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sitka spruce
anyone know of good sources for spruce stock other than Wicks and Aircraft Spruce
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On Thu, 19 Feb 2004 21:47:36 GMT, John Ammeter
wrote: 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 I seem to recall Ron Wantajaa mentioning a spruce supplier near Aberdeen, WA. They supplied spruce to piano/organ manufacturers, I believe. Wasn't me, but I may have mentioned B&D in Tacoma a few times in the past. However, looking at their web page, they don't seem to stock anything but plywood. I've got links to a few wood suppliers at: http://www.bowersflybaby.com/#supply Ron Wanttaja |
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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 |
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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 |
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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. |
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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- Remove _kills_spammers_ to reply via email. Unofficial Bearhawk FAQ website: http://www.rawlinsbrothers.org/bhfaq/ |
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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
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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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