# Aircraft Grade Spruce "Market Survey"

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#### Victor Bravo

##### Well-Known Member
HBA Supporter
This posting is NOT a proper For Sale post, for a specific reason. If the moderators see it as violating any of the TOU or intentions, let me know and I will take it down or change it.

Our EAA Chapter will be getting a donation of spruce spar stock this week. My job, as Minister of Machiavellian Monetary Machinations, is to turn this wood into a Fort Knox sized pile of cash, to be used for our chapter's Zenith Cruzer project. This posting is intended as an initial exploratory post, to see if there is interest in this wood on HBA, as opposed to taking the traditional Barnstormers route. My intention would be to offer it to my fellow HBA'ers first.

The wood has been stored indoors. That's all I know now. I also do NOT YET have an accurate inventory, or pictures. A rough estimate by a non-aviation person (at the storage location) is that there are "about a dozen pieces", "a little more than an inch thick, maybe five or six inches wide, and most are over twelve feet, a few look like sixteen feet".

As soon as I get photos, a proper inventory, etc. then I will of course post it.

So my question is this: Assuming that it is usable spar stock, and assuming the pricing represents a 25% discount off of whatever Aircraft Spruce and Wicks would sell it for, how much interest from the wood airplane builders here on HBA is there in buying this kind of stuff?

#### bmcj

##### Well-Known Member
HBA Supporter
I might be able to use some. I’ll have to check my specs against what you get.

#### Victor Bravo

##### Well-Known Member
HBA Supporter
Cool, thanks. As soon as I get any useful info I'll post it and PM.

#### wsimpso1

##### Super Moderator
Staff member
Log Member
I look forward to the "for sale" post. Might want stock for tailwind spars.

HBA Supporter
Yes.

