Okay, What Do YOU Call These Little Pieces of Wood

Micro Mark refers to it as "scale lumber".

Looks like balsa wood with a UPC code to me.

shims, scrap, kindling?

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

 

Any Hobby Lobby has a HUGE selection of "Balsa" as well as "Bass" (like the fish) wood. 

They are either Bass wood or Balsa wood. 

 

Bass wood is a semi hard wood while Balsa is a soft wood. 

 

Not ot sure of what you are asking.

My first impulse, "Kindlings".

As a long-time (since 1952) model airplane builder, I hereby identify that wood as balsa.  As to what it's used for in those lengths I'm pretty sure it ain't model airplanes.

 

Pete

Another vote for balsa wood. Balsa is open grain. Basswood is closed grain and much finer finish. Balsa would be fine for framing, not so good for exterior detailing.

 

Pete

Mixing sticks (paint)    

 

Mike; I call them "little pcs. of wood"

 

 

I'll have to remember that next time I pop into my LHS.  Geez, go back to bed!!  

Kapplar lumber is where most of my scale dimensional lumber was purchased. It's listed on the Scenery forum, source list.  Links to the list, I believe most of what Kapplar offers is basswood. The order sheet details both scale size and actual dimension.

 

Kapplar lumber used on this turntable bridge. Interesting to note that Kapplar made a cross tie (dimensional piece) that actually fit between the Atlas cross ties and was the same height.  Important part of this project, IMO.  

That's where I get or have gotten the vast majority of scale lumber, stripwood, whatever you want to call it.  Kappler also does sell pine and red cedar scale lumber.

 

BTW, Midwest also sells basswood that has a UPC code at the one end.  What's in the picture appears to be, yes, balsa wood.

 

Lastly, if those hobby shops don't know what basswood or stripwood is then you need to find a better hobby shop.

I'll go with everyone else. Looks like balsa to me. Bass wood has almost no noticeable grain, and is more towards the white side.  I am fortunate in that the ACE hardware store, 5 blocks from me carries a pretty good balsa and bass wood rack. So I just pick out what I want. I've tried ripping my own stuff, even bought a small table saw, and I just cant get a decent cut. If you can cut the stuff, a good cheap source is paint stirring sticks and wooden yard sticks.

Add my name to the 'It's balsa, bubba.' list...

 

At our shop (LHS) all of our stripwood, sheet, plywood, blocks is located in the RC Airplanes area.  Our kiosk contains balsa, basswood, spruce, cherry, walnut strips.  The first two are most popular;the third, mostly used by the 'lawn dart' (RC airplane) crowd (stronger when flexed); the latter, by wood ship builders, doll house furniture makers, etc..

 

We sell dimensional (HO...1X2, 2X4, etc.) lumber by Northeastern Scale Lumber, Kappler in packets.

 

I'm sorry, but that a LHS clerk doesn't understand the difference between balsa and bass wood is, well, surprising, if not a tad scary.  Ah, well, but just ask the younger generation the difference between cassette and 8-track.....   (Say WHA', bro'?) 

 

Doubly sorry....none of this really surprises me anymore.

 

 

 

If the guy at your LHS doesn't know where the Bass and balsa wood is, ask him where they keep the Kite sticks. Believe it or not I've run into this situation more than a few times.

When I go into a new store and don't know where this stuff is, I just ask" "Do you carry balsa wood and the like?"  Seems to cover it.

 

And then of course, there is the everything store:

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb...ld-keywords=basswood

Actually if your Hobby shop doesn't know the difference, run for the door.

Balsa wood is very light and lacks structure with large grain density wood, it is great for airplane models for its light weight characteristics.

Basswood is a much stiffer product and great for scratch building bridges and for building stronger buildings or structures. I use it everywhere on the layout.

bass wood is mainly used for carving because of its tight grain structure. Balsa is used for structural work where weight and size matter.. Balsa, pound for pound is one of the strongest woods you can buy.

You might be surprised, I bet this would do it at some (maybe quite a few) hobby shops. Lots of good links here, but to add to that, online sellers of dollhouses and accessories usually have "little pieces of wood" of various species too.

