CamoSutra
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2015
- Messages
- 17
We all want a humidor that works well, and most of us also want one that is reasonably inexpensive and looks good. I was thinking that while sitting at my desk, which looks like high-quality dark-stained oak or walnut but is actually made of ... bamboo.
This is "engineered bamboo", which is sort of the bamboo equivalent of plywood. I'm not sure how it's made, but I think the bamboo is somehow turned into thin "veneer" sheets that are then laminated together in the same way as plywood. The interior of each sheet may actually be made from scrap bamboo, similar to the interior plies of "finish" plywood; I don't know, since all I can see are the surfaces. At well over $400 my desk was reasonably priced but certainly more expensive than something made from good-quality plywood and then covered with wood veneer or some Formica-like surface; production costs will no doubt come down if the material itself catches on and finds its way into more products.
This stuff is unbelievably sturdy as well as attractive. It certainly doesn't look like bamboo, or cheap plywood, or anything but really nice wood. I've had the desk nearly two years now, and it has stood up to daily use as my computer desk without scratches, dents, warping, buckling under weight, developing looseness in construction, or any of the things I'd expect to find in something at this price range that gets daily use that isn't always gentle. I also have two matching end tables made of the same stuff; one holds my laser and inkjet printers, the other serves as a base for my computer tower and associated hardware. Like the desk, the tables are rock-solid (and even more so once weight is placed on them, since they are designed to go together without tools or hardware of any sort). I'm considering getting a matching TV stand, and maybe a hutch that mounts on the desk.
I wonder: could this same sort of bamboo be used to make the exterior box-portion of a humidor, and would it work as well as (or perhaps better than) the woods commonly used in desktop and larger humidors? Obviously you'd still want a Spanish cedar lining, but I'm thinking about the "outside box" that the lining goes into. Do any of you who have woodworking experience know anything about engineered bamboo? Have any of you, perhaps actually gotten your hands on some and made anything?
I don't see bamboo as a replacement for fine hardwoods in high-end humidors, but I think it may have promise as a component in attractive, modestly priced desktops, counter displays, and maybe even some commercial cabinet-display humidors. Anything that provides a lot of bang for the buck is always worthwhile, especially since it leaves more money for cigars themselves. And let's face it: as long as most of our humidors (and everything else) is made in China and elsewhere in the Far East, it should be cost-effective to have them made from materials that are already abundant in the area. Honestly, I'd buy a good-quality humidor made from this engineered bamboo, if it's as suitable as hardwood at a lower price. (I might even buy one that looked like bamboo on the outside, just for the novelty.)
This is "engineered bamboo", which is sort of the bamboo equivalent of plywood. I'm not sure how it's made, but I think the bamboo is somehow turned into thin "veneer" sheets that are then laminated together in the same way as plywood. The interior of each sheet may actually be made from scrap bamboo, similar to the interior plies of "finish" plywood; I don't know, since all I can see are the surfaces. At well over $400 my desk was reasonably priced but certainly more expensive than something made from good-quality plywood and then covered with wood veneer or some Formica-like surface; production costs will no doubt come down if the material itself catches on and finds its way into more products.
This stuff is unbelievably sturdy as well as attractive. It certainly doesn't look like bamboo, or cheap plywood, or anything but really nice wood. I've had the desk nearly two years now, and it has stood up to daily use as my computer desk without scratches, dents, warping, buckling under weight, developing looseness in construction, or any of the things I'd expect to find in something at this price range that gets daily use that isn't always gentle. I also have two matching end tables made of the same stuff; one holds my laser and inkjet printers, the other serves as a base for my computer tower and associated hardware. Like the desk, the tables are rock-solid (and even more so once weight is placed on them, since they are designed to go together without tools or hardware of any sort). I'm considering getting a matching TV stand, and maybe a hutch that mounts on the desk.
I wonder: could this same sort of bamboo be used to make the exterior box-portion of a humidor, and would it work as well as (or perhaps better than) the woods commonly used in desktop and larger humidors? Obviously you'd still want a Spanish cedar lining, but I'm thinking about the "outside box" that the lining goes into. Do any of you who have woodworking experience know anything about engineered bamboo? Have any of you, perhaps actually gotten your hands on some and made anything?
I don't see bamboo as a replacement for fine hardwoods in high-end humidors, but I think it may have promise as a component in attractive, modestly priced desktops, counter displays, and maybe even some commercial cabinet-display humidors. Anything that provides a lot of bang for the buck is always worthwhile, especially since it leaves more money for cigars themselves. And let's face it: as long as most of our humidors (and everything else) is made in China and elsewhere in the Far East, it should be cost-effective to have them made from materials that are already abundant in the area. Honestly, I'd buy a good-quality humidor made from this engineered bamboo, if it's as suitable as hardwood at a lower price. (I might even buy one that looked like bamboo on the outside, just for the novelty.)
