Bamboo Craft . February 6, 2010, 10am by: Darna B. Ajan

There are several known species of bamboo in the Phillippines. Some of them are the following:

1. Chinese Bamboo. This bamboo is a native of China and Japan. It grows up to 3 meters high with a culm diameter of 12 centimeters. It is ideal as an ornamental plant or a hedge. The stems may be used as fishing rods or for fences.

2. Spiny Bamboo. Called kawayan-tinik because it has spines, this is a tall bamboo growing to a height of ten meters. Its culm diameter may reach 20 centimeters under ideal growing conditins with internodes 30-50 centimeters apart.

3. Kawayan-Kiling. This bamboodoes not have spines. The stems are smooth, yellowish, or green-yellow. It is smaller and shorter than the spiny bamboo and has a thinner wall.

4. Bolo. This is a stout bamboo. It is as big and as tall as the spiny bamboo. It is straight and smooth and does not have spines. Its walls arte relatively thin.

Characteristics of Bamboo

Bamboo fibers run parallel from the bottom to the top. This makes the bamboo capable of being divided lenghtwise with little difficulty. A piece of bamboo one inch wide and several meters long can easily be divided into splints a little thicker than the thickness of paper.
Bamboo is strong and durable. A mature bamboo, treated properly, is immune to the attack of weevils and other insects, and when not exposed to the elements, can last for as long as 20-25 years.
Bamboo has a hard and smooth outer surface which becomes shiny when finishing materials are applied to it.

Uses of Bamboo.

Bamboo is a very useful material. If one examines the houses constructed with light materials, chances are that most of them are made of bamboo. It may be used for all parts of the house. The posts, the rafters, the purlins, the floor joints, the floor itself, the walling, the doors, the windows, and even the roof may be made of bamboo. If the roof is nipa, the tying material is bamboo. Bamboo parts of the house may be joined together with bamboo pegs or "bamboo snails" and help steady with bamboo splints as tying material. The ceiling may be made of sawali woven from bamboo splints.
Furniture inside the Filipino homes may also be made of bamboo. Local craftsmen can easily make from bamboo beautiful dining tables, chairs, sala sets, cupboards, aparadors, lounging chairs, beds, shelves, and other furniture.
Bamboo may be made into various articles which are both beautiful and useful. Modern homes now use bamboo lampshades, plant holders and hangers, vases and trays, bamboo dividers, and wall decor.
Tuba is gathered and stored in bamboo tubes and sold by bamboo measuring glasses. People in remote rural areas fetch and store water in log bamboo tubes. Some classroom teachers store their teaching aids and devices in bamboo tubes too.
Another area where bamboo is very much utilized is in weaving. Bamboo splints are woven into sawali mats which are used extensively in drying rice, corn, coffee, sorghum, and other grains. The splints may also be woven into huge baskets in which to store rice, corn, and other grains as well as to hold fruit and vegetables.