At the hobby shop . . . What's the density?

From: Bruce McCrory <hbm55_at_comcast.net>
Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2007 03:02:06 -0000

>>Is there a table somewhere that allows me just to
weigh standard size balsa sheet in grams and then look up its density
in pounds per cubic foot?<<

This sounds like a question I had a few years ago. I used to carry a
sheet of densities, like the one John Barker posted, and a little,
dangly postal-type balance, that could fit in a pocket. They may still
be in my brief case (a man's purse). It was a sub-hobby to go through
all the wood at the hobby shops and craft stores looking for good
indoor balsa. The method was good for densities within a half-pound.

After a couple years of doing this every week at stores in a 50-mile
radius of home, I collected about !$! hundred board feet of wood.
Eventually I could distinguish 7# from 6# in most dimensions without
the aides.

However, the biggest problem in selecting wood to buy is the structural
quality. Because it could take up to an hour to go through the shop's
stock, I felt a need to take something for all the effort. There's a
lot of junk in my stash; more than I could use for "forms".

Then, there's whole planks! 2" X 3" minimum sections. My best wood came
by way of a shipment from Lone Star Balsa. Nothing else I have found or
bought equals it in strength and stiffness; from 4# through 12#
densities.

Bruce
Received on Fri Jul 27 2007 - 20:02:52 CEST