Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesCH95
2-3 layers on top and bottom of a core material (just from the seat of my pants)
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You mean they should cut up a pair of your pants? Hopefully not while you're still wearing them...
Seriously: Good advice. A lightweight but low-compressibility core will enhance the stiffness of the layup by bringing the tensile fibers (fiberglass or kevlar) further from the center of bending. Balsa is good, high-density styrofoam (expanded polystyrene) works very well, even 1/4" luan plywood is good. 1/8" is a good thickness to experiment with.
We've made some experimental layups using 1/16" aircraft plywood and 2 layers of 3 oz fiberglass, laid up at a 45 degree bias using marine epoxy and pressed tightly for cure using a heavy weight (iron barbell weights), the stuff was incredibly strong. Only problem is finding large sheets of 1/16" plywood, we used small pieces made for the hobby market.