"Can we conifer about this? I think the answer is rather deciduous in nature. 
"
"Lotsa chuckles reading this thread! 
"
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You're not mulch without a sense of humus!
Sticks
Jerry
I used balsa years ago in model plane making, to set on fire and crash off the garage
roof, but for me I think it is too soft and flexible in structure building. I use basswood
(whatever that is...I looked it up an Wikepedia and thought the answer kind of vague...
i don't know what a "bass" tree looks like and could not find out) What I could learn
was that it was from some kind tree(s) in the northern part of the country.
Focus, fellas, focus...he only wanted to know the correct pronunciation.
bass·wood
(băswd′) Like the fish American Heritage
For those that are interested in what Basswood actually is.
Originally Posted by banjoflyer:
Mark
This looks like the display in our Micheal's "wood crafts" dept., where I've bought my bass wood.
Originally Posted by Jim Policastro:
Mike,
Actually, those look like balsa wood, not basswood (as in the fish).
Collectively, stripwood or scale lumber is the term for the small dimensioned wood found in hobby shops.
Sometimes the basswood is called hardwood (incorrectly, actually) to differentiate it from the very soft balsa.
Shops with an especially good assortment may also have actual hardwood such as oak or walnut in their stripwood department.
To make life more difficult (
) stripwood may be found in fractional sizes such as 1/16" x 1/4", or in scale lumber sizes such as 2x4s, 4x4s etc. in HO or other scales which may or may not be simple fractions of actual inches depending on the scale.
Jim
Jim,
Your description is what our local hobby stores call it.
Just how soft is Balsa wood?? Part of the final paint and assembly of this project with my grandson was sanding and filling small scratches/cuts in his model. Finger nails can easily scratch/gouge the wood. These cars are powered by a CO2 cartridges, and can go 50 MPH. They are light weight Balsa wood. Technology Student Association TSA event at the Pittsburgh Technical Institute.
Originally Posted by Moonman:
Focus, fellas, focus...he only wanted to know the correct pronunciation.
bass·wood (băswd′) Like the fish American Heritage
True, Moonman, true...LOL But I've actually enjoyed reading all the other background, of which I was not even aware. Good stuff.
To throw a monkey wrench into the works, balsa is the HARDwood in this discussion. It is really classified as a hardwood even though it's physically soft, because of the type of tree that it is.
Hobby Lobby has balsa (as in your photo) and basswood, in strips and bags. I buy it every
so often. I use balsa less that basswood.
It's pronounced like the fish. (I always thought that the musical "bass" was a silly pronunciation, anyway.)
In N.America the wood is generally referred to as linden, lime or basswood; in G.Britain
it is generally called lime or linden. The "lime" is not from the citrus fruit tree; coincidence.
All this stuff is available on the newfangled InterWeb - see Wikipedia, for example.
That is correct, it is American Linden. I asked my son, who is a certified arborist.There is a Linden tree next door. It makes a mess in the spring, but very nice models all year!
Don
I just got my first smart phone. I scanned the barcode and this is what came up.
Midwest Balsa Stickes 3/32in x 3/8 in x 36 inch. Kind of cool I could scan the barcode from my monitor.
Originally Posted by D500:
It's pronounced like the fish. (I always thought that the musical "bass" was a silly pronunciation, anyway.)
That's known as a heteronym...
Jerry
Well, some of what I understood was correct...Wisconsin and Minnesota were identified as sources. I just noticed that the 1/4" square strips I get at Lowe's are marked as "poplar". They seem harder than basswood, which I now know is not
crushed and compacted fishbones sealed with a cement
. I had wondered if maybe
it was aspen, which I have found was very light when used as firewood, seemingly as
light as balsa. And I thought aspen was a type of poplar, but will defer to the arborist
cited above.
Poplar is a nice wood, but many times has light green streaks in the grain. It is a semi-hardwood, used for furniture, cabinets,(places where the wood is structural but hidden), modeling and moldings which will be painted. It can be stained, but those green streaks tend to stand out. I believe Poplar and Aspen are related, but I'd have to ask my son the arborist.
Don
Originally Posted by D500:
.... (I always thought that the musical "bass" was a silly pronunciation, anyway.) ...
Then you'd really appreciate the pronouncing of the musical term timbre (pronounced tam-ber)!!!
Jim
Just had a flashback from being a Wood Shop Teacher!!!!
The term BALSA,
Being a deciduous angiosperm, balsa is classified as a hardwood despite the wood itself being very soft. It is the softest commercial hardwood. The trees are harvested after six to 10 years of growth. The name balsa comes from the Spanish word for "raft".
The term BASSWOOD,
The basswood tree isn't one of the most famous trees in North America. To some it might sound like a type of fish or an guitar-centric rock band. The truth is, basswood produces a lightweight wood that is perfect for carving or for inexpensive trim around the home. There are certain identifying signals that tip off that a certain tree is indeed a basswood.
Basswood trees are very large. They are hardwood, or deciduous trees that can reach in the neighborhood of 60 feet all the way up to 130 feet tall. Typically the tree will sprout out of the trunk with two or more stumps, making it somewhat easy to identify. Besides growing naturally from pollination, the basswood tree is often hand planted in residential areas.
If you really want them to look at you strange, ask for planked Tilia Americana (The proper name for Bass Wood.) These trees have lifespans measured in centuries.
Don't ask me how I know this... my brain is a repository of random facts. However, my trivia team, Comfortably Dumb appreciates it. LOL
