Building to contest level criteria frequently requires serious attention to the weight of all the components, including the wood that is selected. Light punky wood where form is important, but not strength, and heavier more dense wood where strength is required. Light balsa wood is considered to weigh less than 6 pounds per cubic foot. Heavier stock can weigh past 20 pounds per cubic foot. Determining the weight of a piece of stock wood when it isn't a cubic foot's worth can be tedious. This sheet takes the guess/math work out of the situation...
The input section requires the 3 dimensions of the stock, and its weight. The equivalent pounds per cubic foot value is computed and displayed. The example is a very heavy piece of balsa! The data array contains computations for the usual sizes of balsa, from 1/16"th to 1 inch thick, 1 inch to 4 inches wide, and 36" and 48" long.
The full sheet in Excel form is downloadable at: ..Balsa Weights Spreadsheet..
©Paul J. Burke pjburke1011@adelphia.net E-mail
