Hey Crosscheck...nice to hear from you..!
Yes, the trial and tribulations of being stupid...this time with wood selection. I would say that I know better than to use this stuff in a 3/8 HP plane, but the video just doesn't lie.
Epic Fail X 2 at the 1/2 A level is kind of hard to be at fault for, but I've proven that if you keep trying, anything is possible. In a way, this "BIG" 1/2 A plane puts more stress on the firewall with quick changes in direction but all I was doing was gentle stuff.
You are correct about this grainless wood, it will just drink thin CA until it weighs as much as Spanish tile and it will still be fragile.
Back in the day there were solid balsa fuselage plane models called "Log Planes" and I believe they just used solid logs of this super light, punky wood to quickly shape a plane, then core out a tunnel inside the carving, leaving generous thickness on the walls of the fuselage. I've held one of the planes and it was amazing how light it was.