Bamboo Joinery

The official way I read about doing bamboo joinery is with bins and hooks and bolts. Say, to make a T-joint, you would put a pin through the stem of the T, bend one end of a threaded rod into a hook, insert the hook into the end of the stem and hook the pin, then put the other end of the threaded rod through a hole bored in the cross bar and secure with a nut.



The problem is, my bamboo is so narrow there is no hook can be inserted into the hollow.

My solution: cut 1" pieces of 1/2" dowel (or other size that fits snuggly inside the bamboo cavity. Glue one piece into each end of the bamboo with a strong, weather-proof adhesive, such as Weldbond's outdoor wood glue. Bore a hole into the butt end of the dowel, and insert a hanger bolt (one of those bolts with a screw on one end and the bolt on the other. Bore a hole through the piece you want to join to it, put the bolt through, and secure with a nut.

This method should be equal to the official in sheer or compression. If pulled apart, the joint is dependent on the strength of the glue. I think I might use an epoxy between the two part, such as JB Weld, to help. This would make two distinct glue joints which each support each other: this chain is as strong as its strongest link.