Punched Balsa Sheets

I don't like breaking pieces as I punch them out of the sheets, I do not like having to make a new piece or glue it together. I like making the kit as light as possible and as perfect as I can manage. This Skeeter kit is at lease 25-30 years old. The balsa looks good, it came from California so I'm sure it wasn't baked like it could have been in an attic in Yuma, AZ. The wood feels good, it isn't brittle, and I was able to punch out 99% of the pieces without having to repair. I did have to make a slight repari on the leading-edge piece of the elevator, the sharp end that you glue together to make the whole of the elevator, the sharp end broke at the tip. I was able to find the small piece and glue it together. 

Altogether I am happy knowing all the ribs were separated and in good shape.

Already I'm thinking how to attack the wing plug in at the front middle of the leading edge. It calls for a 3/16" hardwood dowel (supplied) and it's a good-looking piece. The plans call for a hole to be drilled after the two center panels will be glued together.

Nope.

...and ribs number one and two are very thin. I don't want the mess of making a hole with a drill bit, I'll cut additional number 1 rib on each side out of thin ply and cap those ribs with the original ribs. I'll figure out half of 3/16 and that's the thickness of premium ply I will use. That's what I did last time.

I will have to split the center dihedral and figure how many degrees I’ll have to tilt the center ribs so when they meet, they will be flush and the hole for the dowel pin will be lined up and perfect.

I guess it’s time to think about how much dihedral I want to go with…

I like to balance my wing. That is, when it's laying on it's center dihedral, the wing balances. I started doing this on #003, the Bird of Time. I would rough measure wood from both wing halves and swap wood to make both wings as close to weight as possible. When the wing was finished before covering, I would again balance on the center dihedral and if the wing was heavy on one side, I would take a small quartz crystal and glue it to the tip of the light side to balance the wing.

It was all theory.

I'm not sure I'm going to final balance my wing this time. I'm going to ask my expert friends if they do it. I'm probably overthinking it. I think alot while building and I enjoy it. It's almost like therapy for me to concentrate on something I enjoy doing. 

So I've pushed off now, thirty-five minutes of wing prep.