Thread: Planes, Trains, and Balsa Wood Hones?

Here and at the Badger and Blade, I've read about using balsa wood for a finishing tool when used with various pastes. Can those who know tell me what is special about balsa? Why would one use that wood rather than some other variety and why balsa rather than leather?

Thanks so much, Bruce

A few of us don't like balsa wood that much either. When I started out I had Tony Miller make a a custom 3 inch wide strop with balsa on the opposing side and its the sweetest paddle strop on the planet. It doesn't hurt any that I'm the only one on the planet with one. Anyway, the grit goes into the wood and becomes more like an ultra slow hone than with leather, where the grit rides ontop of the support material. In other words the grit becomes one with the wood grain better instead of resting on top of leather hide.

I like Balsa because it works well. I have tried Paste on a leather strop and it works but not as well, but this could be technique rather than anything else. That said it is also very easy and cheap to get hold of.

Balsa does seem to have a unique feel as the paste sinks into it rather than sits closer to the surface as with leather. Slower cutting is a good description and there is less sensation of it cutting, a feature I don't like. I don't get as much feedback stropping on balsa as I do on leather even though it is very effective.

Right now I'm not offering the balsa models as they were not that popular. Maybe down the road I'll do another run.

Tony

I suspect the reason balsa tends to be used over those other woods is it's quite easily obtainable in thin sheets for gluing onto an existing flat surface. I've moved on from wood paddles, but I in the past I tried other woods besides balsa and they behave somewhat similarly - the paste sinks in a bit and the paddle becomes quite slow but very sure.

I have a few old paddles made from what seems to be basswood. Much harder than balsa but with a fine pore structure that takes pastes well.

I'm sure Forestry Proff. will stroll by shortly and add his expertise. he has done some nice all wooden paddles, one of which I am proud to own.

Tony

Glad I came across this.
I picked up a loom in MI that originally had two hones on it also.

Unfortunately the carborundum side has turned to almost powder and likes to dull things/make a mess and the aluminum oxide side is all grooved and gouged.

Since the hone sections were only about 1/8 thick I figured it would be easy to shave them off and glue a strip of balsa where they used to be.

Wojtec is selling diamond paste for $6 for .5 micron-10 g and $9 for 2 micron same weight. (I think)

I have some chrome oxide on the way if tgparker ever ships it.

Do you think 2 micron diamond, .5 micron diamond, and .5 microm chrome oxide is ok for touch ups?? I want something that will travel a little bit and look cool in the bathroom with the other strops.

That'll do fine.

Gentlemen, thanks for the insights,

For some reason I had a mental picture of a thick block of balsa with various pastes smeared upon it. For yet another strange reason, I never considered what is essentially a veneer applied to a stable substrate. If one had a bit of hobby shop balsa veneer and a bit of MDF (medium density fiberboard) or particle board, one could experiment to the limits of one's patience without unduly exercising one's wallet.

Bruce

Bruce,

My balsa wood is just cut to the same size as my Norton stone and I place it on top of plastic hone box in the same way as using the Norton.

This works just fine. you have to make sure that the balsa is about 10mm in depth.

The piece of balsa that I bought was 3” wide and about 3 feet long so it made several useful pasted strops. So all I had to do is cut it to 8” lengths. It cost me a few pounds from the local hobbie shop.