Joints ... anything handy I can share.
Doubling the length of balsa or spruce sticks by joining them, can be done perfect and easy too. The trick is not to sand the sloped ends seperately, but all in once. The length of the slope has to be at least eleven times the stick's thickness.
Use double-sided tape (like tape used for photos or Gudy) to hold the sticks to the plate. The sanding block must be flat, so the sanding paper must be glued flat to the block. I use Gudy for that. Coarse sanding paper will make the job easier and I suspect it will even provide a better bond with the glue.
To remove the sticks from the plate, twist and pull. Don't bend the stick upwards, because you may break the stick end.
The stick ends are positioned perfectly in quite an easy way by holding one stick between two rulers; hold a piece of masking tape ready; gently shove the other stick up to the first (experiment for the right amount of force) and apply the tape. Make two cuts in the tape sides at the stick ends, before applying the tape to the stick sides, then you can open the gap to fill it with glue.
Lay the sticks on a flat surface. The tape under the joint has some thickness, so add tape left and right from the joint as well. Fill the gap with glue; close it and wipe off excess glue; make sure you hold the sticks flat to the surface; apply clamps ... that's it. Remove tape when dried.
Perfect joints ...
