Hey, could you point me in the direction of a video of yours that explains the technique that makes towers capable of handling so much weight, or simply just tell me how? Thank you so much
Hi! I don't have a single video that goes over that, but it sounds like you might be struggling with some basic techniques. The key for all of these devices is to get good at precision building. For towers, that means everything needs to be perfectly level for example. Also make sure your gluing technique is good. I do have a dedicated video on that I'd recommend you watch: th-cam.com/video/55lb2KzSiwg/w-d-xo.html Don't get frustrated if your towers aren't perfect right away, it takes a long time to get really good at building these things. The goal is to make progress on each build as you are learning. Good luck!
Thank you so much for the video and all the help and information you've given to the SO community. We have been building towers and bridges for two years now and have had considerable success in both. However, despite our efforts and all the knowledge we accumulated, the base seems to be having a lot of failures, mainly towards the bottom two cross bracings in the joint portion. We believe this is because of the low angle in which the legs are placed. More importantly, the tower is failing at the joint between the column and the base (column is all figured out and the weight has been reduced, but with the bases we are building, everything is balanced out). We were wondering if you have any thoughts or suggestions, as we have hit a roadblock
Hi, thanks for the kind feedback! It's really hard to tell what your issues might be with just words. Can you email me some pictures of your latest towers and maybe I can offer some suggestions: mklinger at comcast dot net
Please watch the other videos I'm made this year which show all of that information in detail. Specifically, you'll want to watch the video on the columns: th-cam.com/video/ERCf0BTvA7E/w-d-xo.html and bases: th-cam.com/video/juhgy5LAAgI/w-d-xo.html
My teammate and I have finished the base and column. Should we keep the jig for the base and just glue the column to the base or should I tape the jig for the column to the jig of the base and then glue it together?
Well, that's kinda the whole point of this video. I did what you describe first and it worked, but I would recommend you try taping the jigs together and using it as a guide to help glue it together more accurately. Good luck!
@@MayteVidal-y7m It all comes down to what you are more comfortable with. The simpler technique might be fine if you have another person who can hold the column in place, or you can experiment with gluing 1 leg at a time
Nope, not for this build. I knew the ~5cm spacing would give good results, but it might not be the perfect optimization. I would definitely recommend you try fewer and more layers of cross-bracing in combination with different leg masses. Always keep trying to beat what I have shown in my benchmark build! Good luck!
Thanks! Well, there is a difference between how much balsa the build actually needed versus how much was needed to be cut up to get just the right pieces. It's hard to put an accurate number on that ratio as sometimes you get more lucky than others, but it's probably anywhere from 3:1 to 5:1 or maybe more if you are really trying to get things perfect
If you watch my videos on the base and columns, I show my notebook pages for the builds which show exactly what material I used if you want to try and replicate this build: Base: th-cam.com/video/juhgy5LAAgI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=kbjYZ-36RFuFO0q_ Columns: th-cam.com/video/ERCf0BTvA7E/w-d-xo.htmlsi=o6VtOtLlgTy1XtYw Good luck this season!
Hi! All of that detailed information can be found in the videos where I show how I built the column and base separately. Please watch these videos when you get a chance. Columns: th-cam.com/video/ERCf0BTvA7E/w-d-xo.htmlsi=7vFEBkZqxfZym9Zv Bases: th-cam.com/video/juhgy5LAAgI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6jR03f_YxSE9a44V
I have actually not built any non-bonus versions yet this year. If I do and have success with it, I will definitely create a video. All the process and concepts are the same for the bonus and non-bonus, so that shouldn't hold you back if you want to pursue a non-bonus version. Because the way the scoring works, the benchmark build I showed can be applied for the non-bonus build as well. As I showed in that video, the equivalent non-bonus tower would need to be ~4.8g and hold 15kg, so that should be your target: th-cam.com/video/EexIMmIpQgg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=tEPsKzTObxRUrYzP&t=195
Yes, you definitely want to glue that center point between the cross bracing. It effectively cuts the length in half and is 4x stronger wrt buckling failure
Not for testing, but for verification that it passes the rules. At real competitions, the check-in process will involve using a ring like that to verify the design like I showed in the rules videos, so it's a good idea to use it on your tower to make sure it passes.
