Help in building the elevator

[Oscar]

Guys

I thought I measured correctly but turn out I am off by few CM.  Also while I am trying to make a tunnel for the rod, I applied too much pressure and broke a piece.    I glued it back on but I am not sure whether this is workable. (see pic)

Will there be a problem if I redrill the hole?

Please advise.

[Papa]

I would buy some 1/4" balsa and wire and start again.


Jack.

[piker]

At first I was going to suggest that you could simply sand the glued on piece smooth and fill, then add a bit of scrap to the left elevator end to make it the right length.

But, Jack has a point.  There's no rush, the stab at this point is just a flat piece of 1/4" balsa, so maybe it's worth just cutting out new pieces and trying again.  Practice makes perfect 

[Oscar]

Thank you.
Do I have to buy a particular kind of balsa wood? I assume I can get one from lhs (pinnacle). And is there any special technique to trace and cut?

[Papa]

You should get a medium balsa. Ask Dave or Ron to show you what that looks and feels like. Soft balsa will be very white with almost no brown spots, push your nail in and it will mark it very easily. Hard balsa has a lot of brown flecks and will be almost impossible to mark with your nail. Medium balsa will have some brown flecks and will mark more easily than hard but not as easily as soft.


You can place the plan over the sheet of wood. Push large pins through each corner so you can see the holes in the sheet when you lift the plan. Then you join all the pin holes with a pencil or ball point and a steel rule and then cut. Use a saw for as many of the short length cuts as possible and the blade for the longer ones. take your time with the blade, it will take many passes to cut so don't force it. Use a fresh blade to cut the longer lines.


jack.