skoda450

I have the plan for the Bud Nosen 1/4 scale Citabria and I am trying to find all the balsa stock necessary. I can find all the sticks and sheets necessary but I can't find a source for leading edge stock. I have checked Lone Star, Balsa USA, Tower Hobbies, and Midwest. None list any LE stock. Any one know of places on-line where this is still available?

Laird SS

You may have to make a pattern and shape it to fit the pattern from rectangular stock. That's how it was done before we had all the different shapes we've become accustomed to.

All Day Dan

My Feedback: (5)

Sig has it but it may not match the shape you need. The best way to do it is to shape it yourself. Make several pencil lines along the length to give youself some cut lines and start carving. When you're done, start sanding. It probably wont be aerodynamically correct but at the speeds we fly at it's good enough. Dan.

Rendegade

I can be very, very close.

My preferred method is cutting a metal L.E template for the root and the tip (most of mine are tapered wings so they'll be different shapes) and with a razor plane get the stock close to the right shape.

When you're getting to the right shape, swap to a LOOOONG sanding bar (permagrit or something like that) and work the leading edge material till you're touching the templates on either end.

Perfectus!

kdc

Laminate from several layers of thinner balsa, each layer slightly narrower so the laminations guide the sanding block. Saves balsa too but use sandable glue.

kdc

There is a useful way for leading edges with sheeting overlapped as shown in this diagram

Crash-RCU

I have not used this companies wood before, but I did talk to them on the phone.[link]http://specializedbalsa.com[/link] and they carry shaped leading edge stock, and they have no minimum order if I remember correctly.

BMatthews

The thing is that with so many different airfoils and construction methods unless the plans indicated a specific leading edge stock from a specific company the chances of the stock you buy being the proper shape are somewhere between slim and nil.

The time you put into researching and ordering such stock is far greater than the time it would take to make a thin plywood template of the shape needed and carve, block plane and sand a rectangular section of leading edge to shape. It just makes much more sense to just "roll your own" in this case.

If you have access to a table saw you can pre-shape the leading edge stock with some tangential angles cut into the leading edge stock. Then when doing the final shaping and sanding the basic shape is locked in by the tangential cuts and you merely need to round over the slight corners to blend the whole shape. This can be done with just a basic sanding block and a reasonable amount of attention to not getting carried away but sanding enough to get a smooth shape. And again, it's a lot less trouble and effort than trying to source a supplier of a specific shape needed for the specific airfoil.

AmishWarlord

My Feedback: (5)

Also don't waste your money on those sticks. They are a huge budget buster. Buy one of these Master Airscrew balsa stripers. It will pay for it self twice on this build alone. It will last you the rest of your life and it's easy to use.


12, 1/4x1/4x36" sticks $5.76

1, 1/4x3x36" sheet that you can cut into 12, 1/4x1/4x36" sticks $2.27

You save $3.49 just on these 12 sticks.



http://www.amazon.com/Master-Airscre...ata/B0000WS5OQ

skoda450

Thanks all. I jumped the gun and ordered the balsa including the sticks. I will shape my own LE as the ones available are not right or too expensive to order alone. Good advice on the stripper. I thought it would not work for 1/4 in sheets but thats the posted upper limit thickness. Probably make several passes to get the cut with consistant width at 1/4 in thick stock?
I'll add it to the wifes next free shipping Amazon order

AmishWarlord

My Feedback: (5)

depends on the grain of the wood. Usually a sharp #11 blade slices right through with no problem. The cool thing is that as the blade slices, the wood compresses around the blade and then springs back after the cut so the strips come out just as you set the cutter and you have no loss of wood to blade kerf.

BMatthews

I only like to use the slicing stripper for wood up to 1/8 harder stock or maybe 3/16 soft to medium stock. Thicker than that and you end up with the blade tending to wander and the edges being less than straight and square.

For thicker strip wood needs I'm seriously considering one of the cheaper tile cutting saws equipped with a 4 inch diameter .025 metal slitting saw blade.

skoda450

That's what I thought on the 3/16 thick and up stock. As far as the tile saw, you would need to cut a lot of strips to get your investment back.. Of course there is the convienence factor in that you would have a balsa store available with the right stock sheets available to cut-up. Who makes the saw you are considering?