Doll house lumber is usually one, of two scale sizes.  1:1, which is 1" to 1ft., and .5:1, 1/2" to 1 ft.  So the size is a bit different than 1:48  Still, nice stuff, base, casement, cove, crown mold, and the like. Even pre-hung doors, who would-a-thunk. 

   

Little strips of balsa wood.

 

The last local train shop doesn't carry strip wood, unless he started recently. Haven't been in for awhile.

 

The local A. C. Moore and Micheal's craft stores care a decent selection of similar strips. While not O-scale as such, it's easy to convert an 1/8" x 1/8" strip into an O scale 6"x 6" timber. There is also a bag of 1/16" x 1/4" strips about as long as a popsicle stick that comes in handy too for 2x12 stock (OK 1/16" is really a scale 3" not 2", but I won't tell if won't! lol).

 I like a medium rare filet with my squid.

+1 for balsa wood (assuming it's the light weight stuff - hard to tell from the pic)

 

-Dave

I concur with balsa. Interesting fact: balsa wood was used by Thor Heyerdahl to build the Kon Tiki, a raft he used to sail the South Pacific. 

I use various types of wood for different projects. I used oak for my two truss bridges and wood deck bridge,and for railroad ties for my tie loads. I use white pine for making wood crates, because it's readily available in the scrap bin at the high school. I haven't gotten into building any structures, but I would tend to use materials that are used in actual buildings.

Don

Northeastern Scale Lumber calls it stripwood.

 

http://www.northeasternscalelumber.com/

 

I originally was just looking for the correct word to describe these pieces, but that was when I was under the mistaken impression that basswood and stripwood were interchangeable terms.  (And wondering how the "bass" part was pronounced.)

 

These pieces in my photo are most definitely are balsa, as they are very very soft... when I cut with an Exacto knife I end up taking a mini file and brushing up the ends because it's rarely a clean break.  Even with a new blade.

 

So the term stripwood refers specifically to scale dimensional lumber.  I used to think it just referred to all this hobby shop wood in general.  And balsa and basswood are totally different, with very different densities.

 

Thanks, everyone, for all the clarifications.    

Basswood tends to be slightly more user friendly when modeling, IMO.  The pieces, compared to pine or other soft material tend to stay straight and true when glues and paints are applied. Again IMO. I was always please the way it accepted stain.

Older Korber kits came with pine wood.  This kit was dismantled and rebuilt using basswood. Additional wood parts were added around the perimeter and the sky light area.  Note the Golden Oak stain.  I've also use Walnut stains for a darker look.  Stains should be applied to the parts before adhesives are used.  Mike CT

 

Cherry Tree Toys has basswood, as well as maple, cherry and walnut, if you need thin stock stronger than balsa. They used to be local but have apparently moved off to Wisconsin, so I can't run out and look at their stock

Any strip wood 1/4" and larger I can get cheaper at Lowe's (closer) or Home Depot.

But they don't carry smaller sizes.  It seems harder than basswood, but it cuts with

a hobby saw and that is good enough for me.  I am using a lot of these strips now

to interior brace this building I elected not to use backup cardboard walls in, vs.

the instructions.  My problems with basswood, stripwood, model wood,  is that many LHS don't reorder/replace common sizes when they sell out, such as the 1/8" x 1/8".  And when you need model wall material, such as scale clapboard, that can be a hunt that turns into mail order.

I have not bought any from a HS in years - I get 99% of mine direct from Kappler (order on-line) and do not waste my time & energy bothering to drive around looking for it.  The local business with the word "hooby" in its title is a total waste.

See both photos below from my train room.

Balsa Strips

Chuck posted the link to Northeastern Scale Lumber.  Download or open the catalog and read.

Simply amazing.

Just to confuse things a little.  The soft Balsa is still a hardwood.  If it has leaves, its a hardwood, if it has needles, its a softwood.

 

Oh don't forget, even though these are not round, in a lot of places these are called dowels.

Can we conifer about this?  I think the answer is rather deciduous in nature.  

Lotsa chuckles reading this thread!

-Greg

BASS: My son Was 8 yrs. old catching his "monster" !