You can use western cedar for bodies also. I will cut with a steel tube in an electric drill and use a coping saw or something similar to cut cross the grain. If you pull the cylinder partially out of the tube and tape it to the edge of the tube you can then sand it to shape with the drill and the abrasive material of choice.
I make the vast majority of bugs from foam (flip flops and children puzzles and whatever odd item I happen upon) because it is partically indestructible. I used to credit myself with creating the Nike bug which was a popper with a body the intersole of a old running shoe.
You can get the brass tubing from a model airplane store and make yourself some cutters of different sizes–cut the basla to whatever length you want and start punching out bodies. Or you can cut the length and width you want the poppers to be slot the balsa glue in the hook and using a razor and sand paper finish the popper. BILL:tieone:
That’s the main topic of this thread. Start at the beginning and read all the posts. You should find more than a few posts that will answer your question.