Thank you so much for the videos. I printed the 10 sets of jigs for students to use in our first class yesterday. It worked perfectly. We used the gluing technique you showed and were impressed how well it worked. We only printed the non-bonus base because it is more cost effective. I think there was a favor to non-bonus design over bonus design because of the risk associated with bonus tower. Is it still true for this year with the rule change? Thank you again for your contribution to the community!
I am excited to hear that it worked well for your class! Yes, the non-bonus build will be less risky this year just like last year. I have actually not built any non-bonus builds yet to know if it can be highly competitive. My gut says it can be, but that is something to explore. I decided to focus on the bonus for my video series as I knew that would create a very good result and be something to compare against. I really wanted to demonstrate the process, building/optimizing the pieces separately, and in that sense, the bonus and non-bonus are the same. Good luck this season!!
Please watch my videos on the bases and columns (and the latest non-bonus tower). There I show my notebook pages which show exactly the sizes and weights of all the pieces. In general though, 1/8 x 1/8 for the legs, and "smaller" for the cross-bracing.
@@Waddle_Soloz You just have to try and track down lighter source wood if you want to cut that in half. You can order that from Specialized Balsa or if you shop locally, pick out the lighter sheets and go from there
Hey, could you point me in the direction of a video of yours that explains the technique that makes towers capable of handling so much weight, or simply just tell me how? Thank you so much
Hi! I don't have a single video that goes over that, but it sounds like you might be struggling with some basic techniques. The key for all of these devices is to get good at precision building. For towers, that means everything needs to be perfectly level for example. Also make sure your gluing technique is good. I do have a dedicated video on that I'd recommend you watch: th-cam.com/video/55lb2KzSiwg/w-d-xo.html Don't get frustrated if your towers aren't perfect right away, it takes a long time to get really good at building these things. The goal is to make progress on each build as you are learning. Good luck!
Thank you so much for the video and all the help and information you've given to the SO community. We have been building towers and bridges for two years now and have had considerable success in both. However, despite our efforts and all the knowledge we accumulated, the base seems to be having a lot of failures, mainly towards the bottom two cross bracings in the joint portion. We believe this is because of the low angle in which the legs are placed. More importantly, the tower is failing at the joint between the column and the base (column is all figured out and the weight has been reduced, but with the bases we are building, everything is balanced out). We were wondering if you have any thoughts or suggestions, as we have hit a roadblock
Hi, thanks for the kind feedback! It's really hard to tell what your issues might be with just words. Can you email me some pictures of your latest towers and maybe I can offer some suggestions: mklinger at comcast dot net
Thanks fir the video Balsa Engineering, I have a question though. How thick and long are your strips of wood for the tower?
Please watch the other videos I'm made this year which show all of that information in detail. Specifically, you'll want to watch the video on the columns: th-cam.com/video/ERCf0BTvA7E/w-d-xo.html and bases: th-cam.com/video/juhgy5LAAgI/w-d-xo.html
My teammate and I have finished the base and column. Should we keep the jig for the base and just glue the column to the base or should I tape the jig for the column to the jig of the base and then glue it together?
Well, that's kinda the whole point of this video. I did what you describe first and it worked, but I would recommend you try taping the jigs together and using it as a guide to help glue it together more accurately. Good luck!
I understood that both techniques worked but I was indecisive about which one to use. Thank you.
@@MayteVidal-y7m It all comes down to what you are more comfortable with. The simpler technique might be fine if you have another person who can hold the column in place, or you can experiment with gluing 1 leg at a time
Thank you so much for the videos, I was wondering where you get the balsa wood?
I like to buy all my balsa sheets from Specialized Balsa: specializedbalsa.com/products/balsa_sheets.php
In all you benchmarks, for both the base and the column, you use 5 pairs of cross braces. Curious if you ever tried other number of pairs.
