Bamboo structure projects?

[AdamusLignus]

(I know I’m way out in left field here, but seeing as how, by definition, you boys and girls are a DIY crowd I figured I’d throw it out there. )

TL, DR: Parents have an invasive bamboo patch that I’m looking to utilize to build a couple of archery target stands/enclosures to sit outside year-round. Looking for tips.

My folks recently moved out to PA to a nice place about 20 minutes away to be closer to the grandbabies. On their 8ish acres there’s a sizable bunch (patch…grove…stand…forest, whatever) of bamboo. Zero idea on the species, maybe 20-25’ high, largest diameter appears to be around 3-4ish inches.

During the height of COVID, when I wasn’t at the hospital, we obviously didn’t do much and I was in the backyard a lot with girls shooting our bows. Let me tell you how old it gets dragging a Matrix and one of those Bulldog bag targets about 40yards out from under the cover of the girls’ play set. Anyway, I had a grand idea to set up a covered stand for them in the far corner where I put them. Well, availability and price of any construction materials during the time gave me the excuse to not even give it a go.

My parents move to the new place from Wisconsin and I see this bamboo and I start getting ideas again. Basically I have heard that it’s extremely difficult to kill this stuff and it regrows crazy fast. My dad is on board, and while he likes the bamboo forest, taking down a hundred of them wouldn’t even make a dent.

So! With all that being said, has anyone harvested and crafted anything out of bamboo? It doesn’t have to be pretty, and honestly probably doesn’t even have to have crazy longevity. I just want it to support the 50 or whatever pounds a Bulldog and/or Matrix target is to keep it out of the mud (yard has serious drainage issues), and keep the sun and rain off them. Like a little bowhunting tiki hut. I’ll work on the rum bar later.

Thanks for coming to my wandering monologue.

[Denny O]

Wowzers, I had no idea that bamboo was grown in the USA!

[cdavis]

AdamusLignus we have some bamboo growing wild along some of the creeks around here. But nowhere near the size of that stuff. You should be able to build anything with that stuff. Congrats

[johnnyuj]

@AdamLignus we moved from Chicago to NC about ten years ago and have an unrelenting bamboo forest at the back of our year. Most of our grass is actually bamboo grass. If we keep it mowed, it looks nice, and it grows by the foot each week if you don’t mow it. I use it for fences to keep deer away from grapes and vegetables or fence posts to hold bird netting. Our grandkids love it for making teepees, and we’ve used some to make legs for tables. A friend with more patience than me cut a couple of pieces into rings and made cheese boards out of them. We’ve even relived my old scouting days and lashed some together to make a bridge over a small creek. It looks great and sounds great in the wind, but it is a weed. Have fun!

[Jonathon]

AdamusLignus Please please post updates if you do this!

[processhead]

I traveled in Vietnam in the 1980’s and saw them use bamboo for the framework for a construction scaffold on the exterior of a multistory modern building that was going up.
It must be pretty strong stuff.

[bocephus]

AdamusLignus I would think you should be able to build a frame and cover that with a tarp. I don’t know how flexible it is but if it would bend, you could make an arch.

[calldoctoday]

AdamusLignus Mater Steaks, Fishing Poles, Subfloor surface for an out door raised pavilion, Outdoor pavilion thatched roof, I need to stop.

[AdamusLignus]

bocephus Once you get to the tops, it gets pretty flexible…so in theory I could use the base for structural pieces and the tops for arching support?

[AdamusLignus]

calldoctoday I’d like to subscribe to your newsletter. I’m curious what all goes into the roof and if it would work for my purposes. That would be pretty great.

[calldoctoday]

AdamusLignus The ones that I have seen had bamboo double layered & crisscrossed & palm fronds laid over that. I have seen some used that some company sells. It was bout 15 - 20 or so ago on a project. I keep thinking I some homemade too, that looked pretty good. I don’t know why maybe you could not just use the bamboo put in place first vertically so to say, over purlins or horizontal directly over the rafters, then another layer crossed over in the opposite direction, then a final layer vertical (from gutter edge to ridge). Then dried in place & sealed with something like CWF or something. I would not use it for the main house, but for a gazebo or something it would probably interesting, fairly long lived, inexpensive in your case, & fairly watertight with lots of ventilation. I suppose if you wanted them to carry off more water faster, you could split the final layer so it would be like trough, so to say.