How to Bend Bamboo

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Fill a tub with lukewarm water.

   Place your bamboo poles in the tub and allow them to soak overnight.
   
   As with wood, bamboo requires moisture to bend.
   
   The moisture softens the lining and hemicellulose in the bamboo cells and allows them to flex.
   
   Without heat and moisture, these molecules crystallize making them virtually immovable.
   
   Depending on the size and thickness of the bamboo, soaking time may be longer.
2. 2

   Step 2: Test your bamboo.

   Pull the bamboo out of the water and slowly bend the bamboo, attempting to coax it into the shape you need.
   
   If you hear a crackling sound, the bamboo has not been soaked long enough, and needs to be placed back in the water. , Take a large sheet of paper and sketch out the shape you want you bamboo to take.
   
   Place this paper on top of your large piece of plywood. , Using the sketch as your guide, hammer nails into the plywood, following the sketched shape.
   
   Each nail should be approximately an inch apart.
   
   Hammer in a second row of nails.
   
   This row should run parallel to the shape you just nailed and the distance between the two rows should be slightly larger than the diameter of the bamboo. , Once your bamboo has been adequately soaked and is pliable, remove it from the water and place it on the plywood between the nails.
   
   Allow the bamboo to dry 1-3 days.
   
   You can test whether your shape has been set by picking the bamboo off the board.
   
   If the bamboo retains the desired shape, it has finished drying into shape.
3. 3

   Step 3: Draw your desired shape.

4. 4

   Step 4: Nail the design.

5. 5

   Step 5: Shape your bamboo.

Detailed Guide

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