El Cheapo Tools

[MikeB]

It seems like I always have to make something to finish a task. I tried to use a tape measure to trammel the wings but it didn't seem accurate enough and it almost required two people to do the job. So I decided to build a trammel bar. Simple enough and made from scraps I had around the shop. All it amounts to is a 7/8 piece of 4130 tube with a 3/4 slid inside. I welded a nut on the top and made a "T" screw to secure the inside tube and the points are two long 'pole shed' nails. Works great and now I can do the whole job by myself.



This is also a jig I built to maintain the correct distance between the spars. Made from square tubing and it's just a matter of matching the fuselage attach points, securing the measurement by sliding both pieces together and locking down, then bolting into the spar plates.

No wonder it takes so long to get anything done .

Hope this helps someone else out sometime!

Mike Berg

[Nathan K. Hammond]

That will certainly come in handy in the next couple weeks. Thanks Mike. How did you attach the root jig; welded flat plate that fit on the insides of the spars? Or do you slide them into the fittings?

nkh

[Mac]

I learned the hard way how important it is to make sure the spar fittings match the airplane. Mine were about a 32nd of an inch off and it was very difficult for 4 large grown men to attach my left wing. A wing is not something you want to reef on to make it fit!

Mac

[MikeB]

Nathan,
I guess this isn't a very good photo of the wing jig, but basically I had some square stock steel that matched the attach fittings on the fuselage. I just welded short pieces of the stock to longer stock of the same size and then slid them inside a larger piece. Matched the short pieces against the fuselage fittings (carefully) and secured the adjustment with the four bolts you see on the picture. Anyway, the short pieces slide inside the wing attach fittings to maintain the same distance as the fuselage fittings. I put a bolt in both attach fittings but not sure it was really necessary. I did have to grind a bit to get the square stock to match the fuselage fittings as the fittings on the plane are not exactly square (relieved on the corners).

I think there is a normal tendancy for the wing to squeeze together a bit at the root end when it's not on the plane. Maybe this will help some. On the Champ I'm flying we had to work a bit to get the wings back on the plane and they had just been removed and replaced with nothing done to them (not covered or anything).

Mike

[Nathan K. Hammond]

Thanks Mike!

nkh