mmattockx

Does anybody living North of the 49th have a good supplier for contest balsa? Things I would like in order of importance are quality of the wood, consistency, service and price. I have heard many glowing reviews of Dynamic Balsa in the US, but shipping up here is somewhat painful for anything bigger than a letter.


Thanks,
Mark

BMatthews

Are you looking for consistently graded 4-6 lb stock for free flights or just generally decent wood? My LHS close by only brings in what they CALL contest balsa since the only folks that still build around here are a few specialty folks like us free flighters and the special folks like the 1/2A gang and "those" roundy-round folks that are still making models. But while the wood they have in stock is nice it's not consistently contest grade in that the weights seem to float from 4'ish lb to 8'ish lb stock and some of the grain structures are all over the chart. But if I was to grab a handful at random it would all be good for something and about 1/3 to 1/2 would be stuff that I'd select for my own use. If you need something better than that I suspect you're stuck.

mmattockx

Well, some of both. For a scratch build profile plane I would like to use nice even grain 8lb stock or so. For a Pattern or IMAC aircraft I would like to use 4-6lb stock. I have heard so many great reports about Dynamic balsa that I was hoping for an equivalent mail order supplier up here. Too bad about that. I guess I will contact Dynamic and see about shipping rates to Canada...

On a more positive note, I opened up a box of hobby stuff that has been closed through 2 moves - and found about 2 dozen really nice sheets of 3/32"x4"x48" balsa tucked away inside! Made my whole weekend...


Mark

BMatthews

AFAIK, for stuff that's graded like that you'll need to go south of the border to the specialty places. Even with the exchange and shipping it'll be less than you'd pay off the rack here in Canada. See if anyone else wants to get in with your order. Check on the brokerage fees and max out the best bang for the buck. It's those darn fees that really messes things up.

mmattockx

Indeed. The biggest thing to do is stay away from the courier companies (UPS included), they charge ludicrous "fees" (I call it outright robbery) to handle stuff across the border. If it can be shipped USPS, then you only pay a $5 fee for Canada Customs and whatever GST is due. It takes a couple of days longer, but I can live with that given the money saved.


Mark

BMatthews

You'd have to see if the outfits are willing to ship that way. If so then it's worth it even if it costs a little more for shipping.

I'd suggest that you could call the local shop that has a nice selection (Norburn Hobbies) but the prices are nutz compared to the mail order specialty places. It's not their fault as all the other stuff is priced very competitively. It's just that they get charged that much from the wholesaler and have to pass it on.

mmattockx

Hey Bruce,

Thanks for the input. I am going to contact Dynamic and see what they say about shipping. I am actually in decent shape for wood for the next couple of scratch builds I can see coming. After those, though, I plan on a couple of 80" planes and I will need a box load of wood for those. If anything good comes of it, I will post it here.


Mark

mmattockx

Bruce,

I e-mailed Dynamic Balsa and got a very quick reply. They will ship orders by USPS Air Parcel Post, with the only restriction being that the wood cannot be longer than 36". That is excellent news and I am going to give them a try for my next order of balsa. I have heard nothing but excellent reports on them, so it is worth a shot to get quality wood without a lot of grief sorting through a pile of junk at the LHS.

http://www.dbalsa.com/


Mark