Archive for category Bulkheads
Bulkheads Finished (1/22/12)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Bulkheads, Construction, Fuselage, Longerons on January 22, 2012
1.0 Hours -
With a Penguins hockey game and two NFL playoff games on TV today, I only planned for short work session. Priorities, right!
Since I had already primed my F-711 and F-712 bulkhead parts, all that was left was to rivet them. The F-711 needed the bulkhead halves, as well as the F-711C bars riveted together at this time. The F-711D angle won’t get riveted until later in assembly after the skins are on. All of the bulkhead rivets could be reached with the squeezer, so I was a happy camper.
The completed F-711 bulkhead. The F-711D angle doesn't get riveted until after the skins are on.
A side view of the F-711 bulkhead.
The F-712 bulkhead was even easier than the F-711. For the F-712, just the bulkhead halves are riveted together (it’s a bit more complicated if you’re building a tri-gear model). As with the F-711, the squeezer could reach everything, making my short work session that much easier.
The F-712 bulkhead is riveted together with flush rivets on the aft side.
A side view of the F-712 bulkhead.
With these two bulkheads done, all of the bulkheads are finished (for now), and it’s time to move on to something new. Unfortunately, the next step in the plans is to cut and bend the longerons. This seems to be an area where a lot of builders get stressed out, but end up with satisfactory results. To make this a bit easier (I hope), I bought some longeron bending dies off a Vansairforce.net member some time ago. The dies are milled out of a relatively hefty chunk of aluminum, and the idea is to squeeze the longeron in the dies using a vise to make the gentle bend. I’m sure it will be a fun process.
Up next is longeron bending. I bought these dies a long time ago to assist with making the shallow curve.
The longeron dies bend the longerons by squeezing the dies together in a vise.
F-711 and F-712 Bulkheads Started (1/21/12)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Bulkheads, Construction, Fuselage on January 21, 2012
2.4 Hours -
Back to work on the bulkheads…
The F-710 bulkhead and F-710B angle received a coat of primer the other day, so, today, I riveted them together. Fortunately, all of these rivets could be reached with the squeezer, so it was an easy task.
The F-710 bulkhead and angle are riveted together.
Next, I finished up the F-711 bulkhead by trimming away a section of the bulkheads and making the F-711D angle. The bulkheads are trimmed to make room for the elevator pushrod, and it was an easy task to remove this material with the bandsaw. The F-711D angle was another easy piece to make because it just had to be cut to length, clamped to the bulkhead and match-drilled. With the angle made, I then prepped all the F-711 parts for priming.
A big chunk of the F-711 bulkheads gets trimmed away to make room for the elevator pushrod.
The F-711 bulkhead prep work is finished. After priming, this will be ready for assembly.
The F-712 bulkhead is the last bulkhead that I have to make. This one is like the F-711 bulkhead in that it is two halves that get riveted together, back to back. There are no angles or other parts to be made for this bulkhead, so it was as simple as final-drilling, deburring, dimpling and prepping for primer.
The F-713 bulkhead is made from two halves riveted back to back just like the F-711 bulkhead.
Finally, I put a coat of primer on all the F-711 and F-712 parts. Tomorrow, I’ll rivet these bulkheads together, and then it’s on to the dreaded task of bending the longerons!
The F-711 and F-712 bulkhead parts are ready for a coat of primer.
F-706 Finally Done, F-711 Started (1/19/12)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Bulkheads, Construction, Fuselage on January 19, 2012
1.8 Hours -
The primer on the F-706 sides was dry, so it was finally time to rivet them to the base and set the F-706 bulkhead aside. All of the rivets could be squeezed, but the base and sides are made from such thin aluminum that they were a bit of a challenge to rivet together. The challenges were mainly from the bulkhead being so light and flexible that it was hard to keep it in position. Oh well, the F-706 bulkhead has joined the many other partial assemblies in temporary storage. Hopefully, I’ll get to start putting the partial assemblies together at some point soon because I’m running out of storage room in the garage!
The F-706 bulkhead material is so thin that it is actually a little difficult to rivet. At least it can be set aside for a while now.
With the F-706 done, I wanted to wrap up the F-709 and F-710 bulkheads as well. Between the two bulkheads, there are only three parts. For tonight, I prepped and primed these parts. Tomorrow, I’ll rivet the F-710 angle to the bulkhead, and these parts will be finished (toss in my usual, “for now”).
There isn't much to the F-709 and F-710 bulkheads. Here, the parts are being primed.
