ljhmc

Does anyone have a simple way to strip balsa to cover a curved surface, such as a fuse. Without stripping there is littel contact when glueing the pecices together. I have tried sanding but not to clevar in the long run. If I use wood glue, by the time it is dry I may have the next strip ready to attach. I have tried to use a x-acto to trim but it is not always the same.

Any Ideas would be helpful

Lawerence

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

They sell a "stripping tool". It uses a #11 blade and you set it for the width of the strip you want. Make sure the edge of the sheet of balsa is straight and run the stripper down the sheet. I can make about 50 - 60 1/4" strips in about 10 minutes with one of these (and I am not hurrying either ).

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXAA63&P=7

ljhmc

This is true, my question deals with the angle of the cuts so the edges have more to hold to.

tonyc

My Feedback: (4)

Here is how I do it.

http://modelairplanenews.com/how_to/strip_plank1.asp

tonyc

SoCal GliderGuider

Though somewhat larger a matt knife used for picture framing can be set at various angles. At least the one I bought years ago does. I'll try to find it for the make and model and post it.

ljhmc

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you,

dicknadine

assume you are referring to the amount of angle on the side of the strip, on a circular fuselage,to give full contact with the next strip - rather than a 90 degree cut joint. the only way I know is to cut the strip alittle over size and then sand the bevel to match the mating strip as you move down the fuselage. glue one strip at a time. this will produce 100% joint contact. personally its not required, unless you want to be perfect. the dia of the fuselage makes a big difference also. it all requires trial and error to work. most mat cutters will only cut two angles, 45 and 90 degrees, I have made special ones with a 60 and 90 degrees. I used to be in the mat cutter manufacture business. you can do the same thing with a straight edge and a sharp razor knife. dick

old git

Thanks very much Tony. I have built planked fus's but without that much care. Soft balsa, thin narrow strips were good enough. That was a very long time ago. I've learned a lot from your reference and saved it for when I need the info'.

I will build with more care in future.

From another RCU string i learned about Lite Spackling. This has an equivalent here in UK, I found it from the description and trial and error. I use "Polycell NO Sanding Polyfilla" This is very light and easy to use and sand. It would be useful for the method of planking I used to use, plenty of gaps to fill.

I am back to modelling after 30+ years, things have moved along a tremendous amount. I have found answers to questions I didn't know existed. Thanks to the experts and the beginners I am more capable of building a model.

ljhmc

While doing construction and design I have always fallen into the mind set of "Shim to fit, Grout to fill" I also did not have to worry about weight.

I started the main fuse last night and this was with out any worry about angles. its not bad and there is very little to fill. Now all I need is to get my gear back and mounted so I can finish the bottom and do that most favorite of all things.....SAND.

Thanks guys

goatboy

what do you guys consider to be the widest plank to use? I have some plans that say to use 4" wide balsa sheets on the fuse. the average space between stringers is about an inch.

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

If you want to "SHEET" the fuselage, edge glue several sheets of balsa together (usually 1/16" or 3/32" ). When the glue is dry, wet the sheet of balsa and wrap it around the fuselage and secure in position with cloth strips about 1" wide (doesn't cut into the balsa like rubber bands or tear it up like pins do ) until the sheet is dry. Cut/fit the now curved sheet and glue in place. If this interests you, check out some of the online manuals at SkyShark http://www.skysharkrc.com/
on how they suggest handling compound curves.

If you want to "PLANK" the fuselage I would suggest strips about 3/16" - 1/4" wide. Narrower strips will look nicer and fit better, however, there is more work involved. Strips much over 1/4" wide are going to be very difficult to get to conform to compound curves and will not look as nice. You are also going to be doing a LOT of sanding AND filling to get the surface right.

Fragmentum

My Feedback: (8)

The last plank is easier if you cut into the last plank glued to create a long rectangle slot instead of trying to fit a triangular piece.

PlaneKrazee

My Feedback: (14)

This is exactly what I was looking for.

tucker1865

My Feedback: (6)

There are several ways to get a slight bevel on the edge of balsa. First, to get a straight piece, you can clamp the balsa between to hardwood pieces and sand it lightly. To get a bevel, you can tape or clamp the balsa to a piece of straight hardwood so that it is flush at the top. Now, just take a sanding block and run it along the top, touching the hardwood and beveled down and sand it to bevel. The hardwood will not sand as readily as the balsa and you will have the beveled balsa. It doesnt have to be hadrwood, any straight, hard material will work. Hope this helps. BTW We used to true the edge of wood with a plane by clamping them together and planing. If the angle is off, the other piece will be off the same and fit perfectly when joined.

Rodney

It is not hard to just use a metal straight edge and a sharp knife. Lay the straight edge on the sheet you are cutting the strips out of and just hold the blade at an angle while you cut the strip. A couple of practice strips will easily zero in on how much taper you need on the cut. When you cut the next strip, turn the blank over cut the second strip so that the angles are proper. A planked fuselage is probably a lot stronger and lighter than any other type except the stick and paper.