Reply With QuoteI'm no genius, but wood gets its strength from the grain, seems like if you cut the wood into little squares, you loose the grain.
Balsa fooring is pretty easy to do. The area to be covered must be 100% flat/smooth.
After wetting down a layer of mat and then laying down the balsa, (it comes bonded to a sheet and is very easy to handle), a good heavy rolling pin is used to roll the balsa flat and remove the bubbles. After it's kicked, start mixing the resin 'cause it soaks up a ton if it, and the final coat of mat/cloth cannot be applied until it's done sucking up the stuff.
No strength to it at all, except for the the minimal glass used to hold it in place, but it sure is beautiful to look at.
Rich,
When you say no strength, do you mean in a flooring application where it's not sandwiched between two sections of laminated glass? I had always thought that the orrgin of the stuff was a core type application for layup. A couple layers of glass, the core material, in this case balsa, and then a couple more layers of glass. Similar to the foam coring techniques a lot of the east coast cat guys use. Are there differences in the Parque stuff and the coring material you would use in the fashion described above?
Either way, as you stated, when it's done right, it sure is pretty.
Chris
I'm no genius, but wood gets its strength from the grain, seems like if you cut the wood into little squares, you loose the grain.
Kevin Felkins builds the canyon boats and he uses it.My canyon has it .His # is 209-518-7575.
Is that laminated floor any higher maintainance than say a flowed floor without the wood? Seems like the top covering is the same regardless if what is underneath the finish coat...........MP
The maintainance is the same as any floor but tha balsa is stronger.
I'm no genius, but wood gets its strength from the grain, seems like if you cut the wood into little squares, you loose the grain.
You are exactly right. The balsa is cut with the end grain up. (And lets not forget, it is balsa wood after all) Theres no longitudinal strength like youd have with a stringer, and theres not the strength you get with manufactured core mat or a honeycomb core center like the big boats use or whats used in water skis, all that tech slopped over from the areo space industry.
You can take a piece of the balsa and snap it like a potato chip. And after its been soaked with resin, you can snap it like a thick potato chip. Any strength comes from the glass its bonded to and maybe the glass thats encapsulating it. Its not like you can leave out a few layers of the lay-up and substitute it with balsa parquet.
The balsa floor is NOT stronger, maybe more dense, but if anything more delicate to deal with. Drop something heavy by accident in a boat with a balsa floor and you'll ding it like a surfboard. Do the same without the balsa and, who cares.
"End-cut" balsa, its available in 2x4 sheets in either 1/4-1/2" thickness
an easy route to go through is sur-fab in the city of Santa fe springs Ca, ask for Doug and he'll get you in the right direction, ive seen this stuff layed down w/ either a mat or even cabosyl,...but i think the mat is the way to go!
If Hal needs someone to walk him through the process, feel free to call the shop (626-991-9031)
Todd
I was told by Kevin Felkins that it was stronger so i guess he was wrong in what he told me.
Rich,
Certainly not trying to be arguementative, I'm sure you've forgotten more than I'll ever know, however when Ervin was building my boat, he put 1/2" balsa under the bow, and on top of each tunnel, and in the bottom of the sponsons for strength.
He gave me several little pieces of Balsa, and I still have them on my desk.
You are right in that it breaks very easily, but if you lay it on the floor, and step on it, it is impossible to smash, or even leave a shoeprint in.
It seems after seeing my boat built that as you stated, there is no longitudinal strength, but it sure makes somewhat flimsy "glass" rigid enough to walk on. I can walk across my deck and there is no give at all.
Can you explain how or why? Is it just the encapsulation?
Thanks,
Ken F
so whats a 2 by 4 sheet cost todd :rollside:
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