{"id":3735,"date":"2020-04-12T09:30:36","date_gmt":"2020-04-12T14:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/?page_id=3735"},"modified":"2026-03-16T20:30:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T01:30:41","slug":"how-to-complete-a-short-kit","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/?page_id=3735","title":{"rendered":"How to complete a short kit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quite a few prospective builders have emailed me, asking for a list of materials needed to finish a short kit, or asking how to estimate the materials needed, or asking how to figure out where to start. \u00a0The short answer is that you need to look at the plan, look at the parts included in the short kit, take note of what is not<\/em> included in the kit, and figure out the total length of the sheets and sticks needed to make these parts.<\/p>\n

Well, that sounds like a pretty short answer, so let’s make it more interesting. \u00a0We need an example to illustrate the point, so let’s use the Sporty Forty biplane, just because a guy bought one and sent me a photo of the parts all laid out.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_2762\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Now we need to inspect the plan carefully. \u00a0A good plan will show all parts to be made by the builder, with each part labeled to indicate the thickness of wood needed. This is why I advise less experienced builders to use a good plan from one of the old magazines. \u00a0Back in the good old days the publishers always made sure that their plans were of high quality. \u00a0Sure, there were plenty of drafting errors, but the plans almost always gave you all the information you would need to place a balsa order. \u00a0Here’s the Sporty Forty plan.<\/p>\n

\"SportyFortyplan\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sorry if this giant image won’t display properly on your smart phone, but I wanted to make sure you could see the details on the plan. \u00a0You probably want to sit down at a desk and look at a real computer screen to get the info from your plan when you’re making your bill of materials. \u00a0Also, try to use software that will allow you to edit the PDF, so you can highlight or mark out everything listed on the plan after it has been counted. \u00a0Or you can do it the old fashioned way, print your plan and mark it with a yellow highlighter.\u00a0 Come to think of it, you could print it at a smaller size to do your bill of materials, then print it full size later for building.<\/p>\n

The first thing to do is to mark all of the notes on the plan that refer to the pieces that are supplied\u00a0in the kit. \u00a0Then move on to everything else.<\/p>\n

Start with something simple. \u00a0This plan shows several sticks to be used in edges and corners. \u00a0Let’s start with the 1\/8 x 1\/4 balsa found in the peak of the top fuselage deck in the front and rear sections. \u00a0About 13 inches for the front and 10 inches for the back will do the trick. \u00a0Now peruse the rest of the plan to find any other instance of that same part being used. \u00a0OK, now that my eyes are strained I can say with a fair bit of confidence that this is the only instance of 1\/8 x 1\/4. \u00a0Write it down on your list, and mark that note on the plan with your yellow highlighter so you won’t count it again later. \u00a0Now move on to the next size. \u00a0Let’s say 1\/4 x 1\/4 balsa. \u00a0It’s in the lower corners of the aft fuselage, and all along the upper edge of the fuselage side. \u00a0The lower sticks are about 15.5 inches on each side, and the uppers are 36 inches on each side. \u00a0So three 36 inch sticks will suffice. Write that on the list and mark the note with your highlighter. \u00a0Whoa, hold your horses! \u00a0The plan also shows 1\/4 x 1\/4 upright sticks in the aft fuselage, totaling about another 15 inches. \u00a0So mark out the note on the plan, and put another hatch mark next to your 1\/4 x 1\/4 entry. \u00a0You’re using hatch marks instead of writing digits, right? \u00a0That’s the best way to do it. \u00a0Add a mark when you count another item, and when you finish, count the total number of hatch marks.<\/p>\n

Let’s get into something a bit more esoteric. \u00a0What about that funny sheeting on the bottom of the fuselage? \u00a0It appears to not be labeled. \u00a0But if you print the plan full size and measure the thickness of the wood, it seems to be 1\/8″. \u00a0Looks like you can get that out of a 4 x 16 inch sheet if you run the grain lengthwise as shown on the plan. \u00a0If you go crosswise, which makes the structure a little bit stronger, you can get it out of a foot or so. \u00a0Also, go back to item #1, the 1\/8 x 1\/4 stick. \u00a0You can easily strip this stick off of your 1\/8 inch sheet that you bought for the top deck and bottom fuselage sheeting. \u00a0Each side of the front top deck is about 2.5 inches wide, if you measure around the curve.\u00a0 Assume you’re using 3 inch sheet. Cut a strip off the edge for the sticks, cut pieces for the front and rear deck, and splice the remainder together for the fuselage bottom. \u00a0You have to count up all the lengths and widths, and estimate how much area it takes to cover everything, and put it on your list.<\/p>\n

