glueing the balsa on harder wood... why?

Why should I glue the balsa to a harder wood when making a paddle strop?

Thanks!

But is it necessary?

It depends on how thick the balsa is. Most balsa in 3" widths available at craft stores in only 1/4" thick. Slap a straight edge on one of those some time. I've found they're usually cupped on one side.

Do you NEED to bond it? No. My crudest but effective chrome pasted balsa strop that I still use sometimes? An 8" x 3" x 1/4" piece of balsa. I keep it in a ziploc bag in the bathroom medicine cabinet since I pasted it with chrome ox and oil. The key is, I use the side that is convex, not concave. There's enough flex in the thin wood to hit the razor edges when light pressure is applied. Literally just a raggedy edged cut piece of balsa. Ugly and crude.

Chris L

Depends on how thick your balsa is. If it's a 2"x2" slab, you probably don't need to. If it's a strip, you need something to keep it flat.

OK, I'll glue it so I have no worries. Thanks guys!