Balsa
Denominación.
• Scientific name: achroma lagopus
• Spanish: balsa
Provenance
Description of the wood
• Sapwood from cream white to very light
pink • Heartwood from cream white to very light
pink • Straight
fiber • Coarse grain
• Singularities not recommended for unwinding sheet or flat cutting.
Impregnation
• Sapwood: impregnable
• Heartwood: little impregnable
Mechanization
• Sawing: Easy.
• Drying: Between slow and normal. Drying to free a1re is discouraged.
• Gluing: No problems. Take into account its high absorption.
• Nailed and screwed: They penetrate well but grip badly.
• Finishing: Previous finish perform treatment with pore caps.
Applications
• Models, reduced models.
• Floats, belts, lifeboats, signal buoys.
• Toys, special packaging.
• Sandwich boards.
• Acoustic insulation.
Mechanical properties
• Resistance to static flexion 190 kg/cm2
• Elast1city modulus 26,800 kg/cm2
• Resistance to compression 100 kg/cm2
• Parallel tensile strength 26 kg/cm2
Notes
- Wood from South America, especially from the Pacific area.