The plan shows blocks for the wing tips and the top of the cowl. \u00a0It shows 1\/16 inch sheet for the wing sheeting and cap strips. \u00a0You’ll need ailerons, which you can make by laminating pieces of trailing edge stock to the correct thickness, or by carving a thick plank, or by building according to the plan with sticks and sheets. \u00a0This is your project, so you can build it however you want. \u00a0Decide what you want to do, and add the correct materials to your list.<\/p>\n

Keep counting and marking the notes on the plan\u00a0with the highlighter. \u00a0At the end, every note on the plan should be marked.<\/p>\n

When you get everything listed, compile the list into another list of the sizes that you want to purchase. \u00a0The plan says 4 inch sheeting for the leading edge of the wings, 2 inches for the trailing edge. \u00a0So if you buy 4 x 36 inch sheet, you’ll need three pieces for each wing, making a total of six. \u00a0Throw in an extra piece for the cap strips.\u00a0 If you want to save yourself some work you can buy cap strips that are already the correct size, or if you want to save money some balsa suppliers will sell sheeting in 2 inch widths.<\/p>\n

Now you have a new list that shows full size pieces stocked by your favorite retailer, and you can add up your order. \u00a0Add one or two extra pieces of each item just in case they send you something that resembles ironwood or marshmallows. \u00a0They try to stock good quality wood, but nowadays it’s harder to get really good balsa because the windmill industry buys almost the entire crop, so sometimes we might be a little bit disappointed if we don’t order a few extras.<\/p>\n

Don’t forget to include the non-wood items such as push rods, clevises, control horns, screws, engine mount, landing gear wire, wheels, covering film, glue, plastic for windscreen and windows, wing bolts, dowels, and anything else you can think of.\u00a0 The earlier you think of each piece, the more you can combine shipping charges.<\/p>\n

That’s pretty much all there is to it. \u00a0I always say that when you order a short kit, you should think of yourself as a scratch builder who has a friend cutting out all of the annoying little parts. \u00a0But you’re still the big-brain guy who has to study the plan and figure out what to order. \u00a0There are three main reasons why I don’t provide you with a list. \u00a0Number one is that my count will probably be off because most people who build airplanes are going to deviate in some way from the plan. \u00a0This is a good thing. \u00a0It’s your project, so build it the way you want it. \u00a0Reason number two is that because it’s your project my heart isn’t in it, so I’m more likely to hurry through the process and make a mistake that will screw you up.\u00a0 You don’t want to rely on me. \u00a0If you do the work you’ll get better at it every time, and you don’t have to worry about me costing you extra shipping charges by forgetting the ailerons.\u00a0 And reason number three is that I have noticed the adverse effect the computer screen has on my eyesight.\u00a0 I already get too much screen gazing time creating the short kits and running the business.\u00a0 Making a completion list for every plan would make me go blind.<\/p>\n

Advanced planning:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let’s say you’re ordering wood for the stabilizer.\u00a0 They might send you wood that’s way too heavy for a stabilizer.\u00a0 If they do, cut it into sticks and build a stick tail to keep the rear end light.\u00a0 In those rare cases when you get wood that’s soft and brittle, you’re out of luck.\u00a0 So it’s always nice to order an extra piece or two of everything on your list, and always be willing to consider alternate methods.<\/p>\n

Just about everything you build can be approached this way. \u00a0You can build a cowl from blocks, planks, sticks and sheet, a bottle heated and pulled over a mold, paper and glue, glass and resin, aluminum sheet, card stock coated with epoxy, or probably a few other ways I haven’t thought of. \u00a0Ditto for wheel pants. \u00a0You can build control surfaces from thick sheet, or a thin center sheet with ribs on both sides, or sticks with thin sheeting covering both sides, or just naked sticks. \u00a0Look at a bunch of plans, and then when you choose one plane to build, remember the way each part was built on the various other plans you saw.\u00a0 Keep your options open. \u00a0If you approach your building project this way, then when you get your balsa order in the mail you won’t be disappointed no matter what they send you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Quite a few prospective builders have emailed me, asking for a list of materials needed to finish a short kit, or asking how to estimate the materials needed, or asking how to figure out where to start. \u00a0The short answer … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":25,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3735"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3735"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8748,"href":"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3735\/revisions\/8748"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}