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sitka spruce



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 19th 04, 10:28 PM
al pernell
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Default sitka spruce

anyone know of good sources for spruce stock other than Wicks and Aircraft Spruce
  #5  
Old February 20th 04, 06:17 PM
Dude
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BB,

Do you know what varieties of spruce will make good airplane parts?

I am planning to plant a bunch of trees, and I might as well do something
good for the future of aviation while I am at it. It would be a shame if
there were know pretty biplanes decorating the sky.

Besides, they don't pay anything for pine here anymore. If your lucky, you
can get it clear cut for free. Thinning will likely cost you!

"Badwater Bill" wrote in message
...
On 19 Feb 2004 13:28:10 -0800, (al pernell) wrote:

anyone know of good sources for spruce stock other than Wicks and

Aircraft Spruce

Man, that's a good question. Almost every spruce tree that is cut
down on the North American Continent goes to Japan at a premium price
that we'd never pay.

BWB




  #6  
Old February 20th 04, 06:41 PM
Corky Scott
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On Fri, 20 Feb 2004 17:17:10 GMT, "Dude" wrote:

BB,

Do you know what varieties of spruce will make good airplane parts?

I am planning to plant a bunch of trees, and I might as well do something
good for the future of aviation while I am at it. It would be a shame if
there were know pretty biplanes decorating the sky.

Besides, they don't pay anything for pine here anymore. If your lucky, you
can get it clear cut for free. Thinning will likely cost you!

"Badwater Bill" wrote in message
.. .
On 19 Feb 2004 13:28:10 -0800, (al pernell) wrote:

anyone know of good sources for spruce stock other than Wicks and

Aircraft Spruce

Man, that's a good question. Almost every spruce tree that is cut
down on the North American Continent goes to Japan at a premium price
that we'd never pay.

BWB


Sorry Dude, planting trees now won't make them available for
harvesting in your lifetime. Sitka Spruce isn't unique as a wood
suitable for use in airplanes, many trees qualify. It's just that
sitka spruce is an easy to use wood that grows tall and straight and
has adaquate strength for it's weight. The problem is the only sitka
that qualifies is found in old growth trees that have grown slowly so
that the growth rings are all fairly dense.

Once you cut them down, it's hundreds of years before anything that is
replanted is ready for harvesting again.

Sitka spruce became the wood of choice during WWI when virtually all
airplanes were built with wood. It was plentiful and easily worked.
It's strength properties were known so aeronautical engineers knew how
to design with it. It made it easier to design when you had just one
wood to think about.

That was then, this is now. Sitka spruce is getting to be hard to
find. You might be well advised to think about using a plywood type
spar instead of solid wood, and either aluminum for ribs, or go
aluminum all the way. You can substitute Douglas Fir for Spruce
anywhere on a one to one basis. Douglas fir is a little stronger but
a bit heavier. It also splits more easily so it's a little harder to
work with.

Corky Scott

  #7  
Old February 20th 04, 07:17 PM
Ron Webb
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Do you know what varieties of spruce will make good airplane parts?

Tha NACA report server has several good reports on the subject. Here is one

http://naca.larc.nasa.gov/reports/1931/naca-report-354/

The upshot is that Sitka Spruce is not magic. There are several other
varieties that would work as well. It was originally settled on mainly
because it was cheap, back in the '30s. But the value of a "standard" is
such that even though the stuff is now up to $1000 per spar, we keep
insisting on it.

I live in Fairbanks, Alaska. Up here there are literally 10's of thousands
of square miles of old growth black spruce forests. Really slow growing,
tight grained wood that HAS to be tougher'n HELL. I've often wondered if
there might be a market for it.


  #8  
Old February 20th 04, 10:50 PM
Del Rawlins
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In Ron Webb wrote:

I live in Fairbanks, Alaska. Up here there are literally 10's of
thousands of square miles of old growth black spruce forests. Really
slow growing, tight grained wood that HAS to be tougher'n HELL. I've
often wondered if there might be a market for it.


Those are also tiny little things covered with branches (read: knots).
I shudder at the thought of how many pieces you would have to scarf
together to make anything useable. Another reason why the old growth
sitka spruce and doug fir make good aircraft structure is fewer branches
on the lower part of the trunk, which is more likely to develop under a
high canopy.

Wood is a great building material and I've enjoyed using it to make a
couple boats. For my airplane I'd rather have all metal structure just
for the consistency of the material.

----------------------------------------------------
Del Rawlins-
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  #9  
Old February 20th 04, 11:58 PM
Ron Webb
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Those are also tiny little things covered with branches (read: knots).
I shudder at the thought of how many pieces you would have to scarf
together to make anything useable.


Well...a lot of them are. I have 3 acres on Harding lake where the average
diameter is maybe 6 inches, exactly as you describe.

There are some areas, though where the growth is not so dense, and they grow
bigger. I know many stands of 2 foot diameter trees (3 in my front yard)
where the bottom 20ft or so look like they might yield a spar or 2 if cut
carefully.

They still don't get VERY big though. I wonder how big they need to be to
yield a proper spar.


  #10  
Old February 21st 04, 01:06 AM
Prglgw
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call Rob at raven aircraft
604 597 9296, in British Columbia.
He usually has a good supply of clear spruce, in good spar lengths and
thickness.
 




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