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What is the best thickness to use for the wood??? Thanks

mostly 1/18, 3/32, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64, 3/16. All varying densities which I'm sure none of us want to reveal. And you have to pick good pieces too test them all as well, not as easy as you think or hope.

^ 1/18 is actually 1/8?

To simplify if you don't cut your own pieces, 1/8 square or 3/32 square for the major legs/posts, and 1/16 square or 1/8 x 1/16 for bracing.

NRsciencekid wrote:What is the best thickness to use for the wood??? Thanks

I assume you're new to this.

You need to understand, there is no simple answer/no single "best thickness"

If you want to understand why, and what does, or may work, please take the time to read back through at least this year's design discussions - there are lots of different thoughts/combinations/possibilities; specific information from a number of people on what they have successfully used..... Look at the Image Gallery, too- both pictures and discussion/specific information.

Yes, a lot of folk are using 1/8th square, and 1/32nds square wood for the legs. I can tell you that anything over 1/8th is overkill. The real question on legs, is a) bass or balsa, b) what density (at a given size, there is a big variation in strength, depending on density), and c) what intervals you do bracing at (read the discussions this year on how column strength and buckling works). There is some specific information from some on densities used at various sizes
On bracing pieces, there is lots of discussion, lots of variations in approach and sizing- again, read.

hogger wrote:^ 1/18 is actually 1/8?

To simplify if you don't cut your own pieces, 1/8 square or 3/32 square for the major legs/posts, and 1/16 square or 1/8 x 1/16 for bracing.

yes, sorry, 1/8 not 1/18, that would be interesting to see and may function as supports actually.

Balsa Man wrote:

NRsciencekid wrote:What is the best thickness to use for the wood??? Thanks

I assume you're new to this.

You need to understand, there is no simple answer/no single "best thickness"

If you want to understand why, and what does, or may work, please take the time to read back through at least this year's design discussions - there are lots of different thoughts/combinations/possibilities; specific information from a number of people on what they have successfully used..... Look at the Image Gallery, too- both pictures and discussion/specific information.

Yes, a lot of folk are using 1/8th square, and 1/32nds square wood for the legs. I can tell you that anything over 1/8th is overkill. The real question on legs, is a) bass or balsa, b) what density (at a given size, there is a big variation in strength, depending on density), and c) what intervals you do bracing at (read the discussions this year on how column strength and buckling works). There is some specific information from some on densities used at various sizes
On bracing pieces, there is lots of discussion, lots of variations in approach and sizing- again, read.

1/32 for legs? how is that possible?
Also, size is relative to your design.

Oops, bit of a typo; 3/32nds, not 1/32nd....

Balsa Man wrote:Oops, bit of a typo; 3/32nds, not 1/32nd....

That is still freakishly small. How in the world are you going to make your tower stand up under than much weight if the legs are that thin and brittle?

Nope. Get your bracing, density, and precision right, you got a tower with 3/32 legs holding the 15kg. Read back through the forum this year and last year, you will see that it is very do-able.

foreverphysics wrote:

Balsa Man wrote:Oops, bit of a typo; 3/32nds, not 1/32nd....

That is still freakishly small. How in the world are you going to make your tower stand up under than much weight if the legs are that thin and brittle?

LKN wrote:Nope. Get your bracing, density, and precision right, you got a tower with 3/32 legs holding the 15kg. Read back through the forum this year and last year, you will see that it is very do-able.

LKN is absolutely right-on, on all counts. Detailed answers to your "how in the world??" question are sitting there, waiting to be read and understood.....and used.
As to "that thin...", thin, of course is a relative term; yeah, 3/32nds is thinner than 1/8th; 9/16ths the cross section of 1/8th; at the same density, almost half the weight per unit length. "Brittle?" Not sure where that's coming from; I would certainly not describe 3/32nds bass as "brittle", balsa in that density range is a bit more.

In reading back, key discussion is about column failure, an Euler's Buckling Theorem. If you make/take the time to understand what its all about, and means, you will be a LONG way down the road to doing good towers (or bridges, or boomilevers). Very quick review- take a piece of potential leg wood- 3/32nds or whatever. At a 3 ft length, if you stand it on end, and push down, it buckles with VERY little force. Cut it in half, try again- it takes 4 times the force to buckle it. Cut it in half again, it takes 4x the force (that is 16 times the needed at 3 ft). Bracing, properly done, breaks a long (weak) column in to a series of stacked, shorter columns. Shorten your bracing interval, you get to culumn strength that will carry the load needed. I've posted real data before from column/buckling testing; example- 3/32nds bass at 1.4 grams/24", at a length of 8.5cm), carried over 7 kg. One leg in the chimney of a 4-legged tower (at a 15kg load) only needs to carry just a hair over 3.75kg. So, 4 legs, braced every 8.5cm would be gross overkill. The only limitation is if you get small/low density enough (which will require closely spaced bracing), you get to some point where actual crushing takes place. One could certainly (and successfully) do legs at 1/16th; it would take a lot more bracing than at 3/32nds; probably not a good weight tradeoff.