balsa V basswood

[Ken-The-Woodman]

I'm new to planes but not to wood work. What are the pros and cons of balsa V basswood for scratch building? The plans for my Telemaster trainer should be here in three days. Looking forward to the build. I'm sure I will have a lot more questions before it's done. Woodman

 

[earthsciteach]

This is just a guess on my part, but the only drawback to basswood that I can think of is weight. Since it is stronger, you may be able to downsize members to offset that some.

 

[Bambua]

I tend to use basswood in my builds in specific areas where more strength is needed, landing gear blocks, servo rails things like that. Between balsa bass spruce and plywood they all have their uses. Usually the plans you are using will call out what type you are supposed to use for a specific area/use.

 

[AkimboGlueGuns]

Balsa=Lighter and more flimsy. Good for building complex structures which require bends and curves in the wood. Also good for sheeting and wing building.

Bass wood= Stronger and more rigid. Good for reinforcements and hard points. Most people use bass wood to sheet spars to keep them strong and light weight. I believe the most common use is the hard point for landing gear.

Good luck with all your future builds, and I hope this helps.

 

[Ken-The-Woodman]

Thanks for the input guys (can i still say guys or is that sexist?) Kinda follows my line of thought as far as strength V weight and I know bass is easy to work with and still fairly light.

 

[PeterGregory]

Bass is the new spruce. For almost everything in planes up to .60 ci size, most of the construction is typically balsa, for lightness.

Here is a good chat about balsa from our friends at Sig:

http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmart.exe/IndexInformVideosF.html?E+Sig

More than you want to know about spruce and basswood:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=443917

Dive in, let us know what happens!

 

[roversgonemad]

Why only plans for the Telemaster? I didn't know that Hobby Express had a plans only option? I know they have a plans/ribs option, but not a plans alone. I know for just the plans, you can get them for free on outerzone.

The Telemaster is a GREAT plane! My Sr. Telemaster is one of my favorites. With a 4 stroke 90 on the nose it will jump off the ground in about 2 feet with the flaps fully deployed.

I have several sets of plans I have printed from Outerzone, and a short kit waiting to be built.

Please be sure to do a build log when build the Telemaster.

 

[Ken-The-Woodman]

Like I said, I'm new to planes, so I bought the plans for the Telemaster and for a bi-plane on Ebay, didn't know that there were free ones out there. After a lifetime of working with wood I enjoy the challenge of scratch building. I have a scroll saw tablesaw, lots of clamps and plenty of time so I figured I would put it all to good use. If ya gave me some 4x4 blocks of bass & balsa i could take it from there as long as I have a good set of plans. Tired of building jewelry box ect. for all the in-laws and out-laws, thought I would build something for myself for a change. Hope my wife understands she won't be able to use the garage for a while. I have a tendency to forget about the camera until I'm done with a project but I'll try to do a build log. I know nothing about shrink film (sticking temp shrinking temp ect.) can you use a household iron and a hair drier? can someone point me to a info source on film?

 

[AkimboGlueGuns]

Monokote is the old school plastic covering and probably the easiest (most tear resistant) to work with. It comes in LOTS of different colors and is pretty readily available online or in most local hobby shops. As for shrinking tools, a household iron might work, but a hair dryer will not be hot enough. Try finding a heat gun. They're pretty cheap from harbor freight, and monokote irons are pretty reasonable new, but even cheaper when they're used. That being said, you'll probably want to monokote iron as it's a lot easier to work with and doesn't spray water.

 

[roversgonemad]

The household iron will work fine, it's just a little unwieldy.... For that reason, I recommend getting a covering iron. It's so much easier than hefting a clothes iron. You run a greater chance of grooving and denting the wood with a full size clothes iron.

As far as heat guns go, a blow dryer will work, particularly with the Econokote, but it won't shrink it as much as you can with a heat gun. On the flip side, you are a lot less likely to burn a hole in the covering...

As far as covering goes, Monokote is good, but for a first covering job, I actually recommend Econokote. The Econokote is a lower temp film, meaning that it adheres and shrinks at a lower temperature. I have also found it to be a bit more forgiving when covering compound curves. What you don't have with Econokote is as good of a color selection. Another plus for Econokote, it's a few bucks less per the same size roll. The Senior Telemaster will require a LOT of covering, it's a big plane! The beauty of it, it's got a lot of flat surfaces, making it a great plane to learn on. There are some pretty good YouTube tutorials for covering, so definitely check them out. The Towerkote from tower hobbies is okay as well, and even a few shekels less than the Econokote. With the Towerkote, I find I am reshrinking it a lot, it seems to sag in the sun and even when it gets fuel on it. That's one other caveat with Econokote; it tends to sag if you are going to run a gasoline engine, but does fine with glow fuel.

One other recommendation, depending on the age of the plans, it might show a one piece wing. If it does, I would definitely look into a two piece wing mod. I have a one piece wing Sr. Telemaster, and an 8' foot one piece wing can be a bear to transport!!

