I am wanting to join two pieces of balsa together. Not the scarf joint for rocker.
What I have already read is basically cutting two pieces of wood at an angle over a period of distance. One site says a ratio of 1/12 or 1/10 of the thickness. So this means 40-48 inch long angled cut for a 4’’ piece of balsa. Sounds like a lot.
Also, can the scarfs be placed offset to increase rocker? Or would I need to scarf the board twice?
Jim Phillips this is where you step in and save my project again.
The rocker should be no problem , but a 2 ft stretch is a big ask…any chance of scoring a couple of 12footers for the centre ?..would make life easier !..we are talkin about a chambered board , aren’t we ?..
Already have 4 center 12’ sticks and the rest are high 9’s. I am thinking that I will have to scarf the entire length of the board to get both nose and tail rocker as opposed to pulling from the bottom nose piece and setting it on top. Thanks for the help.
Warrior , you need a scab joint…whats the required length ?..how much extra do you need ?..if you place your profile template on the log , and it’s too long , you can trace on as much of the profile as you can fit ,and scab the bottom off-cut onto the top of the log , giving you nose lift ,as well as (hopefully) an extra bit of length…in one join. The crucial thing is how much extra do you need ?..#2 in your diagram = cut the bottom curve of your profile , place it on TOP of the log ,and slide it forward until the template fits…
In typical structural woodworking, you need twice the scarf contact for added length. Meaning, if you want to add a foot you need two feet of glue surface contact to support the free floating one foot. There are many ways to achieve this joint but a slash cut will work at the very least with enough surface area for glue. If interested, look up Japanese Joinery. There are very simple designs that would increase the strength of the joint two fold or more much more.
For added rocker, laminate thickness and then shape.
