Bandsawing balsa?

A friend asked me to bandsaw a 6" thick hunk of balsa for him (he's making a pattern for a mold). We'll only have one piece of material to work with, and if I destroy it, we'll be out of luck. So, I want to make sure I get it right the first time. I've never tried to cut balsa on the bandsaw before.

I've got a 1/2" 3 tpi timberwolf blade I use for resawing hardwood. Will this work on something as soft as balsa? Anything special I should know about working with balsa?

Until I see the block of material he shows up with and the shape he wants to make, I'm not even sure if we're talking rip or crosscut.

Reply to
Roy Smith
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NOOOOOOO!

Many teeth better bet. Balsa crushes too easily to risk low teeth/in.

Reply to
George

Imagine cutting a roll of toilet paper. Is just about that light and will fuzz up when you cut it probably. I'd cut it with ANY blade I might happen to have on may bandsaw at the time. I have a 5" block that was used on the space module (leftover/scrap) and it is amazingly light.

Reply to
Lawrence A. Ramsey

Yes.

Anything special I should

It's soft.

Reply to
CW

Hi Roy, I've cut more balsa (for model building) than hardwood, I use what ever blade is on the bandsaw at the time, from metal cutting blades to the

1/2" 3tpi blades, they all work fine, although the finetooth metal cutting blade cuts slower, also the balsa is easily replaced if you somehow destroy it,
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Larry Smith

Reply to
Larry Smith

Balsa is arguably the most easily cut wood with which you'll ever likely work.

Think 'hot knife through warm butter', and you'll be close.

Be aware that balsa dust is at least as fine as MDF dust, and lighter. Floats in the air _forever_ if you don't catch it at the source.

Cheers, Fred McClellan the dash plumber at mindspring dot com

Reply to
Fred McClellan

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