Using Balsa Wood

[Windkits46]

Can anyone tell me if they have used their PRS or PRT machine to cut Balsa Wood? If you have, what type of bit did you use and what settings did you use to make clean cuts?

[Brady Watson]

What results are you getting - assuming you have already tried cutting it, right?

-B

[Windkits46]

Actually we haven't tried it yet. We just acquired two machines from a company that closed down and before we spend a lot to have them wired to our electrical system, wanted to know if they would cut the balsa wood and how to do it.

[Brady Watson]

Christine,
Yes, it will cut balsa wood perfectly, provided that you are able to hold it down to the machine adequately.

It sounds to me like you would benefit from a training class at ShopBot in Durham or have a trainer come to your shop to get you into production. If you are planning on making money with the machine, this will pay for itself very quickly.

-B

[Ajcoholic]

I haven't running any balsa on my CNC but have milled a lot of it over the years with regular saws and routers. No need for anything special, just treat it like a softwood. With a sharp cutter you will be able to wiz through it like the proverbial hot knife through butter. It can be a little hairy like basswood, but the sharper the cutter the better for eliminating that.

[mikeacg]

I tried cutting baits out of balsa for a lure manufacturer. A really sharp bit is the thing to remember! My first tests were with a used bit and it tore it up pretty good! Went a lot better with a new bit. However, I found that I could do them a lot faster on my laser and with nesting got a lot more parts per board. Our machines are wonderful tools but sometimes they are not the best solution...

Mike

[chiloquinruss]

Its almost like the threads on cutting aluminum! :D The bits MUST be sharp, and go slow and shallow cuts. I also sacrifice some material in the hold down process usually screwing a board to the underside of the material I'm cutting and use that board for my hold down clamping. Trying to clamp balsa is very difficult as it is so soft. Also if its a big piece the constant vibration will loosen any clamps affixed to the balsa. I cut some really thin pieces for one of my models and in that particular case I used two sided tape. I used a large piece of melamine clamped to the table, masking tape on the melamine, then the two sided tape, next put masking tape on the underside of the balsa, then stick the balsa to the two sided tape. The masking tape peels right off after cutting. You might also look into Widgetworks pressure foot if the balsa is very thin. Have fun. Russ

http://www.widgetworksunlimited.com/CNC_Pressure_Foot_Clamping_Attachment_p/cnc-pressure.htm

[jerry_stanek]

I always thought that acetylene tanks had balsa in them to absorb the acetylene so it may not hold down with a vacuum

[hh_woodworking]

Some are :The acetylene cylinder is filled withporous materials, such as balsa wood, charcoal, and shredded asbestos, to decrease the size of the open spaces in the cylinder.