Aircraft Wood Supply

[Mike Freeman]

So the new project begins and I am about to staert a Marquart charger.

What is the latest with regards to supplies of spruce in the UK. I know SAT and Skysport can supply thi but are there any other known avenues? I remember hearing that boat builders could be a good source. Any recommendtions?

Also, it would seem that buying in boards and cutting it down is the more cost effective way to go. Has anyone done this and can give me some tips on best methods and equipment I might need, setup etc?

Many thanks.

Mike

[TRAZZELL]

I have had success with getting wood from Stones boat builders who are based in Salcombe. They have space at a depot in Exeter where I went down to select Douglas Fir for my Menestrel wing spar (see the recent article in Light Aviation). I believe that they have supplied Sitka Spruce to the Comet Racer restoration project at Derby Airfield so it is worth giving them a call. For an idea of price, I paid £500 for five boards 3" x 4" x 18ft or so in length (+£250 delivery on a curtain sided lorry!), selecting ones that had vertical grain and no obvious knots or other defects. You can't really tell what you have until you start processing it so I bought around double what I needed which has worked out well as there were a few defects found. It is best to get someone knowledgeable to help you, and certainly go through what you get very carefully with your inspector (we took some time to look over 50 linear metres of 9mm planks!). You can get birch ply from Swindon Aircraft Wood and Skycraft, and TLAC at Little Snoring have sold me some in the past as well.

Good Luck!

Tony Razzell

[TRAZZELL]

I should add that I bought a cheap B&Q table saw and a planer thicknesser from Screwfix. I got away with it but it might help to talk to a local wood yard with the right kit to process the wood for you - be prepared for a lot of wastage for the thinner sections!

Tony Razzell

[Mike Freeman]

Thanks for that. I'll look into it.

I was toying with the idea of getting a table saw and cutting it down.

In the meantim I thought I would do a test with Aircraft Spruce and ordering their cap strip from the USA. I ordered 30 6' strips of 1/4" x 1/4" on the wednesday from the USA and they turned up on friday morning. I must say it's better than I thought, with tight straight grain and no obvious defects.

I'm booked on on the woodworking course in April so going to take it along and see what their opinion is. The price is so cheap compared to getting it in the UK I can afford to throw away a large amount of it. I wonder what their spar grade is like.