On to the F-711 bulkhead. Van’s calls this a “double bulkhead.” Basically, it is two bulkheads riveted back to back. Since I actually knew where these parts were in the crate, it didn’t take me long to find everything I needed to get started. I clecoed the F-711A&B bulkheads together and then grabbed a length of AB4-187 x 1-1/4 bar stock and got to work fabricating the F-711C bars. The bars were simple to make…cut to length, draw a center line, drill three holes in each bar at the specified locations, and cut the outside top edge to a slight angle…easy.
The F-711 bars are fairly easy to make from the provided stock material. Just cut to length, drill a few holes, and add a taper.
Once made, the F-711C bars are clecoed and clamped to the F-711A&B bulkheads in order to drill the remaining holes. The centerline on the bars is visible through the holes in the bulkhead, and the bulkhead holes are used as the drill guides for match-drilling the bars. After the bars were fully drilled, I marked a section of each bulkhead half that needs to be trimmed away to make room for the elevator pushrod. However, I’ll leave the actual trimming for another day.
The F-711C bars are clamped to the F-711A&B bulkheads for drilling.
The blue centerline on the F-711C bars is visible through the holes in the F-711A&B bulkheads. The bulkhead holes are then used as guides for drilling.
The F-711C bars are drilled and the F-711A&B bulkheads are marked for trimming.
F-706 Again And Still Not Done (1/18/12)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Bulkheads, Construction, Fuselage on January 18, 2012
1.5 Hours -
If I had time for one long work session, I could easily wrap up the F-706 bulkhead. Unfortunately, working an hour or two every other day is really dragging out this section. Today, I managed to get the F-730 plate and the F-729 rib riveted to the F-706 base. Once this was riveted, I final-drilled the F-706 sides to the base. Once drilled, I deburred the holes and prepped the sides for priming. With the primer sprayed tonight, I should be able to rivet the sides to the base tomorrow.
The F-706 bulkhead base with the F-730 plate and F-729 rib riveted.
A close-up of the F-706 base structure so far. The scuffing around the upper holes is from my dimple dies...the camera flash really makes any marks pop-out from the shiny aluminum.
The F-706 sides are also being primed. I can't wait to be done with this bulkhead.
F-706, F-709 and F-710 Bulkhead Work (1/16/12)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Bulkheads, Construction, Fuselage on January 16, 2012
3.0 Hours -
Another day of bulkhead work…
My first task was to get some of the F-706 components ready for priming and riveting. However, before I could do that, I still had to match-drill, deburr, and dimple (as necessary), the F-706 base, F-730 plate, F-728 bellcrank channel, and F-729 bellcrank rib. Once that was done, I scuffed, cleaned and primed all of the angles and the F-706 base.
Another picture of priming. This is a few of the F-706 bulkhead parts.
Next, I started working on the F-709 and F-710 bulkheads. The F-709 was the easiest to complete since it is a one-piece bulkhead and it only needed to be deburred and fluted for now. The F-710 was a little more complicated, but not by much. The F-710 is also a one-piece bulkhead, but it also requires a small length of angle to be fabricated.
I would have made quick work of the F-710B angle if I could have found the correct angle stock. However, I spent well over a half-hour searching the garage for the 17 inch length of .125 x 1 x 1 angle stock that was listed on the inventory sheet. Since it was checked off the inventory, I knew it was hiding somewhere. When I was just about to give up, I finally found it buried deep inside the parts crate. For some reason, I didn’t put this piece of angle stock in the same place as all the other angle stock! Once the angle was located, making the F-710B was a piece of cake.
It took me longer to find the right angle stock than it did to make the actual part!
The F-709 and F-710 bulkheads after being straightened.
F-706 Bulkhead Work (1/15/12)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Bulkheads, Construction, Fuselage on January 15, 2012
3.0 Hours -
I still feel like I’m doing a lot of work on these bulkheads with little to show for it! Oh well, back at it today.
The first thing I did was to rivet together the, now primed, halves of the F-707 and F-708 bulkheads. One bulkhead had 6 rivets that could be set now and the other had 8. All of these rivets could be squeezed, so they took no time to install. At least I now have a couple finished bulkheads to show for all my work!
The F-707 and F-708 bulkheads are easy to rivet together.
I couldn’t delay the F-706 bulkhead any longer. This is the bulkhead with the really crappy looking parts. Specifically, the sides and bottom are a mess…very warped and ugly aluminum. After deburring the edges of the parts, I attacked them with my fluting pliers in an attempt to get them straight. This was a lot of work and they still aren’t as straight as I would like them to be. However the metal is so thin and flexible that I don’t think it will be a problem if I have to slightly ”pull” them into place with clecoes through the skin when the time comes.
