Wood

Locked
aenakhan
Member
Member
Posts: 3
Joined: October 29th, 2015, 2:04 pm
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Wood

Post by aenakhan »

I'm curious, is there a tremendous difference between balsa and bass? I know that bass is supposed to be stronger but at the same time the point is to have a weight efficient bridge, so would balsa be a better alternative?
User avatar
bernard
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 2498
Joined: January 5th, 2014, 3:12 pm
Division: Grad
State: WA
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Has thanked: 186 times
Been thanked: 789 times
Contact:

Re: Wood

Post by bernard »

aenakhan wrote:I'm curious, is there a tremendous difference between balsa and bass? I know that bass is supposed to be stronger but at the same time the point is to have a weight efficient bridge, so would balsa be a better alternative?
Balsa is very popular for its high strength-to-weight ratio, and many, many teams have been very successful with bridges made from mostly balsa, often only balsa. If you use balsa, to get the same weight you'd have fewer supports. So it's a tradeoff and through experimenting you'll find when the strength of bass makes its weight worth it (e.g. if the same balsa members are snapping every time and supports don't seem to help).
"One of the ways that I believe people express their appreciation to the rest of humanity is to make something wonderful and put it out there." – Steve Jobs
retired1
Member
Member
Posts: 676
Joined: July 25th, 2012, 5:04 pm
Division: Grad
State: FL
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Wood

Post by retired1 »

In tension, I find basswood of the same weight as balsa to work a tiny bit better. In compression, you have a larger cross section so it holds better with less buckling. This year, the only tension member that we have is 1/16, so we will stick with balsa as it weighs 1/4 to 1/2 of bass wood. 1/32 basswood requires careful attention to the grain and flaws. Does not have as good a glue area so you will be a bit more prone to joint failure.
One past winner built the bridge with all basswood, but it was a work of art. Ultra few could duplicate it.
With the new 5 cm offset, I think that you probably would be better off to try at least 2 designs.
Computer programs can do a great deal of trials without the expense of materials, but they can be a royal pain to use.
The good thing is that I saved towers which comes back next year which will save a great deal of time, regardless of whatever changes they make.
cindy0586
Member
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: November 24th, 2015, 9:37 am
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Wood

Post by cindy0586 »

We try to buy basla wood from Michaels' however.. the weight is too haevy.. Can anyone provide the good recommendation where to purchase good density with light weight balsa wood?? Thank you all !!
User avatar
doge
Member
Member
Posts: 8
Joined: December 11th, 2013, 7:10 pm
Division: C
State: DC
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Wood

Post by doge »

This from the Bridge Wood thread from earlier this year.
bernard wrote:
brayden box wrote:Does anyone know the best place to get balsa and bass wood? :)
I've used National Balsa and Specialized Balsa. I like that with Specialized Balsa I can select densities and grain (but at a higher price). I've also found that the wood cut by Specialized Balsa is very consistent while National Balsa's wood sometimes has some unwanted tapers. But National Balsa's wood is generally a lower price which makes it good for building a bunch of wood and testing general designs until you find one you like.

If you have one nearby, a local hobby shop allows you to hand select your wood, which can be the best option if you know what you're doing. When you order online you don't see the wood so people usually order more than they need, and some of it becomes scrap because it doesn't match their needs.
JonB
Coach
Coach
Posts: 345
Joined: March 11th, 2014, 12:00 pm
Division: C
State: FL
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 21 times

Re: Wood

Post by JonB »

cindy0586 wrote:We try to buy basla wood from Michaels' however.. the weight is too haevy.. Can anyone provide the good recommendation where to purchase good density with light weight balsa wood?? Thank you all !!
https://www.specializedbalsa.com/ is a good bet for high quality- but realize you will pay a premium. We achieve GREAT results with balsa just from hobby lobby/michaels for bridges. I would recommend practicing/prototyping with the cheap stuff first and only if need be get the expensive wood (not so much for Wright Stuff- it needs to be really light wood).
Locked

Return to “Bridge Building B/C”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests