Best "lumber" bamboo zone 6

[Alan_L]

Which cold-hardy species has the best wood for building projects? Yellow Groove has mediocre/poor wood I've heard, but what are some strong ones?

[foxd]

Which cold-hardy species has the best wood for building projects? Yellow Groove has mediocre/poor wood I've heard, but what are some strong ones?

It depends on what you are building. I use Yellow Groove because I have a ready supply of it. My main problem with it is that it has more bends and twists in it than I like. From my limited experience with other species, Phy. viridis was easy to work with in making a panel. I think Phy. atrovaginata would be a very good wood for making things like furniture and panels.

Even though it was mis-identified to me as Phy. parvifolia, Phy. mannii 'Decora' looks like it would be near perfect for making panels.

Here is an example of a panel made with Yellow Groove.

[bamboothew]

I have heard that rubro has a very high quality wood, though I have no personal experience. Mine is still so small it would only be good for chopsticks

[Iowaboo]

P. angusta, the stone bamboo, suppose to be a good one. In a letter to Dr. Hasbott, 1931 edition of the letters of history and time, it was quite apt to say that the ability for a bamboo to be fossilized stone was based in the same context as this bamboo. But yet if I recall right, this bamboo had never been one to be historically been in stone. So that in itself, is quite ironic.

[needmore]

Judging by how damn hard it is to cut the canes I would suspect that Propinqua Beijing would be good, as is Phy makinoi, Rubro & Nuda. Also likely the Heteroclada Solidstem and Atrovaginata is pretty good. Rubro offer the added benefit of very gentle tapering plus long internodes in addition to good structure.

[dependable]

In zone 7, P. Nuda is the thickest wall & strongest I have seen.