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Light Weight Doors

mongo

mongo

Registered User
Has anyone built the split doors out of 6061-T6 aluminum yet?
I just had to fix my door latch and in the process went to Lexan instead of fabric and I noticed the steel spilt door frames a very heavy. I plan on making a complete new system using aluminum which should save 2.4 lbs.
I will post drawings soon.

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I made Mine out of 1/2 x1/2 square aluminum tubing. really light and somewhat stiffer at least for the top window.
 
Just finished a door in carbon fiber square tubing. Very strong. No handle or latch yet - weighs in at 338 grams - just under 12 oz! :smile: Will be using Carbinge to attach it. Will attach lexan with adhesive or 3M VHB tape.

CF Door web.jpg
 

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Bushwhacker Air said:
Just finished a door in carbon fiber square tubing. Very strong. No handle or latch yet - weighs in at 338 grams - just under 12 oz! :smile: Will be using Carbinge to attach it. Will attach lexan with adhesive or 3M VHB tape.

View attachment 1548
Click to expand...

What wall thickness did you use all I found was .060 and that is a bit overboard.



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What wall thickness did you use all I found was .060 and that is a bit overboard.
Click to expand...
.050. I'll be making some tubes with a smoother outside finish at some point. I am really considering making a 1 piece door/window like DW did, only in CF. For now, I'll do them separate.
 
160 bucks for a 4 foot stick of carbon fiber piano hinge. Neat stuff. Neat ideas for attaching wingtips with piano hinges such as the engine cowling attach system with piano hinges.

Still, mucho spendy! D
 
Carbon fiber is too much for me, for now. But aluminium doors are interesting. My heavy steel ones are built badly and strart to rust from the inside. Would be a good time to replace the .125 plexi for .80 or less... Waiting for summer and detail from your doors Mongo.
 
Olibuilt said:
Carbon fiber is too much for me, for now. But aluminium doors are interesting. My heavy steel ones are built badly and strart to rust from the inside. Would be a good time to replace the .125 plexi for .80 or less... Waiting for summer and detail from your doors Mongo.
Click to expand...
Maybe this weekend I have been fallout at work, 98 hours last week.


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mikeo said:
Dave carbon is not cheap but if you can save 100-200 lbs on a cub ???? Mike o see you in Valdez
Click to expand...

OH, don't get me wrong, MikeO. I like carbon just fine.

...that was just a comment that the Carbinge seems a bit spendy at $160.00 for only a 4 foot stick. Neat stuff without a doubt!!

See YOU, at Valdez! :) D
 
Figure you can get (1) door and (1) window hung with a section of Carbinge.

I was going to try aluminum for the door and window - drill it full of holes on the inside - probably would save a bunch of weight. I would think .065 would be needed - maybe .049???
 
Bushwhacker Air said:
... I would think .065 would be needed - maybe .049???
Click to expand...

not that I have a 'clue' or any experience playing with that stuff....

but I would think the advantage is to not think in set wall 'thicknesses' of stuff... and more in a variable tapered wall thickness where needed... of the new part..

or??????
 
Last edited:
mongo said:
Has anyone built the split doors out of 6061-T6 aluminum yet?
I just had to fix my door latch and in the process went to Lexan instead of fabric and I noticed the steel spilt door frames a very heavy. I plan on making a complete new system using aluminum which should save 2.4 lbs.
I will post drawings soon. I see you are from Indy. I went to HS in Vevay, near Madison, and fly into Shelbyville
several times a year to visit my brother.

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Click to expand...


Mongo
I built my door out of 3/4" square 6061. I plan to cover with lexan or plexiglass. I also milled slots and made
latches internal to the top tube. They require two hands to open and go into alum bushings in the tube stubs
for latching. There will be zero rattle as the door when latched is unmovable. The window above is 4130 and
is hinges at the top and held open and closed by a gass strut. Will look for photo to post with this.Project 010110 006.jpg
 

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Bushwhacker Air said:
Figure you can get (1) door and (1) window hung with a section of Carbinge.

I was going to try aluminum for the door and window - drill it full of holes on the inside - probably would save a bunch of weight. I would think .065 would be needed - maybe .049???
Click to expand...

Chris mine is 1" square tube 6061-t6 .065 wall and the lexan weighs more then the door, I think .049 might work.

DW
 
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Jim Miller said:
also milled slots and made
latches internal to the top tube. They require two hands to open and go into alum bushings in the tube stubs
for latching. There will be zero rattle as the door when latched is unmovable.
Click to expand...


Have to make 2 doors for my new project. Any pic of your internal latch system? More pics of light weight doors would be great!
 
IMO, The problem with aluminum is that you have to double/triple or quadruple the wall thinkness so what are you saving in weight and it fatigue crackes faster then steel. I made my one piece swing up doors on the J4 out of .500 x 39.000 4130 and torched it together. The whole door frame weighed maybe 2 pounds, the .080 lexan that I pop rivited on weighed twice as much as the frame, they have flown over 700hrs with them open shaking in the prop blast and no crackes to the frame but the lexan has a few. simple, easy and cheap.
Glenn
 
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cubdriver2 said:
IMO, The problem with aluminum is that you have to double/triple or quadruple the wall thinkness so what are you saving in weight and it fatigue crackes faster then steel. I made my one piece swing up doors on the J4 out of .500 x 39.000 4130 and torched it together. The whole door frame weighed maybe 2 pounds, the .080 lexan that I pop rivited on weighed twice as much as the frame, they have flown over 700hrs with them open shaking in the prop blast and no crackes to the frame but the lexan has a few. simple, easy and cheap.
Glenn
Click to expand...

I used 3/4 x .049 wall 6061-T6 box tubing and I have to say it is plenty strong,very stiff, and about 1/3 the weight of the stock doors.
I used two of these pins for the lower door
8690A141L.GIF

And one of theses in the center for the top door so it locks into the lower door.
So the do not have to be closed together like the stock doors.

8478A700L.GIF
 

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thinking out loud again....

so if you were to go a glass door out of say lexan, why even have a separate frame? , bend it right into lexan??

do they mak a glue for lexan....

maybe just have a aluminum doubler where hinge attaches
 
mike mcs repair said:
thinking out loud again....

so if you were to go a glass door out of say lexan, why even have a separate frame? , bend it right into lexan??

do they mak a glue for lexan....

maybe just have a aluminum doubler where hinge attaches
Click to expand...
Excellent suggestion.
You might need a jig.
 
I looked into this and carbon and I decided that an aluminum frame was the easiest to attach the hinge and door locks too.
 
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