#### JohnB

##### Well-Known Member
HBA Supporter
I would be interested in all of it

#### David L. Downey

##### Well-Known Member
I would be interested in all of it as well...depending on cost of freight to the East Coast...

#### Victor Bravo

##### Well-Known Member
HBA Supporter
Thank you all. Still waiting for the inventory and photos. Will advise.

#### ragflyer

yep I would be interested in the lot too....maybe you should auction it to maximize $#### Victor Bravo ##### Well-Known Member HBA Supporter Just got the wood picked up and loaded onto a chapter member's trailer. Have NOT done a full inventory of measurements yet. But I got several good photos as promised. Most of it looks like good spar stock, some of it is rough sawn and other pieces have been milled. Based on these photos, perhaps the previous interested parties can let me know if they're still interested. #### JohnB ##### Well-Known Member HBA Supporter If you will post a length, width, thickness of each board I'll PM you an offer #### Victor Bravo ##### Well-Known Member HBA Supporter Thank you Mr. B... one or our chapter's classified black project operatives will be measuring the boards very soon, and I will post the results. I'd be doing it right now myself but the "day job" gets in the way #### Victor Bravo ##### Well-Known Member HBA Supporter Thanks to the efforts of my most distinguished partner in crime, "known associate", and co-conspirator SteveL, we have a reasonably good inventory. We will begin to look up the retail values in the Aircraft Spruce website calculator, with the intent to offer this wood at a 25% discount. Unless of course someone here on this forum wants to make a "pre-emptive offer" that knocks our socks off, and makes us not even want to advertise on Barnstormers and/or other venues. Here is the inventory we have:  Board # Thick " Width " Length " Planed# Joined # Condition 1​ 7/8​ 6 3/8​ 149​ P2 J1 5" unusable at end 2​ 5/8​ 5 3/4​ 169​ P2 J1 3/8" wide defect 35" from end on un-joined edge 3​ 3/4​ 4​ 97​ P2 J0 No defects noted 4​ 5/8​ 5 7/8​ 76​ P2 J1 4" unusable section starting 29" from end 5​ 5/8​ 3 7/8​ 144​ P2 J0 No defects noted 6​ 15/16​ 6 7/8​ 128​ P0 J1 No defects noted 7​ 15/16​ 6 3/4​ 141​ P0 J0 12" of edge missing 1 1/2" at end 8​ 1 1/8​ 5 9/16​ 117​ P2 J1 No defects noted 9​ 3/4​ 6 1/4​ 146​ P2 J1 Tape adhesive residue and minor erosion 3" from end 10​ 3/4​ 6 1/8​ 146​ P2 J1 Tape adhesive residue and minor erosion 3" from end 11​ 1 9/16​ 5 7/8​ 171​ P0 J0 Minor split and width tapers for 7" at end 12​ 15/16​ 6 13/16​ 145​ P0 J0 No defects noted 13​ 13/16​ 4 1/8​ 145​ P0 J0 No defects noted 14​ 1​ 6 3/4​ 135​ P0 J0 No defects noted 15​ 1 1/2​ 6​ 168​ P0 J0 4" split at one end, 8" split and cupping at other end #### stevel ##### Well-Known Member I sent a PM to one member and then realized that several of those who expressed interest could benefit. I have a friend who has confirmed that he can be bribed to deliver anywhere between the Los Angeles Area and Austin, TX. The catch is that you would have to wait for his next trip that is yet to be scheduled. #### agpilot24 ##### New Member Age of the wood? Being stored indoors out of the sun and not wet, how does the age affect strength? I also have some old spruce that was stored in a dark spot, undetermined age, how do I determine strength? #### Hot Wings ##### Grumpy Cynic HBA Supporter Log Member Here is the inventory we have: 77.7 board feet, if my input to Excel is correct. Should be a good deal for someone that is a short drive away. That isn't me........... My brother came home one day and was greeted by his wife who showed him her new pantry shelving "That I made all by myself with some wood I found in the garage". All he could say is "Nice looking wood". #### BJC ##### Well-Known Member HBA Supporter My brother came home one day and was greeted by his wife who showed him her new pantry shelving "That I made all by myself with some wood I found in the garage". All he could say is "Nice looking wood". She has lots of initiative; perhaps she should be the one building an airplane. BJC #### Victor Bravo ##### Well-Known Member HBA Supporter I just went on the Aircraft Spruce website and calculated the price of the nearest equivalent spruce board to what we've got. The ACS part number and cost are listed next to each board, per the ACS online calculator. For the most part, for boards that are in-between Aircraft Spruce stock sizes I used ACS slightly smaller size, unless my board is longer than the nearest one foot increment at ACS. In that case the total amount of wood should balance out. Their price is without packing and shipping, our price is also without packing and shipping. Apples to apples comparison. As indicated, unless one of my home EAA chapter members wants to buy this first, I am giving HBA the first chance, before Barnstormers.com, AND I'm offering an HBA participant discount of 25%. In this case, that's almost six hundred smackers, in return for sanding the boards smooth yourself. Someone who wants to buy all of this wood in one transaction will of course get higher priority than someone who wants anything less than the full amount. Once again this is a "benefit" deal for our EAA Chapter. The wood was donated to us, and since we're building a tin foil airplane we're better off converting this wood to cash.  Board # Thick " Width " Length " Planed# Joined # Condition 1​ 7/8​ 6 3/8​ 149​ 5" unusable at end ACS 02-78614$156.00 2​ 5/8​ 5 3/4​ 169​ 3/8" wide defect 35" from end on edge ACS 02-58534 $161.00 3​ 3/4​ 4​ 97​ P2 J0 No defects noted ACS 02-344$76.00 4​ 5/8​ 5 7/8​ 76​ 4" unusable section starting 29" from end ACS 02-58534 $69.00 5​ 5/8​ 3 7/8​ 144​ P2 J0 No defects noted ACS 02-58334$90.00 6​ 15/16​ 6 7/8​ 128​ P0 J1 No defects noted ACS 02-1516634 $157.50 7​ 15/16​ 6 3/4​ 141​ P0 J0 12" of edge missing 1 1/2" at end ACS 02-1516634$173.25 8​ 1 1/8​ 5 9/16​ 117​ No defects noted ACS 02-118512 $170.00 9​ 3/4​ 6 1/4​ 146​ Tape adhesive residue and minor erosion 3" from end ACS 02-34614$156.00 10​ 3/4​ 6 1/8​ 146​ Tape adhesive residue and minor erosion 3" from end ACS 02-346 $156.00 11​ 1 9/16​ 5 7/8​ 171​ P0 J0 Minor split and width tapers for 7" at end ACS 02-1126$241.50 12​ 15/16​ 6 13/16​ 145​ P0 J0 No defects noted ACS 02-1516634 $189.00 13​ 13/16​ 4 1/8​ 145​ P0 J0 No defects noted ACS 02-13164$141.00 14​ 1​ 6 3/4​ 135​ P0 J0 No defects noted ACS 02-1634 $165.00 15​ 1 1/2​ 6​ 168​ P0 J0 4" split at one end, 8" split and cupping at other end ACS 02-1126$241.50

ACS Equivalent Grand Total $2,342.75 -25% HBA Member Discount - 586.00 HBA Member Price$1,757.00

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