posted 11 years ago
You could look into bamboo, which has several advantages over wood of similar size.....weight being first among these. Carefully cured and dried, cracks should be minimized. You will, however, need to be careful of the joinery in use, which is traditionally different for bamboo. Screwing and nailing aren't really an option in most cases, since they will cause the poles to crack. Tying, sometimes with twisted wire, is one way to proceed. Another way is to make wooden or perhaps cement plugs for the ends, into which bolts, etc. can be embedded.