Originally Posted by jharkin

Poplar lite ply has been used in builders kits as well pretty much forever. Many serious builders (myself included) see it as nothing but a cost savings measure.


Frankly I think 'lite' ply is garbage. If budget is not a consideration its better to use real aircraft grade birch ply in the areas that really need it (firewalls, motor boxes, landing gear mounts, dihedral joiners) and just use thicker/heavier balsa in other locations.


Many hobbyists don't realize that the reason balsa is the traditional airplane model building wood is not simply because its easy to cut and shape.The bigger reason is that balsa has one of the highest strength to weight ratios of any wood species. You can take advantage of that property by making your own balsa "plywood" by laminating a couple layers with the grain oriented 90 degrees. The piece will be thicker than the equivalent lite ply but lighter for the same strength. This is great to use for fuselage formers in low stress locations.


This is a great article on the properties of various model building wood, and well worth the time to read:
http://www.airfieldmodels.com/inform...ng/plywood.htm

Spot on. I just saw a box of lite ply in my storage that I haven't seen in years. No need for it as I'm birch ply and balsa only. Plus spruce.

we called lite-ply.... "Cheese-Ply" in the professional world!! lol

is the Insta-Split a design feature?