Many people ask “Where is the the best place to buy balsa wood online?” The best website I know of is Specialized Balsa LLC. The owner, Jake Zimmer, has been in the balsa business for years and knows what he is doing. Once I had Jake cut me some 1/32″ x 1/32″ sticks of Balsa [...]

There are several reasons you should cut your own strips of wood:

It saves money
It saves time
Helps you get familiar with the wood
Increases your skills as a builder

Video Tutorial

Video is about 4 minutes long.

DISCLAIMER:
I am not responsible for any injury caused by someone using this technique. I recommend that students cut strips of wood [...]

Now Updated and Expanded
Now you can download the 5 Steps to Building a Model Bridge PDF ebook. The ebook contains the expanded version of the outline below, plus a lot of helpful pictures. The ebook also contains 25 bonus tips.
Here is a condensed version of the table of contents:
#1: Know the rules!

Be able to define [...]

Balsa wood is unique from all other woods. Its properties make it valuable to bridge builders, wood carvers, surfers, and many others.

My favorite article about Balsa wood was taken down, but I found a copy of it at Archive.org.
Balsa or Basswood?
I have heard a lot of people claim that nobody should use Balsa. They claim [...]

The concept of stiffness is one I have been delving into this year. The stiffness of the wood you use directly translates into the strength of your bridge. Density no longer matters much, and is almost not worth calculating unless you can find a relationship between density and stiffness. I have not been able to [...]

1. Humidity affects the weight of your bridge. Keep your bridge in a closed container with a few grains of rice.
2. Go easy with the glue bottle. As a general rule of thumb, if you can see it than you are using too much.
3. Keep your hands clean! Oils and grease from your skin [...]

I have developed a system for bending wood for my arch bridges, and though I do not claim it is the best way, it works well for me.

I have a pot, or basin rather, that is about 18″ long and 12″ deep. I fill it with about two cups of water (I have found that [...]

I am constantly asked whether balsa is better than basswood. Here are some of my notes comparing the two woods.
Balsa is cheaper and more available than basswood. This means you can buy more wood, and build more bridges for the same amount of money. By building more, you will gain valuable experience and improve your [...]