Making Lightening holes in Balsa

[astroboyy]

any suggestion as to what tool to use to make those lightening holes in balsa.

[Warbird]

you can try a thin walled aluminum/copper pipe (big diameter) with sharp edges (use a knife to sharpen them).

[Tony]

The best tool to use, in my opinion, is the Gaskin Softbore tool. It comes in a set of 4 and can be ordered direct from Brian Gaskin in the UK. Look at any of the British RC aeromodelling magazines and chances are you'll find his advert somewhere at the back. If not, do a search on the net for "Gaskin Softbore" He makes it. Investing in one will save you a whole lot of aggro with having to sand hairy holes, chipped edges etc etc.

I have posted pictures of me using it somewhere at the electric flying site but it appears its now closed down. Its basically a cylinder with a honed edge on one end and a shank at the other. You can turn it by hand (soft balsa) or use an electric drill. It gives nice clean cuts and the disks can easily removed from within the tool.

Its not cheap but a set will last you a lifetime.

any suggestion as to what tool to use to make those lightening holes in balsa.

[mun36]

Hi,

I have read about the gaskin softbore... but never bother about them as they seemed expensive according to those who wrote about them in the magazine... may I know how much you paid for your set?

Thanks.

[Warbird]

Have a look here for some info on different methods: LINK

[Tony]

Can't recall right off but agree that they are not cheap but in my opinion, they are worth the money I paid. I guess it depends on how often you will be doing it and how much you are willing to pay to lessen the frustration of boring countless numbers of holes.

The usual problems with boring holes are (a) getting hairy edges which requires much sanding and ends up with slightly off round finish, (b) parts of the edges chips off giving you ugly holes even after you apply putty to cover up the chipped bits, (c) holes are not square to the surface around the entire circumference (you get this often when using circular cutters and you don't do a complete cut in one single go) etc etc.

Done right, the Gaskin borers will give you nice clean cut holes that are completely round and the edges are exactly 90 degrees throughout the entire circumference. Also, if you use a bench drill and clamp the piece down, all the holes will be in total alignment. With transparent covering, out of alignment holes just looks glaringly awful.

If you are only doing the odd hole here and there, I would suggest that its not worth the while to pay the kind of money to get the softbore tools. But if you are going to be modding planes or converting slimer kits to electrics a lot, then its probably worth spending the money to avoid the drudgery.

Above is my 2 cents worth.

Hi,

I have read about the gaskin softbore... but never bother about them as they seemed expensive according to those who wrote about them in the magazine... may I know how much you paid for your set?

Thanks.

[Tony]

Good link. I've tried using the copper/brass tube method and it works for small holes. The problem is when you need to do the bigger holes, I could not get a chuck with jaws big enough to take the tube. There is also the problem of not getting enough grip on the tube without crushing the tube. I've had enough close calls with flying brass tubes for it not to be funny.

I've got a collection of circular and compass cutters that I tried and no longer use. They work okay - to a certain extent. They are good for a few holes but not when you have to do 30. With thin balsa/foam they are fine but not when you need to bore through the thicker pieces. They also work pretty reasonably on big flat pieces eg. fuselage sides but impossible to use on small/narrow irregular shaped pieces like ailerons and tailpieces which are shaped stock (typical in Pilot and MK kits).

I guess that if you had the time and the welding equipment, you could make a cutting tube with a shank, which is exactly what the Gaskin borer is.

Have a look here for some info on different methods: LINK

[Tony]

This is what the set of Softbore tools looks like.

The disks fall out through the hole on the side.

[astroboyy]

thanks for the tip. Tony any link or email which i can write to. thanks.

[Tony]

Did a search, and this company sells it on the net.

RJR Tools

Or you could contact Brian Gaskin himself.

01322 865701 (phone / fax), or write to: Brian Gaskin, 157A Main Road, Sutton-at-Hone, Kent DA4 9HW.