Constructing the Bridge Measure two pieces of 1/8-inch balsa wood for the base of the bridge. Cut your pieces of balsa wood using a ruler and a sharp utility knife. Measure and cut the pieces necessary for your trusses, using 1/16-inch balsa wood, according to your design. Glue the pieces together using white glue. Click to see full answer. Beside this, how much weight can a balsa wood bridge hold? 89 pounds Subsequently, question is, is balsa wood better in tension or compression? Balsa is stronger under tension than compression. So, it makes sense to put lighter wood on tension members and heavier wood on compression members if the cross sections have equal area. Hereof, what type of bridge holds the most weight? In conclusion, straight bridges ( truss bridges) hold the most weight. While I was doing this project i learned that straight bridges are some of the most strongest bridges in the world. Arch bridges are also strong because they have extra support at the ends, but truss bridges are usually stronger.How do you strengthen balsa wood?Cut out two of every piece of the balsa wood structure using the craft knife. Make sure all the pieces are cut with the grain of the wood. Sort out all the pieces into pairs. Apply some epoxy resin to the back of one piece and attach its mirror image to it.