Collaborate Disseminate
[DIY3DTech] likes using his Ortur laser cutter for balsa wood and decided to add an air assist system to it. Some people told him it wasn’t worth the trouble, so in the video below, he compares the results of cutting both with and without the air assist.
The air assist …read more
Continue reading Cutting Balsa Wood with Air (Oh, and a Laser)
It used to be that if you wanted to make a nice scale model of an airplane, you’d be building the frame out of thin balsa ribs and covering it all up with tissue paper. Which incidentally was more or less how they built most real airplanes prior to the …read more
Continue reading Recreating Classic Model Kits With Modern Tech
Balsa wood has long been revered for its strength and lightweight composition, two properties that make it ideal for building model structures and airplanes. Researchers from the US and China have managed to make balsa even stronger and more useful. They’ve found a way to change its structure, turning it into a carbon sponge that’s strong enough to withstand repeated mechanical strain, but light enough to sit atop a dandelion gone to seed.
Using common chemicals like lye and hydrogen peroxide, the scientists burned the hemicellulose and lignin fibers that make up balsa’s rectangular cell walls. Then they incinerated the …read more