Filler block material

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Rcflyer

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Hi All....I see videos of great builders adding wood between bulkheads to aid in construction.
What wood works best for this application....? It seems to help in planking but wood must be sanded to proper shape...balsa too soft and planks don't stick very well...
Thanks in advance...
 
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Rcflyer said:
Hi All....I see videos of great builders adding wood between bulkheads to aid in construction.
What wood works best for this application....? It seems to help in planking but wood must be sanded to proper shape...balsa too soft and planks don't stick very well...
Thanks in advance...
Click to expand...
Well, I have to disagree with your assessment of balsa as a filler. I use it all the time. If you choose your balsa carefully (don’t buy dead soft) and be aware of how you Align the grain between the bulkheads it works fine.
Judging buy your user name I would think you know the in’s and outs of balsa.
 
Hi RcFlyer, I use basswood, which sands well and is easy to form. I buy it in various size blocks for wood carving so always have a supply on hand. The quality of basswood varies but for filler blocks a local supplier will probably have what you need.

If you do a search on “filler blocks” you will find other modellers use a variety of woods, balsa, basswood, pine etc.
 
Thanks guys...I tried balsa but don't remember the position.....had trouble with cy holding.
I will pay attention next time.... I'm guessing balsa is cheeper than basswood.
Really appreciate the responses,.......thanks again..
 
I agree with basswood. Easy to buy, shapes well, glues to bulkheads and sands easily. From experience don’t use birch to hard. Note to make sure the bulkheads stay in position and not bend the keel along with everything else
 
Rcflyer said:
Hi All....I see videos of great builders adding wood between bulkheads to aid in construction.
What wood works best for this application....? It seems to help in planking but wood must be sanded to proper shape...balsa too soft and planks don't stick very well...
Thanks in advance...
Click to expand...
Balsa works great! And easy to shape! Reconsider.Nuestra_197.jpgNuestra_196.jpgNuestra_252.jpgNuestra_263.jpgNuestra_289.jpg
 
Rcflyer said:
Thanks guys...I tried balsa but don't remember the position.....had trouble with cy holding.
I will pay attention next time.... I'm guessing balsa is cheeper than basswood.
Really appreciate the responses,.......thanks again..
Click to expand...
super glues do not like solft pores wood becauce it soaked in and does not produce a bond between pieces.
any of the soft woods like Balsa, basswood, willow, poplar, Alaskan cedar, pine even dense foam board

zoltan used dense foam board

foam.JPG
 
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Rcflyer said:
Hi All....I see videos of great builders adding wood between bulkheads to aid in construction.
What wood works best for this application....? It seems to help in planking but wood must be sanded to proper shape...balsa too soft and planks don't stick very well...
Thanks in advance...
Click to expand...
I use lumber yard spruce 1x 3. Cheap, easy to cut, sand , carve and glue, and holds nails well.
 
In my opinion, it depends. If you're just filling the bow and stern sections, pine or basswood. You could use both of those woods as fill pieces between every bulkhead, but depending on the size of your ship you need to consider what that translates in weight and if that is important to you.

You can find quality balsa wood which is much denser than the inexpensive stuff. It cost about twice as much as the cheap stuff, but it absolutely sands well enough to fare your hull, offer bulkhead and plank support. I just cut it to a "friction fit" between the bulkheads then paint it with PVA. Ensure the balsa extends beyond the bulkheads and fare it down. Then brush on a light coat of PVA on the outside of the entire hull and your planks will stick like glue.

I found the balsa wood I used on the site below.

Balsa Wood Blocks -- Specialized Balsa Wood, LLC

Specialized Balsa Wood -- Balsa blocks are cut from the trunk of a balsa tree. There are rays and rings that determine many strength characteristics such as flexibility, ridged ness, and brittleness. The sawmills must also cut around the center of the tree (core) since it cannot be used for...
specializedbalsa.com

Good luck!
Ken
 
I've been wondering this myself, thinking ahead to the MarisStella Ragusian Carrack, which will be my first and last plank on frame ship. I thought I'd try pieces of pine and 2x4's I have laying around from full size projects.
 
I think pine will be too hard to fair the bulkheads and pushing nails into the hard wood may be troublesome. Bent nails and dented wood are what I experienced using harder wood that the balsa or similar wood.
 
I use balsa blocks for fillers. One thing I do to help with glue is to coat the balsa with matte polyurethane after final shaping and sanding. The poly fills the grain and adds a surface that helps glue stick to the balsa well.
 
Balsa worked for me.

Gluing in balsa blocks. It looks messy but it gets better.
053 Begin Filling Hull With Balsa Blocks.jpg

Rough sanded to shape. Filler is used to fill low spots and then sanded. Then planking starts.
086 Rough Sanding Complete.jpg

Hull after first planking and fine sanded. Curves are uniform with no hard bends that betray the location of any bulkheads and there are no flat spots.
193 Sanding Complete, 120 Grit.jpg
 
rtibbs said:
Well, I have to disagree with your assessment of balsa as a filler. I use it all the time. If you choose your balsa carefully (don’t buy dead soft) and be aware of how you Align the grain between the bulkheads it works fine.
Judging buy your user name I would think you know the in’s and outs of balsa.
Click to expand...
never use BALSA WOOD. Only in some cases on the bow, with little free space, balsa stick can be used. for the Hull forget it. Last week and now here on this page, some horrible cases.
 
El Capi said:
never use BALSA WOOD. Only in some cases on the bow, with little free space, balsa stick can be used. for the Hull forget it. Last week and now here on this page, some horrible cases.
Click to expand...
To each his own.
Balsa works fine for me and is very easy to sand to the desired shape and glue sticks well to it.
 
Basswood is the best choice in my opinion too.
Its hard enough to give a good substructure. Its easy and fast to work with, if you use good rasps. It gives a good feedback, so you don't overdoe the removal of substance.

Albachi must be also very good but it's not so easy to get.

Balsa is too weak. It gives no good fastening and it gives poor resistance to work with. So you easy overdoe it and remove too much substance.

Poplar plywood is easy to get in hardware stores and works also pretty well.

Cheers, Alexander
 
Make up your mind El Capi.
In post #2 you gave a thumbs up regarding my comments on using balsa.
Then in post 16 you say “ Never use BALSA WOOD”
Post #17 you state “A hell lot of work”

Frankly I don’t give a rats a** what you use.
For over 50 years of model building it works for me.
 
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