Next, there are three angles pieces that have to be fabricated out of .063 x 3/4 x 3/4 stock. The F-728B and F-729B angles are easy as they just have to be cut to the proper length. However, the F-729C angle takes a bit more work. For this part, the stock is cut to length, and then the plans state to close the angle very slightly to 88.5 degrees. To do this, I just clamped the angle in my vise and continued to close the vise jaws until the angle was closed very slightly. Easy enough.
The plans say to make the angle 88.5 degrees instead of 90...not much of a bend, but it was easy to squeeze closed in my vise.
After bending in my vise, the F-729C angle matches the plans perfectly.
All of the angles that need to be fabricated for the F-706 bulkhead have been made.
With all the angles made, I went ahead and match-drilled the two longer angles to the bellcrank support structure. The F-728B angle was drilled to the F-728A bellcrank channel, and the F-729B angle was drilled to the F-729A bellcrank rib.
The longer lengths of angle have to be match-drilled to the F-728A bellcrank channel and the F-729A bellcrank rib.
Finally, I clecoed the F-706 structure together for the first time. With the structure assembled, I could check the bend on my F-729C angle. It fit perfectly, so no more bending was needed. Next up, the structure will need to be final drilled, but that’s not going to happen today.
The F-706 bulkhead components clecoed together for the first time.
F-706, F-707, F-708 Bulkheads Continued (1/14/12)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Bulkheads, Construction, Fuselage on January 14, 2012
1.8 Hours -
I’m back to work on the plane after taking about a week off from the project. The main reason for the break is that I got married last weekend. We had a small beach ceremony in South Padre Island, TX. The weather was perfect and it was nice to see some family members that we had not seen in a while. Now, I’ve got to get this plane built so that we can cut down the travel time to South Padre. Six hour drives are no fun, but two-hour flights are!
Amber and Ethan - South Padre Island, TX - January 8, 2012
Back in the garage, it took me a little time to remember what was left to be done on the bulkheads. I had received my #10 drill from Aircraft Spruce, so I decided to finish up the F-661EF flap bearing blocks first. After enlarging the first hole in the blocks to #10, I mounted the blocks on the F-705 bulkhead assembly with one bolt and a clamp.
After drilling one hole in the flap bearing block, I used a bolt and a clamp to position it for drilling the second hole.
Since I had marked a center line on the blocks, it was easy to make sure the blocks were straight. Once aligned, I used my air drill to start the hole for the second bolt. However, I only drilled this hole about 1/4″. Then, with the hole “marked”, I moved the block to the drill press to finish the hole since I didn’t think I could make a straight hole by hand through the two-inch thick blocks.
I only drilled the second hole about 1/4" while the block was clamped to the bulkhead...it will get finished on the drill press.
The drill press makes straight holes quickly in the plastic.
Once the second hole was drilled in the blocks, I temporarily installed the blocks on the bulkhead using the appropriate bolts, washers, and nuts. However, I only loosely installed the nuts for now since the blocks will be removed to rivet the skins.
The finished product. Only loosely installed for now since they will have to come off to rivet the skins.
With the flap blocks out-of-the-way, I moved on to the F-706, 707, and 708 bulkheads once again. As I stated in a previous post, these parts are just plain ugly and they need a lot of finishing work. For today, I finished deburring and fluting the F-707 and F-708 components. However, I decided to wait on the F-706 bulkhead parts as they will require the most work. Since these parts are all such a mess, I’m going to prime them. In this case, the primer is mainly for appearance, not corrosion protection. I managed to clean, scuff and prime the F-707 and 708 parts today, so at least I’ll be able to rivet those together and set them aside tomorrow.
The remaining bulkheads are made from such crappy stock that I'm going to prime them.
F-706, F-707, and F-708 Bulkheads Started (1/5/12)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Bulkheads, Construction, Fuselage on January 5, 2012
3.0 Hours -
I couldn’t resist drilling the F-661EF flap actuator bearing blocks even though I don’t have the correct drill size yet. The closest drill I had to a #10 was a #12, so I chucked it into the drill press, clamped the block into place and drilled. The plastic was, of course, easy to drill, and I was actually surprised when I test fit a bolt and found that you really do have to go up in drill size when working with plastic. So, I’ll have to enlarge the hole once I get the #10 bit, but that’s easy. I’ll also wait until I have the other bit before drilling the second hole.
I started drilling the flap bearing blocks even though I don't have the right size bit. Clamped to the drill press with a piece of angle, the hole came out nice and straight.
Next, it was time to move on to some other bulkheads, so I had to spend some time rearranging the plans. I have so many large plans sheets now that rearranging them can take some time. It didn’t help that the drawings for the F-706, -707, and -708 bulkheads are split between two sheets.
