BALSA BALSA AND SOME MORE BALSA

1/20 is great for sheeting 1/2A center sections and leading edge sections. Top Flite used it in in Combat Kittens and Baby Flite Streaks. Lots of 1/2A f/f wings us it it too.

I might as well offer-up some balsa that I was lucky enough to procure/source from a previous employer; producer of interior retail store signage.

My stock has some limitations. I have sheet-stock in widths of 1.75". Lengths between 19" and 28". That said; The thicknesses are "rough".. meaning that the pieces were cut to allow for finish-sanding to thicknesses of .250" (1/4") and .187" (3/16"). These thicknesses are what I could attain when using a panel-saw.. to save them from a trash-dumpster.

I've had aspirations of finish-sanding/grading this stock. I've mentioned that here before.. but it remains to happen. I made precision sanding-jigs. I thought about it.. and know that I can custom-sand stock to meet the needs of a particular model. The rough-cuts are in safe/dry-storage until there's a need for them. I haven't graded the sheets.. but there's no contest-grade balsa among them. There are however the "A, B, C" grain-types.

A photo



I have hardwood of many varieties. Bass, Spruce, Maple, Cherry, Oak, Mahogany, Walnut.. and recently (today) received a boxful of very interesting musical-instrument grade hardwood.

I also have X1 Sitka-Spruce sheet; 1/4" X 4.5"W. X 24"L and X1 Sitka-Spruce sheet; 1/2" X 4.5"W. X 24"L. Beautiful wood.. clear..

Hit me and "Phred" up. We'll take care of you.

HEY! Some of our members should take a serious look at Fred and Roddies offers. Just read this “insiders “. Information on Balsa availability!! It’s from Facebook, so use it with a grain of salt:




 

There aren't as many modelers who enjoy scratch-building nowadays. Kind of a dying breed. Of the few that "do".. they're likely experimenting with materials that are cheaper.. and easier to source. Various "foam-based" materials for example. The shift from I/C engines to the new efficient and lightweight electric power systems allows for the use of a myriad of adhesives.. as well as finishing options without concern for fuel-proofing. The way I see it; building with balsa and/or sourcing balsa kits has already become strictly for the purist. I'm a member..

Personally.. I like working with wood. My current job is with a speaker-cabinet producer. We build our interior-cabs from Baltic-Birch plywood.. in thicknesses of 12, 15, 18 and 27mm in 48" X 96" sheets which comes from Russia. Baltic-Birch plywood has "twice" the amount of laminations than that of standard building-grade plywood. Most importantly; it's Birch... not Fir. Think of it as model aircraft plywood on steroids. I run a CNC router which cuts this plywood into panels/pieces which go directly to the wood-shop for assembly. I'm always mindful of how scraps might be utilized for my modeling-purposes.  

Here's a couple of photos of what's referred to as "saw-cut" scrap.. which yields triangular sticks of the Baltic plywood, that are quite rigid.. and would make for some seriously strong and lightweight gusset-material.  





There are varied-sizes.



The carpenters set up their table-saws to perform the "saw-cut" operation for a particular panel. They discard these cut-offs. The one's I have are one's that I asked them to save for me. I'd have boxes full.. in a matter of days, if I wanted.

I could mail-these in a cardboard tube. If any of you are interested, we could explore that option.

I bought a Craftsman Scroll Saw a couple years back just so I could scratchbuild to my heart's content!

Now, I need to vacate my 50+ hour/week job (only another week), and plan a trip to make as many connections as I can in one trip.

So, just thinking out loud here:

Roddie, you are too far away. Too bad too! I grew up in metro Boston. You would be on the way.

Fred is closer, and I have an old Army buddy up in Dallas. I know the Applebee's in Lampassas...now if there were a field big enough for a UKIE .35.flown by a Non-AMA "pilot" below Ft Hood...that could be a good spring trip. Drive Southwest a day, sling a CL model for a couple hours, get a pile of balsa for a good price, and swing North to Ole Buddy's house.

Mr. Fred, any fields down there for a big plane? Besides, how cool would it be to see the UKIE fly? I doubt we could take it onto Ft. Hood. This wouldn't be any time soon.

I used to fly RC on Ft. Hood off of dirt roads off West Range road in the south west area on post.  Lots of space, very little traffic, air or ground.  I used to do some dove hunting there too. Some of the best dove hunting I've ever experienced. Nobody hunts there so it's a real target rich environment.  If you go home empty handed, it's you're own dam fault.

