Yearly Archives: 2013


Workbench Improvement

Three quick projects for today.

First I added adjustable feet to all of the workbench legs. Not only is the garage floor not level but the two work benches are slightly different. When they abut one another there was a slight lip. By adding the feet, I’m able to level the workbenches and square their heights wherever I move them.

Second, I added the back riveting plate to one of the benches. I didn’t center it as I wanted it centered on the two work benches instead. I’d call the installation semi permanent since I used some wood glue to ensure nothing settled. I wanted to make sure the plate was just a hair higher than the surrounding surface. This way it can settle some after riveting. I’m also concerned that a small drop can lead to stretching the skin.

Finally, I built a new table meant for the c-frame. The new table is designed to go between the two workbenches either longways or end to end. The addition of adjustable feet means I can adjust the c-frame height regardless of the die being used. Dimpling and back riveting will be much easier after today!

Of course, I still need to fabricate a wing stand… All in due time.

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So my work bonus wasn’t as big as I had hoped, but that didn’t stop me from ordering the wings today!  The current wait time is about 8 weeks until they ship and another week or so for them to arrive.  FINALLY!


Elevators 14 (5.0 hrs)

I started out today by dimpling the counterweight skins.20130609-140923.jpg

And countersinking the counterweights themselves. Both went smoothly. 20130609-140931.jpg

Next was countersinking the trim tab spar on the top, and the end ribs. This was difficult as the sheet is very thin. I’ve wound up with a couple holes that will need oops rivets.20130609-140941.jpg

Next it was time to start work on the electric trim assembly. I hadn’t even opened the box prior to today, so I spent some time familiarizing myself with the parts and then replicating the drawings to understand how everything fit together.20130609-140949.jpg

Here are the measurements provided by Van’s from the drawings. The resulting placement seems off-center, but when you factor in the cotter pin, I think its perfect. 20130609-140959.jpg

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Here is how I match drilled the two supports for the servo. Got to love the long cleco clamps. 20130609-141023.jpg

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Here’s a picture of the final setup. It looks off-center to the right, but the directions specifically state to leave room for the pin… which I think shouldn’t be a problem with this alignment. (I wonder if the measurements do this intentionally, because everything looks centered in the drawings…) 20130609-141039.jpg

The final and most time consuming project of the day was deburring and priming prep.  I deburred every hole and every edge (except the skins).  I also hit every part with the scotchbrite.  The next step will be deburring the skins and dimpling all the parts.  Then it will be time to take a look at the infamous trim tab…20130609-182620.jpg