where to get hobby plywood

basslord1124

Master member
So plan on starting the Corsair build here soon and I've been wondering about the plywood spar pieces and where to get it that I can cut it.

As of right now, I have some local craft/hobby retailers that I can check out but not sure if I will be successful.

1st one is Hobby Lobby. I know they have balsa pieces, but I kinda fear balsa won't be strong enough for the spar. It's been a while since I was there and I am not sure if they have any other types of wood.

2nd is JoAnn Fabric...they have balsa and basswood selection, but I'm not sure if they have anything that I can cut to use for the spar pieces.

3rd is Hobbytown USA...last time I was there it was only balsa sheets, sticks, etc.

I will definitely still re-check these places though just to make sure. But where do you all go to get hobby plywood? Do you get it online? If so, what places do you go to?
 

mayan

Legendary member
I think that balsa can work not as good as plywood but if you take a 3mm sheet of balsa and laminate both sides of the FB spar I think you’ll be fine.
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
So plan on starting the Corsair build here soon and I've been wondering about the plywood spar pieces and where to get it that I can cut it.

As of right now, I have some local craft/hobby retailers that I can check out but not sure if I will be successful.

1st one is Hobby Lobby. I know they have balsa pieces, but I kinda fear balsa won't be strong enough for the spar. It's been a while since I was there and I am not sure if they have any other types of wood.

2nd is JoAnn Fabric...they have balsa and basswood selection, but I'm not sure if they have anything that I can cut to use for the spar pieces.

3rd is Hobbytown USA...last time I was there it was only balsa sheets, sticks, etc.

I will definitely still re-check these places though just to make sure. But where do you all go to get hobby plywood? Do you get it online? If so, what places do you go to?
I use a fair bit of plywood and unless you have a weight requirement or some other limitation I just either use off cuts from building sites or just buy a 1200 x 2400 x 3mm size sheet from the local hardware! Often I can even get structural grade ply in large sheets that use hardwoods as part of their lamination. Superior strength and only a little extra weight. I have never folded a set of wings that I have used the cheap ply to make dihedral braces!

Have fun!
 
M

MCNC

Guest
Most of the plywood I find in the hobby sections of those stores seems very flexible and is mostly 3ply. Should we be looking for thicker more ridged?
 
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Mr.Grinch

Well-known member
The craft ply at Hobby Lobby is adequate for our DTFB builds, but the actual aircraft ply that was used in balsa kits is much harder to come by now. I’m looking to stock up on an order from Tower Hobbies which is one of the few places you can still find It. If you want the better 5-7 ply birch aircraft ply, you can still find a few places online that carry it.
 

Jaxx

Posted a thousand or more times
I got mine at Michael's Craft Store. 1/8 X 12 X 24 inch craft plywood. Look for the coupon on their website (40-50% off one item). I paid 2 dollars and some change for one sheet.....might have been closer to 3 dollars, after taxes, but still not bad. I can make several spars from one sheet. The other place I buy from is Amazon, but you typically have to purchase larger numbers to get a "good" price.
 
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Keno

Well-known member
balsausa.com - For AC plywood. This source for other countries would [probably be expensive for shipping. Note: Lite Ply doses not make good firewalls, AC would be your better choice.
 
M

MCNC

Guest
My interest in plywood was since I go through alot of firewalls, about to run out when I found this in a different section of Michaels.
 

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elymw

New member
I've found 1/8" plywood in the crafts aisle of my local Dollar Tree (I'm in Canada). Huh, you say? The secret is they aren't retangular: they are pre-cut into various shapes (stars, hearts, banners, etc) and are intended for painting and decorating. When my daughter was 5, she had a birthday party where they decorated small plywood Christmas ornaments (she's a November baby) and we were still finding and cleaning up glitter glue in January. Anyways, they have plaques (roughly 6x14" irregularly shaped) that I can get 3x14" clear pieces out of fairly easily using a tablesaw. They also have arrows (roughly 5x12", again irregularly shaped) I can get 2x11" clear pieces. I cut the offcuts from these down to 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" strips for use in the future. The other shapes are bigger (in area, perhaps as large as 10" in both directions) but their irregular shapes don't make it easy to get large pieces out of them, but they are still good for firewalls and other formers.

I've also found that Dollarama also has ~5" square 1/16" plywood, 4 to a package, also for $1.25 CAD.

Neither of these is obviously "aircraft grade" but you don't always need that...
 

basslord1124

Master member
Wow, lots of great suggestions...thanks so much! I do recall looking at Dollar General before and they did have some wood pieces I could use for some things...but don't really remember seeing anything long enough for this spar piece. I will definitely check out some other dollar stores though.

@Jaxx and @MacClarkNC ...I completely forgot we have a Michaels. It's a little more of a drive but I'll keep an eye out for it, if I'm ever down that way.

@mayan ...yeah I would think a thicker balsa would work. The problem I have now is I've got a decent collection of balsa/plywood scraps but nothing that is long enough to use for this spar piece. I suppose I could glue some scraps together. :unsure:

I'll double check my stock, see how big of a piece I am going to need, and check out my options. My father-in-law says he's probably got some got thin plywood around too. Again thanks everyone for the responses! :)
 

kilroy07

Legendary member
If you want true 3/32 plywood (what's called for in the plan) then you are going to have to go through specialist/hobby shops.
(at least that's what I've found.)

If however, you just want something "close" I think @Jaxx might have the best option (one I might try out after my (soon to arrive) stash runs out. (Thanks Jaxx!) (y)(y)

You might also look for 1/8" plywood at your local home depot/menards.
I ended up having to special order it, so I bought 3 4'x8' sheets since there was a handling fee... came in at just under $50 for all three sheets.
I'll break these down to 16x24" sheets to fit in the laser, it'll make a TON of firewalls! ;)

1/8" is a tad thicker than 3/32, but I think there's a WIDE margin for some additional weight in the corsair, after all, I've packed mine with LEDs and it flies great! It should work for firewalls as well...
 

Jaxx

Posted a thousand or more times
@basslord1124 and @kilroy07,
Glad it was helpful! I have been using 1/8" plywood anywhere FT calls for plywood reinforcement, and have never had a problem with weight. I use my Harbor Freight Scroll Saw to cut it for the appropriate application, and have never had an issue. In fact, I believe the 1/8" plywood holds up better in crashes.