Nope, not for this build. I knew the ~5cm spacing would give good results, but it might not be the perfect optimization. I would definitely recommend you try fewer and more layers of cross-bracing in combination with different leg masses. Always keep trying to beat what I have shown in my benchmark build! Good luck!
Thank You for the video. I was wondering how much balsa wood was needed for the whole design?
Thanks! Well, there is a difference between how much balsa the build actually needed versus how much was needed to be cut up to get just the right pieces. It's hard to put an accurate number on that ratio as sometimes you get more lucky than others, but it's probably anywhere from 3:1 to 5:1 or maybe more if you are really trying to get things perfect
How thick should the balsa wood be for the frame and the cross beams?
If you watch my videos on the base and columns, I show my notebook pages for the builds which show exactly what material I used if you want to try and replicate this build: Base: th-cam.com/video/juhgy5LAAgI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=kbjYZ-36RFuFO0q_ Columns: th-cam.com/video/ERCf0BTvA7E/w-d-xo.htmlsi=o6VtOtLlgTy1XtYw Good luck this season!
Hello do you know what size sticks you used for the column and base and what average stick wieghts you used?
Hi! All of that detailed information can be found in the videos where I show how I built the column and base separately. Please watch these videos when you get a chance. Columns: th-cam.com/video/ERCf0BTvA7E/w-d-xo.htmlsi=7vFEBkZqxfZym9Zv Bases: th-cam.com/video/juhgy5LAAgI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6jR03f_YxSE9a44V
Would it be possible for you to make a video on a benchmark for a non-bonus design?
I have actually not built any non-bonus versions yet this year. If I do and have success with it, I will definitely create a video. All the process and concepts are the same for the bonus and non-bonus, so that shouldn't hold you back if you want to pursue a non-bonus version. Because the way the scoring works, the benchmark build I showed can be applied for the non-bonus build as well. As I showed in that video, the equivalent non-bonus tower would need to be ~4.8g and hold 15kg, so that should be your target: th-cam.com/video/EexIMmIpQgg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=tEPsKzTObxRUrYzP&t=195
@@balsaengineering6686 Thank you so much this is very helpful!
do you glue the cross braces to each other in the middle? Does this improve strength?
Yes, you definitely want to glue that center point between the cross bracing. It effectively cuts the length in half and is 4x stronger wrt buckling failure
@@balsaengineering6686 Thank you!
hello! Is the ring in the stl files the ring for testing the top of the tower? Thank you
Not for testing, but for verification that it passes the rules. At real competitions, the check-in process will involve using a ring like that to verify the design like I showed in the rules videos, so it's a good idea to use it on your tower to make sure it passes.
Thank you
Thank you so much for the videos. I printed the 10 sets of jigs for students to use in our first class yesterday. It worked perfectly. We used the gluing technique you showed and were impressed how well it worked. We only printed the non-bonus base because it is more cost effective. I think there was a favor to non-bonus design over bonus design because of the risk associated with bonus tower. Is it still true for this year with the rule change? Thank you again for your contribution to the community!
I am excited to hear that it worked well for your class! Yes, the non-bonus build will be less risky this year just like last year. I have actually not built any non-bonus builds yet to know if it can be highly competitive. My gut says it can be, but that is something to explore. I decided to focus on the bonus for my video series as I knew that would create a very good result and be something to compare against. I really wanted to demonstrate the process, building/optimizing the pieces separately, and in that sense, the bonus and non-bonus are the same. Good luck this season!!
What size of balsa wood do you use?
Please watch my videos on the bases and columns (and the latest non-bonus tower). There I show my notebook pages which show exactly the sizes and weights of all the pieces. In general though, 1/8 x 1/8 for the legs, and "smaller" for the cross-bracing.
@@balsaengineering6686okay thank you so much, after 3 attempts my tower still weighs 12 grams
@@Waddle_Soloz You just have to try and track down lighter source wood if you want to cut that in half. You can order that from Specialized Balsa or if you shop locally, pick out the lighter sheets and go from there