list and get a quote for the heck of it but it may not last long enough to warrant the cost.
Check out the palm trunks though. Oh the things I could do with an unlimited budget...
