Hello
I am looking for Model Plywood which also known as Aircraft Plywood. Can anybody know where it is available in India? I am from Kolkata so if it is available at Kolkata then very good. I do laser cut kit so I need this kind thin plywood for making kit. Please help me if anyone knows about this kind plywood.
Regards,
Rajib

There are two major types of timbre used in Model making - Balsa and  Japanica. People also use Veneer Ply. While first two could be found only in Hobby shops, Veneer could be found in shops selling Ply wood.

You can find Balsa wood in Kolkata with India Hobby Centre and a guy call Anwar. Kolkata modelers may help here.

You can also get it delivered from www.Rcforall.in :
http://stores.ebay.in/rcforallin_Model-Build-Material_W0QQ_fsubZ479280010QQ_sidZ675641320QQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em322

I know very well what is Balsa and what is Japonica (Cryptomeria Japonica) and also I know what Veneer Ply is. I am not looking for any of them. Maybe you do not know what are Model / Aircraft Plywood, it is also known as Marine Plywood.

Thanks for the reference of India Hobby Centre but I do not want to be robbed. Yes I know also Mr. Irshad Anwar. Also I know about rcforallin but the problem is I am not so rich or fool who will pay 3 to 4 times money, their price too high, if want to have some idea then go to http://www.solarbo.com/ and check out the price. They sale top quality balsa wood.

I am giving some website links as reference so that you can have some idea about what is model/aircraft plywood:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/wp/plywood.html
http://www.misterart.com/g251/Midwest-Thin-Birch-Plywood.htm
http://www.moormodels.co.uk/acatalog/PLYWOOD.html
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=MIDR3682
http://www.micromark.com/BIRCH-PLYWOOD-1and16-THICK-x-12-WIDE-x-24-LONG,6915.html

Hey Rajib,
The Solarbo prices are very attractive. but have you tried importing it from US? I do believe there is a stiff duty on importing timber related products?

Pankaj

Rajib dada
Once you try importing either the balsa or the airdcraft grade plywood (typically birch ply), you would know whether the local sellers are robbing you or not. While the prices seem very attractive abroad, do not forget the shipping and customs. You may get away while importing smaller pieces say 12x12 inches but then these pretty much useless for making new models and best for repairs or formers alone.

For example at Solarbo site try putting 10 sheets of 1/8x4x48 inch of balsa iun your cart and calculate shipping. For total balsa cost of about 14 $ you would be charged 100$ for shipping and then there is the Indian Customs

On to your original query, try RC Dhamaka they usually have both the ply and balsa from Balsa USA.

If you are looking for 1/4 inch ply sheets in birch ply, I may be able to sell you few sheets. I have some spare in 12x48 inches size. But here again due to size shipping would be pretty much costly
 

jj

Yes you are right but I am talking about buying not just 14$ balsa, for example I am talking about minimum 1000$ balsa, in that case 99$ shipping charge is not too much, but this 99$ shipping cost for USA to USA, not USA to India. But have to find some way

Thanks for giving information about R C Dhamaka, I am going to contact them soon. I am planning to buy a laser cutting machine so I need good quantity but at reasonable price. But If I get good balsa at reasonable rate then in future all of you will get benefit.

Try importing USD 1000 or even higher or lower, you can keep about 25-30 for shipping cost and then add on 32-34% duty, no way you can pass that much quantity as personal and would end up paying commercial rate of duty.
Good that you plan on laser cutting, let us all see some samples, would make life easy for kit or scratch builders

Here is the sample work, it is not final.
1st picture is line drawing for laser cutting.
2nd picture is the balsa wood after laser cut from same drawing.
3rd picture is ribs.

Rajib,
For all the ribs on the top row of your design, there is a serious flaw. The wood grain is not parallel to the ribs chord. You must be aware that this is done for a very good reason.

Yes I know they are not 0°. I have made them intentionally 6° angular and I can assure you about this that even 15° angular work better than 0° flat ribs, these all are some small tricks which make your model better than others. On the picture there is a small error that W1 printed mirror on a single ribs which I have already corrected on my laser drawing. All my ribs are +6° and -6° and small ribs are 0° 

Talking about Aircraft grade ply i have searched were ever possible here in India but did not find anyone. If you reallly want you need to import. I myself a scratch builder finally settled for the standard ply of 2mm to 2.5mm type for building model planes & i am quite happy with the overall results in fact similar to the aircraft grade quality, only hing is you need to carefully select the ply depending on the thickness & weight.

Last year i had visited a ply manufacturing company & asked them about the aircaft grade ply & they said we have no problem manufacturing this type of ply but we need huge quantity order.

Rajib dada,
Can you please clarify a bit more on the mechanics of not having the grain parallel to the chord? Will help us understand better.

Sharlock,
As rightly said, it is all dependent on market, if there is demand some one will manufacture it. A/c grade ply is made of birch, and there were couple of mfrs in India who used to, the only customer they had was HAL and airforce who used the product for repairing the wooden gliders, with these being phased out, that business also died down. There were firms in Kanpur and Bangalore who used to supply these   

Mr.Rajib


i want to buy laset cut kit, i also want foam cutter .  where can i get. kindly advice


rgds
Dayakar