EDIT: Which Telemaster are you building? Is it the .40 size or the Sr. Telemaster?

Towerhobbies.com for covering film and all the other bits you will need. Feel free to ask lots of questions, this is a great forum, with some knowledgeable people.

 

[Ken-The-Woodman]

Plan says just Telemaster RC trainer, It's the .40 with a 71" wingspan and calls for .40-.60 motor. The other pan I'm getting is 1/6 scale Great Lakes Trainer 57" wing biplane. Think I'm going for the heat gun and film iron. Having the right tools always makes for a better and easier job. Thanks for the tips. Can't wait to start making some sawdust!

 

[Ken-The-Woodman]

My plans are for a Telemaster .40 with 71" wing span that calls for a .40 to .60 motor. The other plan I bought is for a 1/6 scale Great Lakes Trainer bi-plane with a 57" wing and calls for a .36 to .46 motor. Anything wrong with putting a .52 on both planes? I think I will go with the heat gun and film iron, things always go easier and better when using the right tools.

 

[AkimboGlueGuns]

A .52 will work great for the telemaster, but you are putting more power on the bipe than it was meant for. You mav have to do some reinforcements on the fuselage.

 

[Ken-The-Woodman]

Are bipe's harder to fly than other planes? Got deal on a trainer today, needs a little work but came with a complete field box including control panel, electric fuel pump, starter, 5 extra props in different sizes other assorted goodies all for $75. Figured I can learn how to crash with it befor I take something that I spent 20 hours on out for it's maiden flight. The bipe is suppose to weigh 7lbs. so what size motor should I put on it, I don't want to be under powered. I want to get as much as I can on my main order so I don't have to a bunch of orders and shipping charges.

 

[roversgonemad]

A biplane is a little more tricky to fly, due to the drag. They are often pitch sensitive as well. I have a Hog Bipe still in the box, that I need to build. It will be my first biplane that is not a foam plane. I would definitely get some stick time before flying the biplane. From what I have observed, most biplanes really like to snap when they stall (snap into a spin). I am sure there are some that are more docile, but the drag is inevitable, just because of all the extra frontal surface. Between the trainer and the Telemaster, you should get a lot of good stick time.

Great catch on the trainer! I love used glow planes. My Telemaster was actually picked up second hand. I bought the air frame for $20 and then paid $90 for a Magnum .91 four stroke. I had most of the other bits already laying around, so it is a pretty inexpensive plane.

The Telemaster .40 will really cook with a .52 on the nose. The original 8' Telemaster like mine, flew well with a .40. It wasn't aerobatic, but then the air frame was never designed for that type of flying. It was designed to lift things and fly slowly.

Here's a quick video of a flight of my Telemaster today. Notice that it has been modified with twin vertical, so a glider tail can over the back. The wing marking says GLV-1, e.g. Glider Launch Vehicle 1. I have a saddle that mounts on the top of the wing for piggy backing gliders.

I apologize in advance for the shakiness, it was my 8 yr old running the camera.

If you haven't already, post some pics of your trainer. Maybe you already have...

 

[Ken-The-Woodman]

Cool vid. and I think your boy did a great job! Plan to build and fly the Telemaster befor I build the bipe. Baby steps!!!! Figure I'll make most of the mistakes and set the learning curve on the easiest one. Thanks to all for the input. This seams to be a very friendly and helpfull sight, especially for a newcomer.
A few of the hinges have come loose on the trainer I bought, any advise on how to re-attach? They are 1/2" or so wide and slide into little slots, can I use Titebond and slip them back in place or do I need some other type of glue?

 

[roversgonemad]

If they are CA hinges you will need to get some thin CA (super glue, but hobby grade), and wick it into the slot while you hold the control surface in place. If they hinges, like a door hinge, I recommend 15 minute epoxy. If they are hinge style, a little petroleum jelly on the moving parts keeps the epoxy from gluing it solid. Just be sure you don't get the petroleum jelly on the surface you need to glue.

Here's a video on CA style hinges.

Here's one for a typical Dubro hinge. The hinge glue he mentions is no longer available, but you can use canopy glue or the epoxy. I personally have always used epoxy on this style hinge. The hinges in this video are probably a lot larger than what you have, but the principal is the same. You can also add a toothpick through the wood and through the hinges, so they can't pull out again. Just be sure to seal up the holes you make in the covering, so you don't get fuel under the covering.

Hinges are definitely something you want to be sure are good. A failed control surface will almost always result in a crash when you are first learning to fly.

 

[Ken-The-Woodman]

I've got to repair the CA type hinge but think I will go with the pin type on my new builds. Like the toothpick idea, that makes a lot of sense. Got my two sets of plans today, a little bit intimidated at first glance but then I felt that way about driving too. Think if I take it slow and easy I'll be okay.

 

[Ken-The-Woodman]

Telemaster build

Update on my first balsa build. No major problems so far, learning a lot as I go. Second half of the wing went a lot faster and smoother than the first half. NowI'm learning about covering, more photos to follow.

 

[PeterGregory]

You're really cooking along - nice build.