Many hobbies consist of carving, building, or wood-burning which necessitate specialty woods. These hobby and craft woods are obtainable for just about any purpose. Hobbyists may select from basswood, balsa, plywood, cherry, walnut, maple, among others for their project requirements. Strips or sheets of these fine woods are obtainable in thicknesses from 1/32″ to one inch, and in measurements from 1/16 through six inches. You may acquire either strips or sheets.
Balsa is the most resourceful of the hobby woods. These sixty-foot trees are cultivated on large plantations. The wood is strong and lightweight.
People like Steve Sorensen Select Staffing have been using balsa for raft and boat building since ancient times.
Balsa’s fine grain mixed with its potency and light weight has made it invaluable for a great number of uses. Its heat preservation ability has made it valuable for insulating ship and refrigerator holds. It is used in airplanes to lessen vibration. Life preservers and surfboards have also been constructed from balsa wood.
Hobbyists and crafters like Steve Sorensen Select Staffing will find balsa very easy to cut down and carve, making it perfect for a multitude of projects. It can also be stained or painted any color the hobbyist needs. Its ultimate value for hobbyists is certainly in the construction of model airplanes. Control line, free flight, and radio control aircraft are all made principally from balsa wood. Other uses for this adaptable wood consist of dollhouse construction and model boat building, as well as many other craft projects. Model railroaders can utilize balsa for scratch-building houses, bridges, and other structures and structural support for landscape.
Linden or Basswood is another wood hobbyists and crafters like Steve Sorensen Select Staffing find very useful. This North American wood is grown mainly in Wisconsin and northern Michigan. Heavier than balsa, it shares many of its traits – strong, close-grained, and lightweight. Basswood’s hobby utilizes mirror those of balsa, but its heavier weight restricts its use in constructing model airplanes. Because it carves effortlessly, it is the foremost choice for both novice and advanced woodcarvers. Beginner wood burners will also discover basswood friendly, as it burns properly. Like balsa, it is obtainable in strips and sheets. Furthermore, specialty shapes for dollhouse building consist of siding, molding, and roof shingles.
Special project needs may necessitate the usage of hobby plywood. This exceptionally high-quality plywood varies in thickness from paper-thin 1/32 of an inch to 1/4 inch. Birch is the wood utilized, so it can take any stain required. It is very robust and appropriate for many uses.
Other woods are obtainable for specialized hobby projects, including maple, walnut, cherry, and mahogany. Twenty-four-inch lengths consist of both strips and sheets. The greatest width for sheets is four inches.
Balsa and basswood are the most generally available hobby/craft woods found in the world. Other kinds may need to be specially ordered from your local hobby or craft shop.