Bamboo vs. Poplar core

[telehead]

Hey all, thanks for all the info. I have had some really good luck with Poplar as core material. I am wondering how much thinner ( I am guessing that bamboo is stiffer) a Bamboo core would have to be to achieve the same or similar stiffness. I have been profiling my cores at 10.5 to 13.5 mm at center width 30mm flat underfoot. Any coments would be great. Thanks KT

[jlutz05]

bamboo has a lot of flex, I just finished making some cores out of it. I did not compare it with poplar but it was significantly softer than a maple test sample I compared with.

[Dutchjibber]

what kind of bamboo material are you using? There are many different kinds of bamboo boards when looking at how the bamboo fibres are aligned.

[telehead]

I have some Bamboo flooring material, (5/8" X 6"X 6') both horizontal, and vertical laminated. It seems that the vertical is just a little stiffer.

[Dutchjibber]

do you mean you have 2 different types of boards or one board with both vertical as horizontal lamination?

to make it more clear:
Horizontal:


Vertical:


Both vertical as horizontal:


I would use either just vertical or just horizontal laminated board with fibers lengthwise so it resembles "normal" wood used in a core.

Maybe I am completely wrong, so fire away...