From Bamboostick to Finished Coaster!

i always wanted to work with real bamboo for a project, so i finally could get my hands on a huge bamboostick. watch how i did it the simple way.

Step 1: So We Have a Stick...

yup, that is all we have. a huge bamboo stick that is very dry and hard.(well, i was 4meter high, so pretty huge).

first i did what most Bamboo workers do. i split the stick in two pieces with a simple hammer and cleaverknife. the knife doesnt need to be sharp, it is only for splitting following the grain of the wood.

first in 2 halfs, then in more strips until you have something to work with.

in this piece had about 10 parts i believe.

splitting up is pretty easy.

Step 2: Lets Process the Parts

so we have a lot of sticks now. because i only need to make small coaster i easily cut the knots away. there are also methods the keep the knots and plane them, but in my case that is much work for nothing.

so getting rid of the knots by cutting them away.

next we use our spokesshave to shave them nice and square. takes some time and effort, but hey, you are handworking with bamboo! sure a thicknesser/planer could be used too for faster processing.

after all the pieces are nice beams i cut them to the exact length i need.

Step 3: Time to Actually Make Something!

so, now that all beams are nicely square, you use a ton of glue and put them together and clamp them for some time. now you have a rough coaster!

i used my thicknesser because that was the easiest/fastest way to make it super flat, but handplaning can be done just as well.

Step 4: Finishing

put some rubbers on it so it looks like it floats on the table. also protects your table ;-).

i marked the underside with me burntool with logo.

i used linseedoil to finish the bamboo and give it a nice endglance.

maybe a simple set of coasters, but a hole proces if you want to make it from the REAL bamboo instead of shopbought boards of bamboo ;-).

don't forget to watch the video to see the entire process.

greetings,

Jörgen börg