Thank you, Marc! This video is a must-watch for anyone who is a newbie to balsa building as well as for veterans as it contains so many gems of great solid sound advice for builders of any level (like snapping the tip off of the balsa stripper X-Acto blade to reduce drift - which is always a pain!) Send it to all your builders and I guarantee they will place higher than they have previously!
Hi! Here is a link to that exact tool: www.amazon.com/Master-Airscrew-Windsor-Propeller-Stripper/dp/B0000WS5OQ You should also be able to find it by searching for "balsa stripper"
hi balsa engineering! i’m currently doing tower in science olympiad and watched your videos last year which helped me medal! i’m interested in learning how to cut balsa but i’m a bit confused on how i’m able to cut 1/16” x 1/16” balsa cross sections because it’s just so small. are there any tips and what specific steps you do to cut it? the balsa stripped cuts to 1/2” but that’s still too wide 😭
Hi! At the 3:17 point in this video I actually show exactly how I cut my strips using 1/16" x 1/16" as an example. Have you tried this and it doesn't work for you? You definitely need to get a balsa stripping tool like I show in the video, but that is much cheaper than buying individual sticks. Good luck!
I haven't heard of that before. For large airfoils, I would think you would want to create that yourself from thin sheet. You can buy 1/64" thick sheets which is pretty fun to play with, but it's not very useful for any of these structural Science Olympiad builds
Hello! I first would like to say that I absolutelty love your videos, but I was also wondering if laser cutting balsa has any large negative effects on its structural integrity if you have any insight on this subject? Thank you
Thanks for the kind feedback, I'm glad you find my videos useful! I haven't had any direct experience with laser cutting balsa, but my guess is that it might be interesting if you need to cut more complex pieces, like maybe the notched pieces for the platform in the Div C build this year, but I don't think it'd be worth it to laser cut the general straight pieces. Regarding negative effects on structural integrity, probably not, especially if the laser cut along the grain similar to how you would use a balsa stripper. If you do have access to a laser cutter and give it a try, let me know how it goes!
No, definitely not. You can safely cut your wood early with no concerns. Wood age overall doesn't seem to matter either as I've used some that is several years old with no problem.
Hi! I'm glad you are finding them useful! Here is the link to the balsa cutting tool I use: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000WS5OQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. I will usually specify a light density range. I'll only specify grain if I have a very specific need as it's double the price. You can actually specify an exact mass target for a sheet if you know what you're looking for. As you'd expect, that is also very expensive, but it's a nice option to have
Hi Raja, the Div B bridge angle was around 32 degrees. Over the years I have purchased basswood from a variety of places but recently found this company I like a lot: fnabco.com/collections/basswood-sticks
Hi! I bought mine off Amazon a couple years ago, but it looks like they no longer sell there. It does look like you can buy them directly from the supplier though: www.fourmostproducts.com/our-products/construction-tools/
I prefer the 36" sheets. The 48" ones are much harder to cut perfectly straight, at least for me. I also like 4" wide as that is usually the most cost effective.
For airplane building, small differences in density probably don't matter too much. This video is mostly about the Science Olympiad structural event where we worry about every 0.1g so getting the exact perfect mass/density for each piece is critical
Thank you, Marc! This video is a must-watch for anyone who is a newbie to balsa building as well as for veterans as it contains so many gems of great solid sound advice for builders of any level (like snapping the tip off of the balsa stripper X-Acto blade to reduce drift - which is always a pain!) Send it to all your builders and I guarantee they will place higher than they have previously!
What is the name of the tool that you used to cut the balsa wood vertically into even spaces. Like the one with exacto-blade at 3:44
Hi! Here is a link to that exact tool: www.amazon.com/Master-Airscrew-Windsor-Propeller-Stripper/dp/B0000WS5OQ You should also be able to find it by searching for "balsa stripper"
hi balsa engineering! i’m currently doing tower in science olympiad and watched your videos last year which helped me medal! i’m interested in learning how to cut balsa but i’m a bit confused on how i’m able to cut 1/16” x 1/16” balsa cross sections because it’s just so small. are there any tips and what specific steps you do to cut it? the balsa stripped cuts to 1/2” but that’s still too wide 😭
Hi! At the 3:17 point in this video I actually show exactly how I cut my strips using 1/16" x 1/16" as an example. Have you tried this and it doesn't work for you? You definitely need to get a balsa stripping tool like I show in the video, but that is much cheaper than buying individual sticks. Good luck!
When I was a teenager 40yrs ago we had airfoil shaped balsa wood... do you know if it is still available?
I haven't heard of that before. For large airfoils, I would think you would want to create that yourself from thin sheet. You can buy 1/64" thick sheets which is pretty fun to play with, but it's not very useful for any of these structural Science Olympiad builds
Hello! I first would like to say that I absolutelty love your videos, but I was also wondering if laser cutting balsa has any large negative effects on its structural integrity if you have any insight on this subject? Thank you
Thanks for the kind feedback, I'm glad you find my videos useful! I haven't had any direct experience with laser cutting balsa, but my guess is that it might be interesting if you need to cut more complex pieces, like maybe the notched pieces for the platform in the Div C build this year, but I don't think it'd be worth it to laser cut the general straight pieces. Regarding negative effects on structural integrity, probably not, especially if the laser cut along the grain similar to how you would use a balsa stripper. If you do have access to a laser cutter and give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Does precutting wood months before using them damage the structural integrity or density in anyway?
No, definitely not. You can safely cut your wood early with no concerns. Wood age overall doesn't seem to matter either as I've used some that is several years old with no problem.
Hey, your videos are very helpful for me while building bridges. I was wondering where you got the tool for cutting the balsa sheets
Hi! I'm glad you are finding them useful! Here is the link to the balsa cutting tool I use: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000WS5OQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thank you!
For your Balsa sheets from Specialized Balsa, did you choose the weight and grain of the balsa?
Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. I will usually specify a light density range. I'll only specify grain if I have a very specific need as it's double the price. You can actually specify an exact mass target for a sheet if you know what you're looking for. As you'd expect, that is also very expensive, but it's a nice option to have
I was wondering for building a Div B Bridge what angle would you use for the miter cutter?
I was also wondering where you got your basswood and if you could add the link, it would be great!
Hi Raja, the Div B bridge angle was around 32 degrees. Over the years I have purchased basswood from a variety of places but recently found this company I like a lot: fnabco.com/collections/basswood-sticks
@@balsaengineering6686 Wow, thank you!
Hi where do you get your Balsa wood from?
I like to use Specialized Balsa, but really it matters a lot more what you do with the wood than where it comes from.
Hi, just wondering where you got that miter cutter from?
Hi! I bought mine off Amazon a couple years ago, but it looks like they no longer sell there. It does look like you can buy them directly from the supplier though: www.fourmostproducts.com/our-products/construction-tools/
Balsa Engineering Thank you so much!
What size balsa sheets do you get
The 36 inch or the 48 inch ones
I prefer the 36" sheets. The 48" ones are much harder to cut perfectly straight, at least for me. I also like 4" wide as that is usually the most cost effective.
@@balsaengineering6686 thankyou
Why do you buy balsa sheets and cut it yourself instead of pre cut strips?
It’s much cheaper to buy sheets and cut your own. It’s also more flexible if you want non-standard sizes
My supplier has all shapes sizes rods and square,
Never worried about densities and my planes fr
Ly well, why build a balsa library coz i buy at the local shop! And dont have wastage
For airplane building, small differences in density probably don't matter too much. This video is mostly about the Science Olympiad structural event where we worry about every 0.1g so getting the exact perfect mass/density for each piece is critical