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Can I use Balsa wood to make custom pendant for 250W MH?
- Thread starter TOMMY323
- Start date
Liquid said it is a very soft wood, not it is a soft wood. Yes, balsa is a hardwood, but that only means that it does not keep its leaves during winter like pine and redwood. This has nothing to do with the strenght of the material as the description "hardwood" implies.
Anyway, balsa is not easy to work with, and it is not recommanded for structural woodware like chair, desk, and shelf. It is not cheap either, and if you want light weigth, you can use other materials.
Anyway, balsa is not easy to work with, and it is not recommanded for structural woodware like chair, desk, and shelf. It is not cheap either, and if you want light weigth, you can use other materials.
I think you could use it... but I'd suggest using fiberglass to reinforce it. One or two layers of thin glass should do the trick, I mean it works for airplanes, would work for the hood, but you probably want to use something harder for mounting points for the lights and hinges. But at that point you might as well buy some cheap pine. just my $.02
Actual, I think it would work quite well.
Since balsa has wide variations in weight and strength you may want to be selective on the pieces you choose or make a frame work of spruce. I would think the spruce frame work would take care of the primary problems of construction.
Of course, seal it well like any wood you might use around water.
If fire is an issue your design needs to be rethought. All wood tends towards a lower ignition point when exposed to heat. Balsa's insulation properties should not be used to justify not keeping sufficent gap between the reflector and wood.
Since balsa has wide variations in weight and strength you may want to be selective on the pieces you choose or make a frame work of spruce. I would think the spruce frame work would take care of the primary problems of construction.
Of course, seal it well like any wood you might use around water.
If fire is an issue your design needs to be rethought. All wood tends towards a lower ignition point when exposed to heat. Balsa's insulation properties should not be used to justify not keeping sufficent gap between the reflector and wood.
Considering that there are UL listed paper and wood light fixture available, the concept is not untested.
The real questions are: What size of bulb (250W)? What type of design(pendant)? Can the wood be protected so it never see more than ~150 deg. F?
Well, that is quite the question. Two approaches -- distance and shielding.
One paper pendant that is avalable for a 300 watt bulb is ~ 3 ft in dia -- I would assume that is not what TOMMY323 had in mind. So, the other option is using heat shielding or using a metal reflector inside of a decorative wood cover. The only examples I have seen recently are plastic and metal design. but the concept is the same. "Fine Homebuilding" had an article in issue 52 (mid 1989) that may be helpful.
The real questions are: What size of bulb (250W)? What type of design(pendant)? Can the wood be protected so it never see more than ~150 deg. F?
Well, that is quite the question. Two approaches -- distance and shielding.
One paper pendant that is avalable for a 300 watt bulb is ~ 3 ft in dia -- I would assume that is not what TOMMY323 had in mind. So, the other option is using heat shielding or using a metal reflector inside of a decorative wood cover. The only examples I have seen recently are plastic and metal design. but the concept is the same. "Fine Homebuilding" had an article in issue 52 (mid 1989) that may be helpful.
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