Kon-Tiki

Hi,
Chris, someone, anyone . . . . .

We went Mick-trick (metric) in the UK during the '70's and we are now blessed with Metre-sticks. BUT they're mostly metal!

I've been to every DIY in the area and only metal or plastic sticks are available. So, I'll get my power-saw out and slice up enough timber to make a squadron!

These new metal rules are wide, anything up to 2" wide. Can someone please let me know the normal width and thickness of a propper wooden yard-stick please.

Many thanks - Steve/G4MJW

SchoolRoomSpads

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The yard sticks I buy at Wallyworld are 3cm tall 5mm wide and~91cm long or for Yanks 1 1/8 inch tall 1/8 inch wide and 36 inches long.. They work great for me as they are usually straight and cost $.50. Hope this helps.
Tommy

Kon-Tiki

Thanks for the info Tommy.

These "metal" metre sticks are the same width but 16 swg thick ('ish). I'm sure there must be wooden ones around but I've not seen any for a few years.

I work mainly in inches & feet ( & yards) . . . sometimes with a mixture of metric screws like M6 (1/4"'ish), M8 (5/16") etc.

I have some nice straight planks of a fairly lightweight hardwood. I'll make myselfe some wooden spars tomorrow.

Thanks again - Steve

Slug

Steve,

'Fisco' Wooden Bench Rule (Ref BR1ME) 1" wide, 3/16" thick, 36" long. Graduated metric one side & imperial the other with rolled brass ends.

We sell them for £7.19, try your local materials art shop.

Simon.

Kon-Tiki

Hi Simon and thanks for the info . . . I'm moving to the States, they're only 50 cents over there! I need 4 or 5! That's 25 quid! My Engine only cost me 30 and the Corex just a fiver!

No, seriously . . . .

At least they are still available and I do appreciate the info from you. My Son is an Artist and he checked all His materials suppliers and the well equipped store at College but just got handed metal sticks or those wooden ones which fold-in-three! The ones you mention sound like higher quality ones for Carpenters. The ends protected with Brass so they last a long time. We used to sell the cheap n'cheerfull ones in our Colchester Super-market 10 years ago for a quid.

Plan "B" I'll cut some strips from a very stout hardwood plank, some 1" wide and others 1-1/4" or so.

Thanks again - Steve

Woodsy

The other place i've found them in Aus is dress making/fabric shops but the same thing there about 4 bucks each.

i get my spars from the house fit out section of the HW shop, door jambs, skirting boards etc.

i've used everything from 19mmx4mm to 32mmx12mm in pine and hardwood

Kon-Tiki

Hi Woodsy . . . .

yeh, just got an email from a local guy who also suggests fabric/curtain shops. I'm in town tomorrow so I'll have a look.

However, in the true SPAD trudition and my own MDFM (Misers Dream Flying Machine) where everything is begged, borowed, stollen or something else modified and must cost only a fraction of the Shop type custom item price, I'll be getting out my power saw and making my own from an old hardwood door!

Home-built is best!

Thanks, keep up the good work

Steve/G4MJW

ChrisSpad

On anything thats not suitable for a yardstick spar (usually too big for one), i make my own as well. Just about any good grade of wood will work fine. Depending on the grain, and type of wood, 3/16" is usually plenty thick for a 36" spar, (or 48" for that matter), especially if you put a doubler on the center section.
Personally, i like to rip my spars per the wing chord, normally i use 10% of the overall chord for the spar height, unless its a funfly, then it gets considerably thicker.

Kon-Tiki

Chris . . .

well if it's not snowing tomorrow, I'll run the power saw down this old door. I recon It's 30-40 years old! No woodworm, dead flat, grain is straight, no knots, blunts blades, looks like oak but not heavy like oak! Nice bit of wood, think you get the picture!!! Anyway, it'll soon be flying.

Steve

beachflier

Steve,

What about the plastic ones that you mentioned? Maybe they might work for a Simple Plastic Airplane Design (SPAD)

ChrisSpad

i tried the orange plastic ones that home depot sells. Not good. The shatter with the least impact. Wood works much better, believe it or not.

Kon-Tiki

I was just going to say that the plastic ones are very brittle and snap easy . . . then Chris said it for me. No, mind's made up . . . make my own!

Steve

Kon-Tiki

I've cut up half a dozen 84" one-piece spars from an old sappele doorframe. The wood has been stored under cover and being dry is very absorbent. I fear it'll soak up the CA Glue and leave a dry joint? Yard-sticks are normally varnished . . . should I give this a coat of something? Perhaps I'm getting paranoid!!!! Funny, since I've got back inro R/C, I've started talking to myself!

Steve - in Sunny Silver End, WITHAM, Essex, UK

>Boring picture of a strip of wood (I must say, it was the "hi-light" of my day cutting and sanding these spars!)

http://www.skylites.freeserve.co.uk/images/spar.jpg

ChrisSpad

the cheapie yardsticks we get aren't finished at all. I use gap filling ca for making spar joints, and gluing the spar to the coroplast. I wouldn't worry about being too absorbative (is that even a word???), cut a scrap off the end of one, and play with it and see. I think it'll be fine.

Kon-Tiki

Chris . . . .
I've tested a test piece of my "Sappele Spar" wood with Correx and standard CA Glue and to pull it apart, it tares the corex apart but I had the clamp the small piece of wood in the vice and pull with all my strength! It'll be OK. I set to making the wing tomorrow!

Many thanks for your help and suggestions.

Steve