Can we turn invasive trees (mimosa) into something useful?
In progress
projectkamp
| Started about 2 years ago
Last update about 1 year ago
Landscape

Can we turn invasive trees (mimosa) into something useful?

We ended up cutting down a lot of mimosa trees for a few different reasons: - Fire hazards in Basekamp - Mimosa population control - Clearing the area for new infrastructure - Providing native trees more space to grow This left us with a lot of fresh mimosa wood, which made us wonder about some different ways we could use it. We decided to create this research topic to understand what kind of objects we could produce from this invasive species.

More Information
icon
4223 views
icon
19 following
icon
31 useful
icon
71 comments
icon
10 steps

1

icon

Building stairs in the ground

created about 2 years agoedited about 2 years ago
In order to build the steps for these stairs, we first had to clear out the area and level the soil. Then we started cutting the wood to size and hammering down the vertical poles which hold the structure in place. Once those are deep in the soil, we can lay the horizontal pieces, making sure they are at the proper height. The last step is to trim all the vertical poles, compact the soil and add more if needed.

2

icon

Weaving bark into a basket

created about 2 years agoedited about 2 years ago
When weaving baskets, you want to collect a few long pieces of bark. One of the most important things we learned is that you need to harvest the bark from freshly cut trees since it tears once it dries. Once you have all the bark you need, you can store it by rolling it on itself. When you’re ready to use it, simply place the bark in a bucket of water to hydrate it, making it more flexible, and therefore easier to work with. There are a lot of different weaving techniques, but since we’re new to this, we opted for a simple square basket.

3

icon

Carving a spoon and back-scraper

created about 2 years agoedited about 2 years ago
This time we started with a Mimosa piece 30cm long and a diameter of 3cm. This was split in half with the heart of the tree being taken out. Then we drew roughly a spoon shape on the piece of Mimosa. By using a hatchet, a small axe, and a knife, the shape of the spoon got carved out. This went smoothly because the wood was so soft. The back-scraper was a bit more detailed but went well. It would have been nice to have gouge tools we used chisels instead.

4

icon

Using carpentry for a barstool

created about 2 years agoedited about 2 years ago
We cut most joints using a saw, hammer, and hatchet. The wood is easy to cut across the grain and easy to split along the grain. It's important to make one joint at a time and fit pieces together as you proceed since the beams are always a bit crooked and of different diameters. In general, it's hard to make very precise cuts and measurements. Therefore the design should be as simple as possible. The dovetail joint is easy to make and creates a strong connection.

5

icon

Interview Mimosa Expert

created about 2 years ago
To understand more about this Mimosa tree we went to visit Manuel Miranda Fernandes. He has been studying Mimosa for over 20 years. A few things we wanted to understand: - Where doe it come from? - Is it a bad invasive tree? - Why do people around us hate it? - What can you do with it? - And wheter he thinks we should keep or remove mimosa in our masterplan. This is the full version of the interview, the short version will be featured in Update #67. Let us know if you have more valuable information to know about this plant!

6

icon

Building a 3 person bench

created over 1 year agoedited over 1 year ago
Giving a 3rd life to the mimosa wood taken down from the old shower, they are fairly straight and dried. but making a right angle cut joint is still very challenging, the plan is to keep everything at a simple 90’ angle, having a tight joint and hopefully it will stay sturdy for a long time.

7

icon

Barstool with arm rests

created over 1 year ago
Only two barstools weren't enough, and it would be cool to have at least one with arm and back rests. In this build, we also tried using hot water to bend the thinner parts. This wood was used green, that is, freshly cut. We'll see how this one compares with the first two, which were made from dried wood. The somewhat more organic shape is due to bent pieces being split and the halves used symmetrically, as in the arm rests and the sides of the seat. The mimosa wood splits easily. It is not very flexible, however, hence the experiments with hot water.

8

icon

Round bench for two to four people

created over 1 year ago
With the growing number of people living at Project Kamp, we need more places to sit. This bench is intended for a new social space outdoors. It was made from freshly cut trees, using the natural curve of the stems for the shape. It was built right on the spot where the trees were felled, using a chainsaw and simple woodworking tools, hence its somewhat robust style. The feet are charred and oiled, to keep rot at bay, and the boards for the seat are just split logs. They are more comfortable than they look, though. Since the wood is still wet, it will be sanded and oiled later on, once it has properly dried. In a group setting it can sit 3 bigger or 4 smaller people comfortably. Due to its round shape, it is also very suitable for talks among two, or for filming interview situations.

9

icon

Mulching long-term parking spots

created over 1 year ago
This sounds unspectacular, but it's actually addressing a number of problems at once: Clearing parking spaces for the Campers who stay in vans leaves bare soil, which quickly turns to dust here. That can lead to the vans getting stuck, and it also worsens erosion and evaporation - making the land more prone to fires. Building a level terrace out of mimosa stems and filling it in with wood chips not only makes for comfy parking and stops these negative environmental effects, but it also allows the soil life to take the carbon from the wood chips underground and turn the lifeless subsoil into a living sponge that will ultimately be able to store hundreds of litres of rainwater on this rather small footprint alone, thus improving fire safety. That will happen with any mulched terrace, but the fact that the shade from the car parking on it will help protecting the area from becoming too dry is a great bonus.

10

icon

Make a park bench without screw almost 🤷‍♂️

created about 1 year ago
I miss something for enjoying the view near the office! I found a park bench plan I like to follow the curve and proportion for maximum comfort. 1 - Draw at scale 1:1 the side of the bench with the help of software 2 - Found a piece of mimosa in the firewood, with good length, and thickness. 3 - Start to make half lap joint with a good angle 4 - Cut the middle horizontal piece with a tenon and after make the mortise with a drill first and finish with a chisel. It's an important step because this piece stuck and kept tight the two legs, and after both tenons are on the mortise, we can't remove it! I use clamps and a mallet for this step. 5 - I Cut the back and made some mortise inside to fit with the part already made. I used clamps and a mallet, I made some dowels with just little pieces of mimosas and a knife to keep everything tight. 6 - Carve the curve with a grinder and chisel. 7- Cut some little mimosas with looper and screw them to remove if it's break. Now we enjoy the view !
link-target-blank
Download files
2 downloads
icon
Project Kamp is a project by One Army.Please sponsor the work or help us build the software.