Balsa Wood Toy Glider - Rubber Band Powered Airplanes

Balsa is the most versatile of the hobby woods. Native to South America these sixty foot trees are grown on large plantations. The wood is lightweight and strong. South Americans have been using balsa for boat and raft building since antiquity. Anyone who can recall Thor Heyerdahl's Kon Tiki adventures will know of his successful attempt to reach the Polynesian Islands from South America on a balsa raft.

Balsa's fine grain combined with its strength and light weight have made it valuable for a great number of uses. Its heat retention ability has made it useful for insulating refrigerator and ship holds. It is used in aircraft to reduce vibration. Surfboards and life preservers have also been manufactured from balsa wood.

Crafters and hobbyists find balsa very easy to cut and carve, making it ideal for a multitude of projects. It can also be painted or stained any color the hobbyist desires. Its greatest value for hobbyists is undoubtedly in the construction of model airplanes. Free flight , control line, and radio control aircraft are all made primarily from balsa wood. Other uses for this versatile wood include model boat building and dollhouse construction, as well as many other craft projects. Model railroaders can use balsa for scratch-building houses and other structures, bridges, and structural support for scenery.

Balsa wood qualities of lightness, strength, and ease of working make it an ideal material for use in building balsa wood airplanes. Sheets are used to fashion wings, strips the fuselage. In stick built model kits the strips are glued together for form all parts of the aircraft and then covered with tissue, fabric or other suitable covering.

Balsa wood can be purchased at hobby and craft stores in sheets and strips in various thicknesses and widths. Balsa wood airplane kits should be available from any good hobby shop.

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