Author Topic: Good balsa is where you find it, it seems... (Read 2791 times)

Steve Helmick · « **on:** October 16, 2011, 08:47:22 PM »

The wifey scheduled a painting contrator for Monday, and I had an eye exam scheduled. Not wanting to fight my way back into the house through all the drop cloths and such, I stopped by the legendary local hardware store, McLendon's (Danny Dirt's favorite), to waste an hour or so. I was really looking at faux bricks and such, but noticed a familiar looking cardboard box in an out of the way spot...balsa display. Got a little closer, and could see it was Midwest balsa, which I had long ago concluded was good for...not a heck of a lot.

But I noticed discount stickers on some sizes, and those sizes were useful stuff, so I looked more carefully. 1/2 x 4 x 36 was under $4...hmmm...hey, this one feels pretty light. And this one, and hey, a lot of this stuff is pretty light. I didn't go through any of the thinner sizes, 'cause I've got lots of that. No scale in my pocket, but I pulled out one of my old tricks to gauge balsa density, and made the investment. Got home from flying this afternoon and saw the pile of wood, waiting to be weighed. They were all 5.47 to 5.85 lb/cu.ft. Moral of the story is to not turn up your nose at the balsa display in your neighborhood hardware or craft store. I won't from now on.

Steve

Wynn Robins · « **Reply #1 on:** October 16, 2011, 10:20:11 PM »

you're right - I always look at balsa no matter where it is displayed - you can find some absolutely awesome wood in the strangest places - I have found competition grade 4-6lb C -grain wood in craft shops and the like......it pays to go through any balsa display you see.

Brett Buck · « **Reply #2 on:** October 16, 2011, 10:29:12 PM »

Quote from: Wynn Robins on October 16, 2011, 10:20:11 PM

you're right - I always look at balsa no matter where it is displayed - you can find some absolutely awesome wood in the strangest places - I have found competition grade 4-6lb C -grain wood in craft shops and the like......it pays to go through any balsa display you see.

Exactly. R/C Shops can also be a good spot. The R/Cists pick through all the wood when each shipment comes in, and leave all that crummy weak wood in the rack.

Brett

Larry Cunningham · « **Reply #3 on:** October 17, 2011, 07:26:42 AM »

I had a friend with a table saw and a very fine cutting blade.. So I took some of my baseball bat grade balsa blocks to him and he ripped them into 1/4" thick slices. They looked great, like they had been sanded, and were quite straight, if rock hard and heavy. At the club auction, R/C guys snapped them up like good cookies - one even commented on how difficult it was to find "strong, straight" balsa..

Thank heavens we all have different tastes, wants and needs. Otherwise everyone would be after my wife.

L.

"Based on what you know about him in history books, what do you think
Abraham Lincoln would be doing if he were alive today?"

1. Writing his memoirs of the Civil War
2. Advising the President
3. Desperately clawing at the inside of his coffin -David Letterman

Bill Ervin · « **Reply #4 on:** October 17, 2011, 10:59:39 AM »

I have a friend that's into aircraft restorations. Turns out many of the old classics incorporate balsa into various non-structural areas of the airframe. Happened to pay a visit just as he was getting ready to throw out his "scraps". A case of being there at the right time.

Most of this stuff is fair to heavy but there is plenty of light wood too. The longest pieces are a little over 8 feet.

Time to start that fleet of Sweepers I guess...

bill bischoff · « **Reply #5 on:** October 17, 2011, 03:30:08 PM »

I don't know what is happening at Midwest, but somebody is letting some good balsa slip out the door! I manage a hobby shop, and we occasionally order Midwest wood when we don't need enough Sig wood to make an order. Some 12" blocks in particular have been unusually light. I found a couple at about 5.4 lb density, and more recently I got one at an amazing 3.7 lb density. This was the lightest piece of balsa I had ever personally encountered. So don't overlook the balsa at your local hobby shop, either, especially if they have rapid product turnover. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Bill Heher · « **Reply #6 on:** October 22, 2011, 10:14:13 PM »

Michael's craft stores have a Midwest Balsa / ply / etc rack. I check it about once a week, and usually have a 40% off coupon ( if the wife didn't want it) from the paper. I have gotten some pretty darn nice 3/16 and 1/4 inch sheets for about the cost of a coffee at the shop next door, and it's not a St*rbucks.

