just pondering a future project…
for those of you who do or have done balsa…what is the cheapest I could make an 8’ blank for? I’m not really seeing a whole lot of info online
would 4oz deck/ 4oz bottom be a sufficient glass job(pe resin) being that the core is so much harder than PU foam?
thanks,
adam
…man, bear in mind that some planks are not so much harder
and if you ll make a solid or chambered one.
the hardest is getting wood of the same density and weight. when you build a blank you want it all nice and balanced
okay thanks.
I was thinking about chambering…
how much, roughly, do you think it would be…and what glass schedules have you had success with?
thanks again
The historic standard was single 7.5 oz top and bottom. Today, I'd do double 4 oz deck, and single 6 oz bottom.
If you guys want good grade Balsa, Josh on this email is the man , he has been supplying some big name board builders of late
Pete
okay thanks Bill T.
pete,
Where is he based out of? i’m in california
Cheap? Good luck.
As far as laminating. I have just retured from the “land of Balsa”. The guys down there are pretty much using 4oz top and 4oz bottom. I glassed mine 6oz. top and 6oz top. In the past I had extra deck patch under my knees and feet.
Glassing is really going to depend on the quality off wood. Wood weight and densities are all over the place. Unfortunatly up here you pretty much have to take what you can get.
24" wide x 3.5" thick x 8ft long is roughly 56 board feet. At $7bf you can assume around $400 for just the wood. Wood come in many different lengths, thickness and widths. You might find the thickness and density you like but at 10ft. In this case you will end up buying more than the 56bf.
Dave
I’ve done 2 chambered balsa guns and a half dozen (so far) compsands with balsa. On chambered boards, My first one was 300$ (9’ x 20" gun) for “B” grade wood. More color, more pith and imperfections, more warp. Warp worked out well when selecting and milling the wood. I used the pieces with the most bend in the central part of the board and didn’t need to scarf to get my target rocker. Also the wood when glassed was much more colorful and interesting. Then I got “A” grade at 400$ for my next one. Beautiful, light, uniform density and boring. It also was pretty straight so I had to scarf to get my rocker. Elmers wood glue is yellow/gold in color and works well because it’s so close to the color of the wood. In the end the “A” grade was great but the “B” grade was way more beautiful. I read a quote from Mike Diffenderfer that said he preferred the “B” because it had more color and character. Me too.
I glassed both boards with 4 oz (1 bottom 2 deck) and now years later you can see the different densities in the wood print thru.
If I do another, and I will once I get my new shop set up, I will do “B” grade and 6 oz. I also learned alot about chambering and will be a little more fearless in that department…
George Robinson at Mar Bravo in Melborne Fla, is who I get balsa from.
Indonesia Jawa, Josh can arrange shipping