Substitute for spruce
 

Hello to all.
Can anyone suggest a wood suitable to substitute for spruce? Living in Chicago, one would think it should be easily found. I have tried several specialty wood shops, lumber yards and, of course the mega-home supply stores as Home Depot, Lowes and Menards. When the clerk asks what you need it for, the answer is always "Have you tried a hobby shop?"

They have a huge selection of oak, poplar, maple, aspen and clear pine. The pine is knot free and seems very sturdy. The aspen does also.

This is going to be used in a 40% airplane so the fuselage longerons are very long. (almost 7 feet) The designer recommends ripping a 7 foot plank into required sizes.

Any advice here is greatly appreciated. I have all the accessories, servos. hardware and a new engine here and ready to begin building. I just don't have the wood. I'm sure you all can see the problem that presents. Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer.

Jim :confused:

Substitute for spruce
 

Try this Jim:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo.../menus/wp6.php

Substitute for spruce
 

Mike,

Thank you for the lightning fast reply. I knew there had to be a site to purchase spruce. The website you have supplied has all I could possibly ask for. Thank you.

Jim

Substitute for spruce
 

I often substitute a select grade of white pine for spruce with almost identical results. If you carefully choose close/straight grained sections with no knots, it works very well. You do have to look over lots of lumber to find good selections and often only portions of a board is useable for our needs.

Substitute for spruce
 

Rodney,

Home Depot out here has a premium grade of white pine. The grain runs straight and because of it's premium rating, there are no knots in an 8 foot length. The wood is sanded extermely smooth and is usually pretty straight without having to sort through dozens of boards. It definately differs from the the construction grades. You can take your thumb nail and easily make a mark in the construction grades. The premium takes a lot of pressure and your nail will not penetrate very far if at all. I can tell this is a harder and tighter grained than the lesser grades. I don't know the specific stress factors between spruce and white pine, but judging from the hardness, it can't be much of a difference. Sounds like it may be worth a try.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I have just past through Titusville this past March. I was going from Orlando to Daytona Beach and was given an alternative route that took me through your neck of the woods. We are moving to the West Palm Beach area within a year. I will have to look into some clubs in that area.

Thanks again,
Jim

Substitute for spruce
 

Jim,

My dad flies out of WPB. He's with a club called the West Palm Beach SkyHawks. They have a very nice field with a paved runway. Give them a look.

PS, glad the website helped.

Substitute for spruce
 

Mike,

Thanks for the second lead. I will give them a visit after the move. The local hobby shops in that area should be able to steer me in their direction. Glad to hear the runway is paved. Some of the houses we have looked at in that area called The Acreage have unpaved roads, but do provide lots larger than an acre. It's up to the people living on that street to pave their own roads. But, it does provide privacy.

Thanks,
Jim

P.S. Any opinions on white pine, or do you prefer to leave the opinions to the members?

Substitute for spruce
 

White pine is okay if it is carefully scrutinized.

Mace Gill
The Aeroplane Works

Substitute for spruce
 

Jim,
If you have a Hobby Lobby around there give it a try. They carry it in CO.

Substitute for spruce
 

Sorry, no opinion on Pine vs Spruce

(See everybody? I DON'T have an opinion on EVERYTHING! :D )