If there is no good balsa you can check out the paint brushes, glues, drawing tools, all kinds of stuff.

Phil Coopy · « **Reply #7 on:** October 23, 2011, 05:52:12 AM »

True about never knowing where you'll find usefull stuff, I once bought a whole K&S music wire display from a whatnot shop for $14. That was in the 80's and I've been working out of it ever since.

Phil

Jim Kraft · « **Reply #8 on:** October 23, 2011, 07:40:40 AM »

We had a Ben Franklin store that was going out of buisness a few years ago, and were selling there balsa and ply at 80% off. I bought several sheets of 1/32" and 1/16" by 36" by 24" ply for almost nothing. A good friend I use to fly R/C pattern with gave me a van full of graded balsa several years ago, so I have no need to ever buy balsa again. He was one of the few R/C guys that used contest grade balsa in all his models.

Jim Thomerson · « **Reply #9 on:** October 23, 2011, 08:32:17 AM »

Probably everyone knows that if you divide the weight in ounces by the thickness in inches, for piece of 36 in x 3 in wood, you get the density in pounds per cubic foot.

Dick Pacini · « **Reply #10 on:** October 23, 2011, 08:43:44 AM »

Quote from: Jim Thomerson on October 23, 2011, 08:32:17 AM

Probably everyone knows that if you divide the weight in ounces by the thickness in inches, for piece of 36 in x 3 in wood, you get the density in pounds per cubic foot.

Thanks, I didn't. How about for other sizes?

Bill Ervin · « **Reply #11 on:** October 23, 2011, 09:16:22 AM »

I didn't either, thanks Jim.

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #12 on:** October 23, 2011, 06:18:30 PM »

"No scale in my pocket, but I pulled out one of my old tricks to gauge balsa density, and made the investment."

I can't believe that nobody asked what my trick method of gauging balsa density is, even though it apparently works pretty well.

Steve

Russell Shaffer · « **Reply #13 on:** October 23, 2011, 06:27:37 PM »

Bounce it in your hands?

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #14 on:** October 23, 2011, 06:40:38 PM »

Well...no. I don't bounce it, don't put any fingernail dings in it, and there's more to it than that.

Steve

dirty dan · « **Reply #15 on:** October 24, 2011, 12:23:37 PM »

As usual, Steve is correct, along with being a pretty fair predictor of my shopping habits. The McLendons outlet in Woodinville is real close and I am there about once a week. Never to specifically buy balsa but a quick check of the rack is always in the cards. Not yet knowing Steve's trick I will sometimes drag a scale along.

Dan

Wynn Robins · « **Reply #16 on:** October 24, 2011, 01:50:05 PM »

Quote from: Steve Helmick on October 23, 2011, 06:18:30 PM

"No scale in my pocket, but I pulled out one of my old tricks to gauge balsa density, and made the investment."

I can't believe that nobody asked what my trick method of gauging balsa density is, even though it apparently works pretty well. Steve

oh come on Steve - Whats your trick?

Jim Thomerson · « **Reply #17 on:** October 24, 2011, 02:03:39 PM »

To answer Dick's question, for 2 in x 36 sheets, multiply your answer by 3/2. For 4 inch wide sheets, multiply by 3/4. For 48 inch sheets, multiply by .75.

Derek Moran · « **Reply #18 on:** October 24, 2011, 09:45:16 PM »

Maybe Steve's trick has something to do with pennys.
Derek

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #19 on:** October 25, 2011, 09:46:52 PM »

Quote from: Derek Moran on October 24, 2011, 09:45:16 PM

Maybe Steve's trick has something to do with pennys.
Derek

As in JC Penny's? Well,....no. Geez, it's easy and pretty obvious. I'm amazed that everybody doesn't know this trick.

Steve

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #20 on:** October 26, 2011, 09:38:21 PM »

Jeez, nobody guessed my trick. It's easy! I just closed my eyes! Everybody knows that loss of one sense increases the sensitivity of your other senses. Well, it's what I did. I didn't want to cry like a gurl or anything goofy like that in such a public place.

Steve