Balsa Wood Online
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A little info on Balsa woodBalsa is actually a flowering plant, considered a weed, growing quickly to 100ft, native to southern Brazil and Bolivia, north to southern Mexico however Ecuador has been the primary source of commercial Balsa. In recent years some Balsa has been plantation grown.
Because raw balsa wood has such a high moisture content, it must be dried in a kiln for at least two weeks before it can be used commercially. Balsa Wood lumber is very soft and light with a coarse, open grain.The light weight of the wood derives from the fact that the tree has large cells that contain water. After the water is driven off in an extended drying process, the resulting hole has a large surface to give strength. Unlike dry rotted wood, the surface is made of the usual strong cellulose/lignan mix. The drying process creates an ultralight wood which is usually cut into sheets or round dowels. Balsa wood does have a grain, so consumers should be aware of what type of cut they need for a specific project.The density of dry balsa wood ranges from 2.5-21 lb/ft³, with a typical density of about 10 lb/ft³. It is also a very popular material to use when making wooden crankbaits for fishing, as it is low density but high in strength also used to make very light, stiff structures in model bridge tests and for the construction of light wooden airplanes, most famously the World War II de Havilland Mosquito. It is also used in the floor pan of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 sandwiched between two sheets of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer. In table tennis paddles, a balsa layer is typically sandwiched between two pieces of thin plywood. Balsa wood is also used in laminates with glass-reinforced plastic (fiberglass) for making high-quality balsa surfboards and the decks and topsides of many types of boats, especially pleasure craft under 30 m (100 ft) in length.
Balsa wood is often used as a core material in composites, for example, many wind turbines are made partially of balsa. It also remains a popular material for model aircraft, offering an excellent balance of strength and low density.
Balsa is a bat pollinated species: its flowers open for the first time only at night. By day, flowers are eaten by Scarlet Macaws and visited by assorted other parrots and Honeycreepers. Parrots also are known to chew on the green pods, extracting the immature seeds for consumption
Balsa wood cannot be grown in large groves or stands. Natural balsa wood trees propagate much like dandelions -- seeds are attached to soft tufts and carried off by the wind. If the seed lands in an area without direct sunlight, such as the dark canopy of the deep forest, it simply won't grow. A few lucky seeds may land in a sunlit patch or field and germinate, often to the chagrin of the farmer who owns the property. Balsa wood trees grow rapidly during their first five years, providing some shade to other plants with their oversized leaves.
Many of us may remember the toy balsa wood airplanes sold in stores, so it is easy to imagine how fragile balsa wood can be.
Because raw balsa wood has such a high moisture content, it must be dried in a kiln for at least two weeks before it can be used commercially. Balsa Wood lumber is very soft and light with a coarse, open grain.The light weight of the wood derives from the fact that the tree has large cells that contain water. After the water is driven off in an extended drying process, the resulting hole has a large surface to give strength. Unlike dry rotted wood, the surface is made of the usual strong cellulose/lignan mix. The drying process creates an ultralight wood which is usually cut into sheets or round dowels. Balsa wood does have a grain, so consumers should be aware of what type of cut they need for a specific project.The density of dry balsa wood ranges from 2.5-21 lb/ft³, with a typical density of about 10 lb/ft³. It is also a very popular material to use when making wooden crankbaits for fishing, as it is low density but high in strength also used to make very light, stiff structures in model bridge tests and for the construction of light wooden airplanes, most famously the World War II de Havilland Mosquito. It is also used in the floor pan of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 sandwiched between two sheets of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer. In table tennis paddles, a balsa layer is typically sandwiched between two pieces of thin plywood. Balsa wood is also used in laminates with glass-reinforced plastic (fiberglass) for making high-quality balsa surfboards and the decks and topsides of many types of boats, especially pleasure craft under 30 m (100 ft) in length.
Balsa wood is often used as a core material in composites, for example, many wind turbines are made partially of balsa. It also remains a popular material for model aircraft, offering an excellent balance of strength and low density.
Balsa is a bat pollinated species: its flowers open for the first time only at night. By day, flowers are eaten by Scarlet Macaws and visited by assorted other parrots and Honeycreepers. Parrots also are known to chew on the green pods, extracting the immature seeds for consumption
Balsa wood cannot be grown in large groves or stands. Natural balsa wood trees propagate much like dandelions -- seeds are attached to soft tufts and carried off by the wind. If the seed lands in an area without direct sunlight, such as the dark canopy of the deep forest, it simply won't grow. A few lucky seeds may land in a sunlit patch or field and germinate, often to the chagrin of the farmer who owns the property. Balsa wood trees grow rapidly during their first five years, providing some shade to other plants with their oversized leaves.
Many of us may remember the toy balsa wood airplanes sold in stores, so it is easy to imagine how fragile balsa wood can be.
