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Coley

Quality of balsa wood

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I bought 40ft. of 3X6 wood. I knew that there were different grades but I did not know what they were untill now. I get mine from a hobby shop that sells balsa that is used to build RC planes here in my home town. I guess I got lucky and he has good quality stuff.

Skeeter

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What density? Balsa is non dense . (WOOD)Its full of air voids and so its soft. Unlike wood density of hard woods and other solid wood. The more air voids > the more it can become damaged(dents,scars ect.) Other lower grade woods are full of sap voids (like broom handles)> the more sap the less strenth and more warping. What other density are you using besides AIR,SAP & WOOD. Just courious on what density balsa has . I only see what hobby shops offer.

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Ok, now we know the higher the weight, the more

dense the balsa is. So, the more dense it is the harder

it is. I have some blocks that range from 4.9 lbs/cu ft

to 11.08 lbs/cu ft. You can feel the difference just

by touching the block. The higher weight is much

smoother, and harder to squeeze. It's cuts extremely

good without crushing like the softer wood.

Here is why I prefer the harder balsa.

I made two identical baits, used the same

weight in each one. One was made from

soft balsa and the other from hard balsa.

I didnot paint either one and only clear

coated around the head with Devcon.

I smashed both down into the water as hard

as I could on the end of a fishing line and rod.

The nose of the soft balsa bait broke off and was still attached

to the lip, the second time it hit the water.

After 15 hits on the water the hard balsa bait was still

intact. I then proceded to smash the bait down on

my asphalt driveway as hard as I could swing

the rod. The lip came loose but, the balsa stayed

together.

Coley

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Lol, Coley I had to laugh out loud thinking about you swinging that poor lure into the pavement, stopping to inspect the damage, then slamming it again. I bet your neighbors were wondering what you were up to! The whole thing would have made a great "hidden video". Yikes! 8O

I have never used balsa because it seemed to be so darn expensive. I will say tho there has to be a reason why so many companies used it in the past and still use it today. Sounds like the dense stuff is the way to go!

If you haven't tried it already western cedar is something you might consider too. A dry piece of this wood is as light as a chunk of foam, no kidding. You can shape it very easily and yet it holds together well enough to accept a screw eye. Western red cedar has a specific gravity of .34, from what I have read balsa is between .10 and .17. For comparison oak and maple are near .63.

Yeeeeeehaw!

Jed

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I use a lot of balsa for my other hobby. I build model aircraft. We look for contest grade stuff between four and six pounds per cubic foot. THis would not be good for making lures, as it is too soft. THe good side to this is that the heavier wood for lure making is the stuff that the model builders aren't as interested in. You will probably pay a bit less than I do for the same sized block of balsa! (Maybe a lot less) Tell then that you want heavier balsa when you order it. Otherwise, they might think you are building flying things with it.

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I see how this is used for flat lures but what about cylinder shape? Can a mini lathe be used on this denser balsa like we do with solidwood lures? I 'm courious of how strong it is . I'm not talking >chipping. Just sanding and lite shaping.Now If someone could just cut it in dowel styel from the Mfc. plant !

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WAY TO GO Coley!!!! That's the way to test them dude. Sometimes you just have to sacrifice hard work to find stuff out. I am using aircraft grade balsa. I will have to check the tags to see if there is a grade on it. Balsa makes good baits. Bagley and Rapala have made alot of money from them. I find this all very interesting. Maybe this is why I had the problem with my bait from last fall.

Skeeter

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:lol: I am totally inspired Coley! I can see a lure "test track", with sections of boat sides to slap lures against, both aluminum and fiberglass; woody cover such as brush piles and standing timber; rock, from pea gravel to boulders. Wack each station and record scientific data. And of course it would have to be filmed!

Dean

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