After organizing the plans, I had figured out what parts I needed and set out on a search through the parts crate. After a bit of searching, I found everything I needed and got to work. The first thing I did was to locate and enlarge all the snap bushing holes for the rudder cables, wiring, and static system. Once these were all drilled, I started doing the finishing work on the bulkhead parts. These parts are in pretty rough shape out of the box. They are made from thin aluminum and they are severely warped in areas due to the way they are formed at the factory. Because of this, the bulkheads are going to take a lot of fluting to get them straight again. For today, I only finished the F-708 bulkhead components.
The raw parts for the F-706, 707, and 708 bulkheads are pretty rough looking...definitely going to have to prime these.
The bulkhead components are fairly warped from the bending process...time to do some fluting.
After fluting, the bulkheads look much better. There are still not perfect, but better.
F-705 Bulkhead Riveted (1/4/12)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Bulkheads, Construction, Fuselage on January 4, 2012
2.7 Hours -
This evening was another work session where I spent a significant amount of time in the garage, but left with a feeling that I didn’t have much to show for my work.
The first thing I did was to cut the slots in the F-705G angles for the tip-up canopy latches. I used my drill press to make two holes, then I connected them using a small filing bit attached to my Dremel. These turned out all right, but definitely not my best work. However, I currently don’t know what will go through this hole, so I’m not going to worry about them too much now. They won’t be riveted to the F-705 structure for quite some time, so I’ll worry about whether or not I need to re-make them at that point.
Drill press, Dremel, and emery cloth was needed to make the slot. Not perfect, but I think it will do.
Next, I finally got to start riveting the F-705 bulkhead together. This was pretty easy since all of the rivets could be reached with my squeezer, but it still took a lot of time. There’s also a lot of holes that are left empty for now since they will be needed for seat/floor ribs or for parts of the canopy structure. The F-705G angles are also left out for now…they get riveted after the skin is riveted to this section.
The F-705 had a lot of areas that do not get riveted yet.
The F-705 bulkhead is riveted...at least as much as it can be at this stage.
The final thing I did for the day was to mark the F-661EF flap bearing blocks for drilling. These are plastic blocks that bolt to the F-705 bulkhead and hold the electric flap weldment. Two bolts will hold each block to the bulkhead, with one hole will getting drilled in each block while on the bench, and the other hole will be drilled using the bulkhead as a guide. For now, I only marked them since the plans recommend using a #10 drill for plastic parts and I don’t have a drill that size. Don’t ask me why, but a #12 drill, which is normally used for an AN3 bolt in metal, won’t work for an AN3 bolt in plastic. Rather than using a fractional drill that is close to the size of a #10, I decided to place an order with aircraftspruce.com. In addition to the #10 drill, I also needed some #40s, #30s, etc., so an order needed to go in any way.
The F-661EF blocks are marked for drilling, but I'm waiting for a #10 drill to arrive from Aircraft Spruce.
More F-705 Bulkhead Work (1/2/12)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Bulkheads, Construction, Fuselage on January 2, 2012
1.5 Hours -
The F-705 bulkhead structure is finally starting to come together. However, there is still a lot of work to be done.
The first thing I did today was to rivet the F-705L shim and F-705K plate to the F-705F channel. Once those were attached, I also riveted the F-705J angle to the channel. This was pretty easy riveting since everything could be reached with the pneumatic squeezer (best aircraft tool ever!).
The F-705K, J, and L are riveted to the F-705F channel. I guess this is a support for the seat backs??
Next, I clecoed the entire F-705 bulkhead frame together and final drilled the areas that will be riveted soon. After doing this, I had to take a break to figure out the best way to position the F-705G angles for match drilling.
The F-705 frame is clecoed together...still a lot of work to do.
After a brief internet search, I realized that no special measures were needed to position and clamp the hefty F-705G angles. However, this quarter-inch material isn’t much fun to drill, and I ended up with a slight edge distance issue with one rivet on the left angle. For now, I don’t think I’m going to worry about it since it is only one of many rivets that will hold this part. In addition, the angle won’t be riveted in place for quite some time, so I may change my mind later down the road.
It took me awhile to figure out how to do this, but I finally got the F-705G angle clamped in place while keeping everything aligned.
The F-705G angles were tricky to drill. The hole in the top left corner of the lower face of the angle is questionable for edge distance, but since there are so many other rivets here, I'm not going to worry.
The only thing left to do with the F-705G angles is to make a slot in each part. The slot is only needed for tip-up canopies, and it will catch the canopy latch mechanism. This should be easy enough to make using my drill press and some filing, but I didn’t feel like tackling the task today.
Since I'm making a tip-up canopy, I'll need to cut slots (blue outline) in the F-705G angles.
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