wonwinglo
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- Barry
For an newcomers here is a list of the different types of woods we use in model building together with their particular uses-
Balsa wood-known to all of us,grows in the swamps of Ecuador at a fantastic rate of growth,modern supplies can sometimes resemble floorboards so it is best to buy from a specialist balsa supplier who understands your needs.
The better quality wood is graded and sold for peanut size model builders in special packs,best way to buy balsa from high street shops is to buy the best stuff when you see it,even if it means stashing it away until you build next,build up a stock like this and it is always available.
Be careful of badly sawn warped timber that twists in the middle like a snake,get to know how to detect the differing grains and hardness factors,only experience will tell you this,weight differences in balsa are legend,some lightweight builders weigh each piece and grade it.
Plywood-And I dont mean the sort of stuff in your DIY store either ! buy resin bonded birch ply mostly made in Finland with that white matchwood type of surface is what we are after,good ply is a pleasure to saw.
Liteply-Fast becoming the norm now in kit manufacture,excellent when used properly but do not use in heavily stressed areas ie around the nose of your model,warped pieces are easily straightened by holding in your warm hands and carefully twisting the other way,for bad cases spray with water and place under weights with strips of wood underneath for 48 hours to dry naturally.
Obeche-Sometimes called balsa substitute,open grain fairly soft pale colour,available in sheet,strips, etc if you can find it as many shops have now dropped it.
Miralyte ply-My favourite wood material,very thin,bendy,resiliant,strong,can be cut with scissors,first class modelling material,demand that your dealer stocks this ! dont take no for an answer just because he is too lazy to source it,expensive because the wasteage rate is high during manufacture but well worth the effort.
Gelutong-Used by pattern makers,excellent close grain,not light but has its uses,if you have a pattern maker in your ara do what I do,scrounge their generous sized offcuts which the staff take home for firewood,put some money in their tea kitty as a thankyou,I whittle pieces into miniature models,if you had to buy the planks they cost an arm and a leg.
Take along a model to show what you make,these people are professionals who once started as model builders like us,they will appreciate seeing them.
Basswood-Lovely softish,close grained wood vailable in packs which come from the U.S.A,try dolls house emporiums they sometimes keep limited stocks of sheet,similar in use to Gelutong,a pleasure to carve.
Mahagony-Limited use but still useful if obtainable in strip form,I have seen some good solid models made from this material but from personal experience it takes a lot of sealing and there are better woods.
Satin walnut-If you know of a supplier of this then you are very lucky,close grained carves beautifully.
Spruce-Stitka spruce is getting hard to find as there is a world wide shortage,excellent when used as spars in flying models,they build real aircraft from it so it speaks for itself,my dwindling stock is irreplaceable.
There are other woods but this will serve as a general guide for the purposes of model building.
Balsa wood-known to all of us,grows in the swamps of Ecuador at a fantastic rate of growth,modern supplies can sometimes resemble floorboards so it is best to buy from a specialist balsa supplier who understands your needs.
The better quality wood is graded and sold for peanut size model builders in special packs,best way to buy balsa from high street shops is to buy the best stuff when you see it,even if it means stashing it away until you build next,build up a stock like this and it is always available.
Be careful of badly sawn warped timber that twists in the middle like a snake,get to know how to detect the differing grains and hardness factors,only experience will tell you this,weight differences in balsa are legend,some lightweight builders weigh each piece and grade it.
Plywood-And I dont mean the sort of stuff in your DIY store either ! buy resin bonded birch ply mostly made in Finland with that white matchwood type of surface is what we are after,good ply is a pleasure to saw.
Liteply-Fast becoming the norm now in kit manufacture,excellent when used properly but do not use in heavily stressed areas ie around the nose of your model,warped pieces are easily straightened by holding in your warm hands and carefully twisting the other way,for bad cases spray with water and place under weights with strips of wood underneath for 48 hours to dry naturally.
Obeche-Sometimes called balsa substitute,open grain fairly soft pale colour,available in sheet,strips, etc if you can find it as many shops have now dropped it.
Miralyte ply-My favourite wood material,very thin,bendy,resiliant,strong,can be cut with scissors,first class modelling material,demand that your dealer stocks this ! dont take no for an answer just because he is too lazy to source it,expensive because the wasteage rate is high during manufacture but well worth the effort.
Gelutong-Used by pattern makers,excellent close grain,not light but has its uses,if you have a pattern maker in your ara do what I do,scrounge their generous sized offcuts which the staff take home for firewood,put some money in their tea kitty as a thankyou,I whittle pieces into miniature models,if you had to buy the planks they cost an arm and a leg.
Take along a model to show what you make,these people are professionals who once started as model builders like us,they will appreciate seeing them.
Basswood-Lovely softish,close grained wood vailable in packs which come from the U.S.A,try dolls house emporiums they sometimes keep limited stocks of sheet,similar in use to Gelutong,a pleasure to carve.
Mahagony-Limited use but still useful if obtainable in strip form,I have seen some good solid models made from this material but from personal experience it takes a lot of sealing and there are better woods.
Satin walnut-If you know of a supplier of this then you are very lucky,close grained carves beautifully.
Spruce-Stitka spruce is getting hard to find as there is a world wide shortage,excellent when used as spars in flying models,they build real aircraft from it so it speaks for itself,my dwindling stock is irreplaceable.
There are other woods but this will serve as a general guide for the purposes of model building.