Resort owners prize bamboo furniture for giving their establishments a natural touch and pleasantly rustic look. This attribute of bamboo furniture also makes it a highly viable and sellable product in export fairs and trade fairs.

According to Elvin-Dimasu-ay, technical education specialist and in charge of the bamboo section of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Cottage of Industry Technology Center (CITC-DTI), you can go into the making of Japanese bamboo armchairs with an investment of P20,000 to P40,000 for tools and equipment and another P1,900 for materials. For startups, though, it is best to first test the waters by just buying alternative tools and equipment. This can bring the startup costs down to about P21,000. You also have the option of just renting all the equipment you need form the CITC-DTI office in Marikina City.

Commercially, this Japanese bamboo armchairs sells for P5,000 per set, inclusive of a sofa, a center table, and another armchair.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Bamboo, per 10 ft to 12 ft, P40 for provincial rate, P120 for Metro Manila rate
• Plywood, per 1.2 m by 2.4 m, P380
• 5-mm split rattan (rattan rope), P180 per bundle
• 4 pcs 3-mm split rattan, P1.60 per 1.5 m
• Varnish, P134.75 per liter
• Sanding sealer, P300 per gallon
• PVC glue, P100 per liter
• Boric acid, P75 per kilo
• Borax, P75 per kilo
• 20 liters tap water
• Sand paper, P9.95
• Pencil or any marker
• Tape measure

EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS NEEDED:

• CITC-DTI-fabricated pole cutter,P40,000; for rent at P25 per hour. Alternative: 22-inch saw, P329.75
• CITC-DTI-fabricated treatment vat, P20,000. Alternative: metal drum, P100
• CITC-DTI fabricated bamboo scraper, P400. Alternative: bolo, P279.75
• CITC-DTI fabricated hand-splitter, P400 per blade
• Bench drill, P14,000; for rent at P8 per hour. Alternative: 600-watt hand drill, P7,000
• Air compressor, P6,000 to P7,000; for rent at P10 per hour
• Hole saw, P9,000 per set, P400 per piece
• Dowelling gadget
• Pneumatic kneeler, P3,000
• Varnish spray, P3,000 to P10,000
• Hammer, P360

In making Japanese-style bamboo armchairs, two kinds of bamboo are used: the kauayang tinik (Bambusa blumeana Schultes F.), which has thorns; and bayog (Bambusa sp.), which is a more solid bamboo, with a narrower hollow inside it. It is hairy because there are roots in its nodes and it has shorter internodes. You will need two 12-ft kauayang tinik poles and one 10-ft or 12-ft bayog pole.

Only mature bamboo of three years or more should be used. As much as possible, use stain-free and scratch-free bamboo.

PROCEDURE

Step 1. After selecting the good bamboo poles, use a saw or bamboo pole cutter to cut them to size as specified  below:

• Primary parts: 9 pcs kauayang tibik, 80cm long x 10cm diameter
• Secondary parts: 3 pcs bayog, 80cm long x 4cm diameter
• Tertiary parts:
  

            4 pcs bayog dowels, 40.5 cm long x 4 cm diameter
            2 pcs bayog dowels, 20.3 cm long x 4 cm diameter
            4 pcs bayog dowels, 15.2 cm long x 1 cm diameter

• Accessory parts:

            30 pcs kauayang tinik split, 15 inches long x 1 inch wide
            6 pcs bayog splits, 15 inches long
            18 pcs woven rattan, 14 cm wide
            18 pcs plywood (round), 10 cm diameter

The 15.2 cm-long dowels are made of mature bayog poles. To make a dowel, split a bayog pole into six using a CITC-fabricated hand-splitter. Do the same for the bayog and kauayang tinik splits. Get one bayog split and a dowelling gadget clutched by pliers. Then, using a mallet, pound the bayog split into the dowelling gadget until you get the desired dowel.

Step 2. Treat the bamboo poles so they won’t rot. To do this, mix a kilo of boric acid into a kilo of borax, get 1 kg of that mixture and mix it in 20 liters of water over medium heat. Soak the pole into the mixture and allow them to simmer for an hour; don’t let the mixture boil as this will make the chemicals evaporate. You may use a CITC-fabricated treatment vat made of stainless steel that can hold 12 pieces of bamboo. (If your budget is limited, use as your vat a metal drum that has been cut lengthwise. A disadvantage here is that metal drums react with the mixture and corrode easily.)

Step 3. Wind-dry the bamboo for two weeks, but don’t place them directly under the sun to prevent them from cracking. The bamboo can also be dried indoors but this will take two months, and it won’t look as good as those dried outdoors.

Step 4. After drying, mark the poles with a pencil: the 80cm-long kauayang tinik should be marked from 1 to 9; the 80cm-long bayog, from 10 to 12. The markings should be placed at the end of the pole so it can be hidden later.

