Model Bridge Design

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]