Thread: Question about creating balsa bench strop.

I am going to create 2 bench strops using balsa wood cut 3" wide glued to ceramic tile to use with pastes.

so, my questions.

1) Does this sound like an o.k. setup? Balsa with a ceramic tile backer?

2) Is there any set length i should try to use? I was thinking 3" wide so the entire blade touches without needing to use X pattern. But i was not sure about length

3) What kind of sandpaper should i use to flatten the balsa once it is glued down? Is the process similiar to stone? Draw grid, soak sandpaper and stick to glass/mirror/ceramic whatever and rub till marks are gone?


Thanks!

/quick edit... Instead of making 2 seperate, could i glue a piece to each side of the tile?

That's how I do my poplar strops. I use the Rhino glue which expands as it cures, to make sure there's a really solid bond.

3" wide is fine. You'll want at least 8"-12" in length or you'll get frustrated.

I used 300 grit for my poplar. Sand dry - wood expands when wet, and when it dries it may not dry flat. You'll be using it dry, so sand it dry. Just grid it with a pencil and sand away.

You can do 2-sided strops like this, though I stick to single-sided myself so the tile is contacting the table instead of pasted balsa - this makes a mess on your wife's table and gets contaminants on your strop.

Originally Posted by mparker762

That's how I do my poplar strops. I use the Rhino glue which expands as it cures, to make sure there's a really solid bond.

3" wide is fine. You'll want at least 8"-12" in length or you'll get frustrated.

I used 300 grit for my poplar. Sand dry - wood expands when wet, and when it dries it may not dry flat. You'll be using it dry, so sand it dry. Just grid it with a pencil and sand away.

You can do 2-sided strops like this, though I stick to single-sided myself so the tile is contacting the table instead of pasted balsa - this makes a mess on your wife's table and gets contaminants on your strop.

Thanks for the advice. would you recommend polar over balsa?

Not necessarily. I used it because I had it lying around, and I think it may work a bit better because it's a harder wood so there's less surface flex, but I've got no particular love for poplar itself. I suspect lemonwood would work really really well because of the lack of grain, but it's not readily available anymore.

O.k. Thanks. So once i glue the balsa should i let it set over night before i go any further in the process?

After talking to you i think i'm going to create 2 seperate 3"x12" balsa on top of ceramic tile.

Think i will also glue rubber feet or maybe the non-slide drawer liner stuff to the bottom.

Once i get all the stuff i'll document it with pictures and if it comes out o.k. post my "how to"

I think your idea will work fine with the tile. The sanding can be done with 150 grit on up. I used 180 because that's what was on my belt sander. If you don't have a belt sander a decent sized sanding block should be good enough to get it flat. I used contact cement to glue my balsa.

bj