How to Make a Model Plane Out of Wood

For those who want to fly the friendly skies but don't want to leave home, building a model plane out of wood can be just the ticket! Hone your woodworking skills and have something fun to look at when you're done.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Soft wood block (pine or balsa)
• 1/8 inch wood sheets
• Popsicle sticks
• 1/2 inch dowels
• Hobby knife or utility knife
• Sandpaper
• Ruler
• Clamps
• Glue
• Razor saw
• Pliers
• Vice
• Drill

1. Wing on top

   Carve or purchase a 10 to 12 inch by 1 inch block of soft wood. Balsa is the softest, but it's so soft that care must be taken to prevent unwanted gouges and scratches. Pine holds up a bit better. Clamp the block so that it is secure. You can slope or curve one corner to make the appearance of a cockpit. Cut a 1 inch section off the back end to use as a riser for your tail wings.

2. Determine the wing size. You might want to draw out a few sketches to scale to see what size will look the best. We'll use a 10 by 3 inch span for our purposes. Fashion the wings out of a wood sheet with a razor knife or a very fine blade saw.

3. Glue the riser. Attach the riser you cut off the end of the fuselage to the top of the opposite end of the cockpit.

4. Create your landing gear. Cut the Popsicle sticks to the desired length and glue a dowel to the end of each. Let them dry then glue them to each side of the fuselage right under where your wings will be attached (to the forward side of the wings will be best).

5. Cut your tail wing to size (1 1/2 inch by 4 might work). Center the tail wing over the 1 inch riser and glue it securely. Let it dry before proceeding.

6. Get your wings. It's time to mount the wing on top of the fuselage just back of the cockpit area. You might want to line it up and mark the placement with pencil lines first. Glue down and hold with a clamp until dry. Once you're sure all the parts are secure, you can proceed.

7. Passengers added for detail

   Finish your aircraft. Now you can add finishing details such as carving out a cockpit window. Paint or stain the plane or add decals.

Tips & Warnings

• Have extra wood on hand in case of mistakes.

• The sizes in this article are example only. You can go bigger or smaller.

• Placing the wing on top is the easiest configuration. There are many other ways to build the plane but take more skill.

• Use super glue and you may not need to use clamps.

• Tack the landing gear to the fuselage for added strength if needed.

• Be patient! Do not proceed to next steps unless the parts are dry.

• Use glue in a well ventilated area.