Step 5. Smoothen poles 1 to 12 by scraping the surface using either a bolo or a bamboo scraper. Then mark the spots where you will drill holes for the dowels.

Step 6. Using a bench drill with a hole saw (this is a metal cylinder with toothed edges), drill 4 cm-wide holes 4 inches away form the edges of poles 1 to 12. If you don’t have a bench drill, use a hand drill instead. Make sure to use the correct drill bit so the holes would be of the same size. But the holes of poles 3 and 4 must run through. Aside from the holes of poles 8 and 9, you must also make slots. Pole 9 must have three slots on the right if the holes are facing the floor; on the other hand, pole 8 must have six slots, three on its left and another 3 on its top when the holes are facing the floor.

Step 7. Pole 12 should also have three slots that are in line with the top slots of pole 8. to make the slots, drill about an inch at the middle of each pole and another one about 5 inches away on both sides of the middle slot. Then drill two more holes on poles 5 and 6; these holes should be 1.5 inches away form each other. For poles 10 and 11, drill a hole about the size of pole 12 an inch away from the edge.
The whole process above is called the boring phase.

Step 8. Assemble the furniture using a stack-and-secure process. To start with, position poles 1 and 2 vertically on your working area with the holes facing up. Then, insert the 40.5cm long dowels on the 4 holes of the 2 poles. Stack the following materials in this order: poles 3 and 4, horizontally; poles 5 and 6, vertically; and pole 7, horizontally.

Step 9. Insert the 20.3 cm long dowels on the third hole from the edge of poles 5 and 6. Then, stack poles 8 and 9 parallel to pole 7. Again, the slots of pole 9 should face right, while the slots of pole 8 should face left and upward. Then, stack poles 10 and 11 on the left middle holes of poles 5 and 6. Lastly, insert pole 12 on the holes of poles 10 and 11.

Step 10. Insert the bayog splits on the slots you have made, three lying down to connect pole 9 to pole 8, and the other three in upright position to connect ole 8 to pole 12. To secure the poles together, drill a hole on the side of pole 7 that will run through to the other end. Dip the 15.2 cm dowel into the glue before inserting it onto the hole. Insert the dowel and pound it with a hammer until it goes through the pole. Cut the excess dowel. Do the same to the other end of pole 7 and pole 8.

Step 11. For the seat cover, place the kauayang tinik splits in horizontal position abut half a centimeter away from one another. Attach each split to the bayog split beneath; for this, use the pneumatic kneeler that is attached to a compressor. Interlock the rattan rope to the splits, then knot them in between the split. Do the same to the back rest part of the armchair.

Step 12. For finishing touches, cover the hollow part of the poles by attaching the round-cut plywood. Use the pneumatic kneeler to secure the plywood. Then wrap the woven rattan around the plywood and tuck it into the surface of the pole. An alternative to woven rattan is leather, banig, or other indigenous materials.

To cover the ends of the woven rattan, encircle it six or seven times with the 5 mm split rattan. Just make sure to hide the end of the split rattan by inserting it beneath the curl and then tuck it on.

Step 13. Polish the bamboo armchair using sanding paper. Once it’s smooth enough, apply the sanding sealer. Then spray the armchair with varnish, using the varnish spray attached to the compressor. The varnish can be mahogany, walnut, or natural depending on what suits the armchair.

The CITC-DTI offers training seminars in making Japanese-style bamboo armchairs in various parts of the country. In-house training costs P600 while special session costs P2,000. If you intend to go into exports, get in touch with the Philippine Trade and Training Center (PTTC) for the details and documents needed. The PTTC also conducts seminar on exporting.

Dos and Don’ts:

• Avoid bamboo with stains; this lessens the appeal of the armchair particularly to foreigners.
• To get them cheaper, buy bamboo when they are in season from November to May.
• Always clean your working station to avoid bukbok (wood borer) infestation, which can damage your bamboo. Affected bamboo should be thrown away and burned so that the other bamboos won’t be affected.
• Soak the edges of fresh bamboo in wood protectants because powder-post beetles are attracted to the smell of fresh bamboos.
• To cut down cost, set up your factory at provinces near the source of bamboo.]
• Employing your family members can bring down your costs especially when you are just starting. You can start production with just three people.
• Don’t throw away scrap pieces of bamboo; instead, use them as fuel to simmer your next batch of poles.

Where to train and to look for supplies:
COTTAGE INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY CENTER
Department of Trade and Industry
20 Russet St., SSS Village, Marikina City
Telephone: (02) 942- 3974

PHILIPPINE TRADE AND TRAINING CENTER
PTTC Bldg., Philtrade Complex,
Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. corner Roxas
Blvd., Pasay City
Telephones: (02) 831- 9988; (02) 834- 1344