Balsa Wood Bridge

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In the bridge competition, ensure you keep your strategy confidential and make significant alterations so no one recognizes your design. Many balsa wood competition websites are filled with arrogant users who may not offer helpful hints. However, Autodesk offers free software for students, including Inventor which can open some SolidWorks files. A 1/16" error led to the failure of one of my bridges, but it still ranked third in total weight held and fourth in weight-strength ratio. To prevent leaning before breaking, tape half of horizontal sticks together and use a table saw for dado cuts. Assemble the bottom half by applying packing tape on a 2x4 and spraying with adhesive. Use tweezers for precision and invest in a balsa wood saw and miter block from Hobby Lobby. To create an arch, soak the wood for three hours and gradually bend it over 20 minutes before drying overnight. Add spacers between arches during drying to maintain shape. Soaking sticks in a Ziploc bag with rice for two days may help absorb more glue. Finally, build at least one prototype of the bottom half and add weight slowly during competition to reduce momentum and allow fibers to stretch gradually.