7 DIY Balsa Wood Projects You Can Do Today (with Pictures)

Balsa wood comes from the Ochroma pyramidale, a small tree that grows in Central and South America. The wood is very soft, lightweight, and easy to work with, so it’s great for crafts and woodworking projects. If you are looking for some projects to get you started, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve searched the internet for every balsa wood project we could find, and we’re going to list them for you here so you can get some ideas. We’ve also included images and a short description to let you know how difficult it is.

The 7 DIY Balsa Wood Projects

1. DIY Balsa Bridge

The balsa bridge is very popular and is often one of the first projects that people undertake. It’s not that difficult to build, but the hard part is designing something stable, and many contests are looking for the best design.

2. DIY Balsa Wood Water Tower

A balsa wood water tower is a little more advanced and will require plenty of patience, but the result is stunning and will help you work on your wood bending technique.

3. DIY Balsa Wood Airplane

Learning how to make a balsa wood airplane is one of the most popular uses for balsa wood, and most of us have seen one for sale, if not owned one. They are very inexpensive, but you can create it yourself by using the one in the store as a template.

4. DIY Balsa Wood Tardis

If you are a Doctor Who fan, you will love creating the balsa wood tardis. This project is not very difficult and demonstrates several important techniques you will need when working with balsa. The resulting project looks great on any desk or shelf, and it’s lightweight enough to use as a tree ornament.

5. DIY Balsa Wood Mobile

The balsa wood mobile is one of the easier projects on this list, and there are no set patterns or plans to follow. It’s the perfect project to tackle when learning how to bend wood, but you can also cut out shapes of stars, butterflies, and other objects to make it look how you want.

6. DIY Balsa Wood Animals

Balsa wood animals are easy to make and are a great way to master your Exacto knife skills. The easiest way is to trace your favorite animals onto the wood and cut them out. Start easy with no tight spaces and gradually work your way up.

7. DIY Balsa Oldie

We wanted to make sure there was at least one good project for experienced woodworkers to try out and give the rest of us something to work toward, and that is the balsa oldie. When you create one of these, you’re ready to open up shop.

Summary

Balsa wood projects can be great fun for children and adults. There are projects available for beginners and experienced woodcarvers. Once you have an idea like creating balsa wood animals, you can expand on it to include any characters in a coloring book or comic book. It will give you experience cutting and painting, and before you know it, you’ll be moving on to more complex projects. The same idea goes for other projects, like the balsa bridge. You might build several before you find a design you are happy with, and by then, you will have perfected the skill.

We hope you have enjoyed reading over our list ideas that teach you how to male Balsa wood projects and have found the one you will try. If you know other people interested in these kinds of crafts, please share these 12 Balsa wood projects you can do today on Facebook and Twitter.

Featured image credit: Zenith Pictures, Shutterstock