No more RC of any kind on post now, but UC is probably not a problem.  I'd try it until the MPs show up.  What's the worst that could happen?

Where are you at Jim?  Anywhere near me and Eric (central NC)? We're about an hour apart. We could do lunch.  Or maybe scotch and cigars. Or both?

Back to balsa wood, I've got more than I'll probably ever use, but I could find room for some 1/16, 3/32 and 1/8 contest in my hoard  I have a need for some 3/16 too.  I'll PM you, Fred.  Thanks for sharing!

And Roddie, I'd love to get some of that spruce you have.  I do a bit of resawing and that stuff is gold for spars and stringers and such.  PM soon to follow.

David
care pkg in mail monday....we dicker pri after you get the carton

Jim....no good place for u control local to me...I flew at our county sports complex soccer fields with Sean McEntee. but DOT/FAA butt heads sent pamphlet to local LEOs rather than reading and understanding...the Masters of the Universe just decided no model fly or tether cars allowed...as a hobby guy of one....I chose not to fight city hall

the suggestion to fly Fort Hood ....no go....these days to get off the cross post roads into any training area must be coordinated a pass from Range Control...no pass= MP arrest...no exceptions.....thank that Major Hussein(sp?) terrorist shooter

that said if you swing by on your journey....hope you have large trunk or truck cuz you certainly will depart with a boat load of my stuff

Don't go crazy Fred.  I have limited room!

Sounds like Ft. Hood has gone into lock down.  Sad really.  I guess I would probably get arrested for doing this nowadays -


That's me rollin' in hot on a train in '83 over Pennsylvania, dealing with the boredom of flying back from winter training at Ft. Drum.  Back in the Ft. Hood Flying Club days when we wore Nomex zoom bags as a duty uniform.

Dave P. wrote:Don't go crazy Fred.  I have limited room!

Sounds like Ft. Hood has gone into lock down.  Sad really.  I guess I would probably get arrested for doing this nowadays -


That's me rollin' in hot on a train in '83 over Pennsylvania, dealing with the boredom of flying back from winter training at Ft. Drum.  Back in the Ft. Hood Flying Club days when we wore Nomex zoom bags as a duty uniform.

Ok. I did a quick search online, but was a bit unclear. What is the helicopter you are in there. I love the picture.

Dave I am retired 67Z5
AH1 can't tell model...G, Mod S, Prod S, ECAS, Fully Modernised

when I re enlisted out of Field Artillery I went to 68J aircraft armament school

Man, I just love the Cobra! I almost went flight warrant. There was my first adult screw-up...not going on with it.

That is an AH-1S Prod, or Production model.  It was the first of a long line of improved airframes based on the AH-1G HueyCobra that flew in Vietnam.  The upgrades included a flat-plate canopy to reduce glare and make it harder for the bad guys to see, an upgrade to a T55-L703 turboshaft engine almost doubling the horsepower to around 2000 shaft hp and a transmission to handle it increasing the max gross weight to 10,000 lbs.  

The biggest improvements were to the avionics and weapon systems.  It had a full IFR panel with a radar altimeter and Doppler navigation system.  The Doppler nav was all but useless.  The advertised accuracy was 10% of the distance traveled, or within one mile on a ten mile trip.  We found that to be optimistic at best as it was based on straight and level flight at 500 feet.  We very seldom flew anywhere near straight and level and never above fifty feet in a tactical environment.

The weapon systems on the other hand were freaking awesome.  The Prod model kept the hydraulic chin turret of the G model with a 7.62mm minigun and a 40mm grenade launcher, but it could be slaved to either the stabilized telescopic sight unit in the nose or to the pilots' helmet mounted sights.  Just look at the target and pull the trigger.  Great fun with the minigun at 4000 rounds a minute. Especially at night!  Rockets were a lot fun too.

The greatest advancement was the TOW (Tube launched, Optically tracked Wire guided) missile system.  You could hit a shoebox traveling 60 mph at three miles away.  If you ever actually saw a high-speed shoebox that needed to be blown up, that is.

The Cobra was a real hot rod.  With a fuel load below 1000 lbs it could go from a dead hover to 100kts in less than ten seconds.  It was a lot of fun, especially seeing as I never actually saw any real fighting.

Sorry for being so nerdy.