Scratch Build, What's needed?

Wot a great thread topic, Chris!

I agree with what the others have said. I have only one Permagrit tool, but will be getting more. A useful gadget is a strip of balsa 1" wide, 1/4" thick and about 8" long. Stick (PVA) a strip of sandpaper to one side and hold it in your 7" woodworking vice for a few minutes. Then, stick a handle on the other side and you have a non-permanent grit tool of your own choice of grit size. Very 'andy for sanding frames etc. Just stick another strip on top of the worn one as necessary.

There is always confusion about what Scratch building means. To me, it means seeing three views of your prototype and scaling it up then designing and building an aeroplane to fit within the outlines. I have never done that, though Richard Nye has (C47 Dakota scaled from a Revel plastic kit).

The best, really the only, way to get into building is with a kit. Go for one that has laser cut parts. The old die cut jobs are a pain (see the Bleriot thread). Flair Models do a great range of kits, as do many other companies.

In answer to your question re carving, NO, balsa does not carve well, unlike bass (lime) wood, which is too heavy for most of our purposes. For a complex shape (eg a cowl) you would get close with some really sharp woodcarving gouges, then finish with sandpaper or a fine curved file. I mean Really sharp.

I have never used a jig, though often coveted one. A small engineer's square is also an essential, as are straight edges, 6", 12" and one yard in length. **

For building boards, contact John Jacobs (member) He makes them at DT's sizes out of framed Sundealer for £30.

Finally, if you are a good wood worker, you can build planes.

** Just realised you probably were not taught Imperial measures!

An afterthought. A roll of teddy bear wrapping paper is good, for covering plans whilst you build on them. Non stick, transparent. When finished, throw it away.
Just seen Phil-F's bit. For the Rascal I used the household clothes pegs. I got my own set for Christmas! EEEh, Luxury!
Add a set of small files (2 mm thick). A set of really small files (1mm thick) is also useful

And one essential thing which is a "Must Have". Little clamps and lots of 'em. I bought 40 on Ebay for £12.00. Act as extra hands...........

Poor Phil C. Has to use his wife's clothes pegs.... :lol:

Chris also asked about glues. I have built with CA in the past but the fumes are not nice at all so I avoid them as much as possible. Most of my building is now done with deluxe materials aliphatic resin
www.deluxematerials.co.uk/gb/rc-modellin...g-5060243900074.html
and the stronger parts that don't need sanding are done with gorilla pva
www.screwfix.com/p/gorilla-glue-wood-glu...god9acLVw&kpid=43424
Thin zap CA (pink bottle) is used for the tight fitting joints (parts slotted together first and CA wicks into the joint) and gorilla CA (a thick CA) for other areas. CA kicker is also worth having when working with thicker CA's. Spray kicker on one surface and while it evaporates put the CA on the other part. When you bring the parts together it bonds a lot quicker than without kicker.

Another thought. A fretsaw can be very handy. A hand fretsaw will do most jobs, but takes time. A motorised scroll saw is ideal, but can be expensive.

A happy medium is a treadle operated fretsaw, very popular in the 50s, last century. As it happens, I have a fine example of such a device, yours for a tenner.

Thank you everyone so much, I'm compiling a list of items and links online stores. It's great when a produce gets universal praise such as the permagrit tools, they should be sending me a catalogue... in the mail... like in the olden days

Thanks for suggesting a self healing cutting mat David, I've been meaning to get a larger one for a while, unfortunately it's just one of those 'unexciting' items that tends to get forgotten about, but which is actually really useful for lots of jobs.

Phil, I have a delightful mental image of you sitting at your treadle operated fret saw, I guess the puff to blow away the sawdust comes naturally from the effort exerted? I have a hand fret saw and I'm sure I'll be able to borrow my dad's little model one if I decide that would be better.

In my mind a 'scratch build' would be taking a set of plans and cutting all the wood and formers, and building it up, a 'kit build' would be buying a kits with laser cut bits and a plan and putting it together, then the ARTF being a mostly bolt it together affair. I usually jump off the deep end with these sorts of things :pinch:

Hi Ron, Having got two modern ARTF kits, I have to conceded that there probably isn't much point trying to replicate what they do by hand, trying to replicate the laser cut interlocking pieces would probably be a lesson in frustration. I've been looking at some of the plans you can download from here:, most of which are of an older style of building aerofred.com/

Nice to hear you are going to have a go at scratch building Chris!
Building a model aeroplane from a stack of balsa and ply and then flying her will be one of the most rewarding things you will ever experience.
The best advice I can give you is start with a simple construction and work your way up to get a feel of how the construction of a model aeroplane goes together.You will make mistakes at first but as you progress and gain confidence you will learn by them.
The choice of glue is very important in construction as you will have at least three different types of glue,and understanding which glue to use in the different areas of the model is critical and what material you are trying to glue ie ply,balsa or plastics. At the end of the day, if you are unsure about anything just ask on the forum as there is a wealth of knowledge in the club.

Good luck

Pete