Traditional bamboo joinery tips?

[timmydoo]

hi all.... as soon as i have a good amount of dry bamboo, i would like to try my hand at a coffee table for my mom..... any suggestions on connecting the parts in a traditional way?? i want to stay away from modern stuff like screws and glue and such...

thanx, kel

[Mark Meckes]

Hi kel,
I could direct you to specific discussion threads or pics in the galleries regarding joinery techniques, but first ... a ramble ;)

It's difficult to define "traditional", as different cultures or regions of the world have their own distinct style or techniques of working with bamboo.
I guess the main definition would be in the use of the most simplest of hand tools, because for many bamboo cultures this was all that was traditionally available.
It really is amazing what some people can do with only a knife or a chisel, though simplified tools don't necessarily equate with easy work.
It can take lots of practice and experience to produce fine quality work.
This is especially so with bamboo, in which, more so than dimensional lumber, every piece of bamboo is guaranteed to be a different dimension.
Bamboo is naturally wonky, however it is also because of this trait that can make a work in bamboo unique.

One should consider that some traditional artisans have been making variations of the same style of work for many years.
On the other hand, if we want to make an individual item we won't have the same benefit of experience gained through repetitive work.
It will take longer and we may make mistakes along the way, but we can enjoy the discovery process and perhaps find some innovative methods of doing some things in our very own way.
So we can have the advantage of learning about traditional methods while adapting our own tools and techniques without constraint.
After all, nothing's perfect and the real art is in the doing, flaws and all.
I think it's only when one has had a lot of practice and experience, and if the finished product still turns out to be "crude work" that one can then define the nature of an artisan's work.
Sometimes "crude work" by an experienced artisan doesn't necesarily imply that an artisan can't do it better but rather that to the artisan, function is more important than form, or that doing it better is not economically cost effective, or too time culmsuming.

Well, back to the discussion about joinery techniques ...
Some essential techniques involve cutting, splitting, drilling or carving out holes, fish mouth and other connecting joints, pegging, lashing etc.
Each technique takes practice to get it just right.

One interesting traditional method of making a table top or seat bench is by cutting specially measured joints in a single length of bamboo and bending it to create a very strong and stable framework.
It is shown in this Bamboo bench making workshop (http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/showgallery.php?cat=549&ppuser=809) by Martin Coto.

http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/data/549/medium/MCotoMercer051023-0816.jpg (http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/showphoto.php?photo=1650)

Mark

[timmydoo]

much thanx!! thats too cool.... will look into further!