General Overview
Balsa wood comes from the balsa tree that grows naturally in the rain forests of South and Central America. The balsa wood is known for its lightness and softness. Its weight usually ranges between four and seven kilos in per cubic foot. Besides the lightness, it is classified as a hardwood, that is only for its broad leaves and the fact that Balsa is not a conifer. Balsa wood because of their lightness is used in many items like Table tennis bats, Furniture, Musical string instruments, Model bridges, above all the balsa wood is a good insulator.
Balsa Wood Advantages And Disadvantages
Benefits/Pros
1.
Weight: Balsa wood is one of the lightest wood, soft and highly buoyant.
2.
Versatile: It is very easy to cut into any shape and carve, which makes it an ideal choice for craft work as well as for model making.
3.
Strong: The Balsa Wood retains a lot of water in it, which makes it very strong wood.
4.
Availability: It grows fast naturally and is available easily wherever it is natively grown.
5.
Affordabale: Besides all the beneficial characteristics and benefits, balsa wood is affordable to everyone.
Disadvantages/Cons
Some of the Disadvantages of the Balsa wood are mentioned below:
1.
Highly Flammable: It is highly flammable and catches fire more easily.
2.
Waterproof: The balsa wood is not waterproof which means it can not be used in outdoors.