I have searched the archives, but could not find any information on locating balsa suppliers. I am looking to buy the balsa at a reasonable cost.I have everything else necessary to begin, except the balsa. I live in Jacksonville, FL. Any help would be great.
I looked at both solarbo and national, but the longest cut that I could get was 48". I am looking for 9-10’ cuts from any supplier. Thank you for the quick reply.
Not gonna happen unless you cut your own ask Benny1 and DanB.
Solarbo will send you a glued up blank to make a solid balsa board if that is what you are looking for.
Otherwise you’ll have to but your own strips out of 4"x4" in that length never seen anything longer than 48" in lam strips.
John Mellor might know some 4’x8’ glued up full sheet suppliers.
Try North American Plywood. They are in Santa Fe Springs, CA. They sell full bundles (300-400bft) only. Then check with the frieght companies for shipping charges.
North American historically has the best balsa. Their phone number is 562 941 7575.
Try Specialized Balsa Wood, www.specializedbalsawood.com I got 8’ lengths from them, longest UPS will ship. Very nice people.
I’ve had good luck at local swap meets. Hobby shops carry it, but not often cheap. Or try Ebay, there are some regular sellers there, eg
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=19164&item=5981752004&rd=1
http://www.macbeath.com/ The Berkeley store often has 4" square (more or less - nothing is exact in the world of tropical lumber unless someone’s already wasted a lot of it) pieces in random lengths from 4-8’. Its usually a little denser and the grain isn’t as pretty as the stuff you get “American Cut” into those perfect 4’ pieces. But it’s only $5.51/bf too…and they ship. Ask for "16 quarter " balsawood and they’ll treat you better - they have a bit of a preferred pro-woodworker attitude bias problem. But its all lightweight and they won’t send you crap that’s got splits and dings.
Quote:
they have a bit of a preferred pro-woodworker attitude bias problem
This is so true! When I feel like getting kicked around I go to one of the higher end woodworking shops around my area. It seems no matter what that I’m not “woody” enough to be treated well.
In regards to getting long pieces of balsa. If your building a composite board I would recommend going with the shorter pieces. I think it was cmphawaii who mentioned that I once had large sheets of balsa, but it didn’t look as good as the shorter/thinner pieces. At the time I though he was crazy, but I agree with him. In my opinion, the “plank” look really brings out the beauty of the the board.
Try Frost Hardwood in San Diego. They told me they would ship anywhere on the continental U.S. They have an excellent assortment and selection of balsa, including both length and density.
I called Frost Hardwood today and they are expecting a new shipment of balsa any day. The guy said they are expecting a range from 7’ to 11’ with the bulk being around 9’. Not to mention that these guys were super helpfull. I prefer to deal with the companies that don’t bust out an attititude on me.
R
Hello. I have raw balsa for sale. What specs do you need? I have 20,000 bd ft, 2" 3" and 4" . 5 ft thru 12ft lenghts. Random widths up to 12". Clean, white, stain free material. Air-dried to 18%. Material is S2S with minor skip.
Aloha 4surfing,
Give George Robinson in Melborne Florida a buzz. I have purchased balsa from him in years past ( http://www.grdesigns.com/legacy.cfm )
Enjoy the ride!
Richard
I’m surprised that Surfding hasn’t chimed in here. He recently had 10’x4"x6" balsa timbers for sale; announcement posted in the Industry Talk forum in July: http://tinyurl.com/r75yb. I almost bought some, but have too many drains on my discretionary checking account at the moment. You might try sending him a PM, or email to info@asisurf.com. FWIW, UPS limits are based on total dimensions, i.e., length, width, and circumference, not just length. I had worked some numbers on those timbers through their web site, and it appears that UPS would have shipped 2 timbers cut down to 9’ and 1’ and doubled (iow, 2 pkgs: 1 ea. 9’x8"x6"; 1 ea. 1’x8"x6"), assuming that it could go with nothing more than strapping and/or a single corrugated wrapping added to the dims. The rate for UPS Ground, based on those dims and 12 lbs cu ft, wasn’t cheap, but wasn’t outrageous, either.
-Samiam
You should check out Amtrack for shipping. From what I remember, they charge around fifty bucks across country for a 9’ board. It’s been a while since I looked into it since they won’t ship freight out of Baltimore anymore, but it shouldn’t be a whole lot more expensive than when I checked a couple yrs ago. They also will carry bigger stuff than UPS.