Bearhawk Builder
FRIEND
In the woods
GT40, Fastback Mustang, Carbon Cub - will you adopt me? I don't eat much and can split wood like a machine.
Chuck and Ryan's Carbon Cub Build Blog
- Thread starter ceslaw
- Start date
ceslaw
Registered User
Fear not. The GT will not be 'out.' It will be taking up residence in the hanger until the Cub is ready to trade places.
Chuck
ceslaw
Registered User
Cub en route.
Mitch at Cub Crafters reported that the Cub was shipped out this past week. He was kind enough to send along some pictures of the parts being loaded into the 18 foot long crate. What I found impressive is that the shipping date was within a couple of business days of what was predicted when the order was placed 12 weeks ago.
Mitch at Cub Crafters reported that the Cub was shipped out this past week. He was kind enough to send along some pictures of the parts being loaded into the 18 foot long crate. What I found impressive is that the shipping date was within a couple of business days of what was predicted when the order was placed 12 weeks ago.
Attachments
ceslaw
Registered User
Mitch is the go-to guy at CC and I have found him to be both accommodating and available. There are various options available. One can choose when to have the kits delivered, etc. or if you wanted to go you own way, like the instrument panel, skip the CC options and do it. I suspect you might get some resistance if you wanted a different wing configuration or wanted the fuselage powder coated in hot pink.
Hope that answers the question
Chuck
http://www.cubcraftersforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=713&d=1289232661 I just like this idea. Among a lot of other ones.
ceslaw
Registered User
Tell me about the other ones. The suspense is killing me.
ceslaw
Registered User
Obviously no one wanted to steal your thunder!
ceslaw
Registered User
Obviously no one wanted to steal your thunder!
ceslaw
Registered User
Cub Arrives
The Cub arrived on Monday, March 10. Getting it off of a semi tractor trailer and onto a flat bed tilt trailer and then into the garage was quite a challenge. It would have made a great You Tube video.
The first thing built is the left wing. The spars are firmly fastened to the bottom of the crate. So most of the contents of the crate must be removed to get to the spars. The only items opened for now are those needed for the left wing.
Cub Crafters really does an impressive job packaging everything. Boxes are all clearly marked.
Attachments
ceslaw
Registered User
First assembly
The first step in the assembly of the wings was install CNC billet aluminum fittings on the spars. Nice pieces, perfectly formed and glossy smooth finish.
The instructions emphasis the importance of the holes being reamed straight and true. So the initial holes were reamed on a drill press, set up so it would make only one pass, pulling the reamer upward through the hole. Avery provided a cutting lubricant called Boelube, which is used by Boeing, as the name suggests. It is a wax like substance which seems to work well. It is being used for all reaming and drilling, dipping the bit in it with each use.
By the end of the first evening the inboard hinge fittings were in place.
The first step in the assembly of the wings was install CNC billet aluminum fittings on the spars. Nice pieces, perfectly formed and glossy smooth finish.
The instructions emphasis the importance of the holes being reamed straight and true. So the initial holes were reamed on a drill press, set up so it would make only one pass, pulling the reamer upward through the hole. Avery provided a cutting lubricant called Boelube, which is used by Boeing, as the name suggests. It is a wax like substance which seems to work well. It is being used for all reaming and drilling, dipping the bit in it with each use.
By the end of the first evening the inboard hinge fittings were in place.
Attachments
Last edited:
ceslaw
Registered User
Wings
The directions call for gluing six ribs together, creating “double” ribs. Methacrylate is used, a industrial adhesive with which I was not previously familiar. The directions clearly state that one should wear a respirator to avoid immediate and long term organ damage, as well as gloves and protective clothing, in a well ventilated place. Sounds like a lot of fun. I dutifully followed the directions and glued the halves together in the garage with the door open wearing gloves and a 3M respirator. Never caught a whiff of anything offensive. It really did not seem to be that obnoxious.
When finished, I pulled off the gloves and removed the respirator. Then it hit me. That stuff really does stink.
After a couple of days work, the wings are well on their way. Since Carbon Cubs don’t leave a lot of room for creative engineering and since their construction is well documented in other places, I won’t dwell on the details.
The directions call for gluing six ribs together, creating “double” ribs. Methacrylate is used, a industrial adhesive with which I was not previously familiar. The directions clearly state that one should wear a respirator to avoid immediate and long term organ damage, as well as gloves and protective clothing, in a well ventilated place. Sounds like a lot of fun. I dutifully followed the directions and glued the halves together in the garage with the door open wearing gloves and a 3M respirator. Never caught a whiff of anything offensive. It really did not seem to be that obnoxious.
When finished, I pulled off the gloves and removed the respirator. Then it hit me. That stuff really does stink.
After a couple of days work, the wings are well on their way. Since Carbon Cubs don’t leave a lot of room for creative engineering and since their construction is well documented in other places, I won’t dwell on the details.
Attachments
Unrelated to aircraft building (kinda), I do a lot of aluminum fabrication with my business. A really cheap and good working lube for drilling and tapping ALU is pure bee's wax. Go down to your local farmers market or even a "hippie store". If you cant find it in a half gallon tub then just buy some bee's wax candles. Stuff the end of the candle into a spinning drill bit/ reamer/ tap and then drill away. I find it just about triples the life of mr drill bits.
skywagon8a
MEMBER
SE Mass MA6
Larry G
Registered User
Minocqua WI
I look at them as a expensive carbon copy of the super cub!!!OK, you have me confused, why are you calling this a Carbon Cub? That looks a lot like aluminum to me.
skywagon8a
MEMBER
SE Mass MA6
I guess that you are right. I assumed, with all of the talk about making stuff out of carbon fiber for weight purposes, that this plane utilized real carbon fiber. They actually copied the conventional Cub using Carbon prices.
Cub junkie
Registered User
My Moms basement
I'm just jealous, nothing else.
Lloyd Frye
Registered User
Sent you a PM
little wing
Registered User
I'm really excited to watch this come together, thinking of doing one myself. Good luck guys and keep the pics coming.
Hagar
Hagar
ceslaw
Registered User
Will try to do so.
ceslaw
Registered User
Tempdog: Will try to report on weight w/o ailerons, tanks, when get it assembled.
Skywagon: The only carbon fiber in the wings is in the tips, although the aluminum wing structure is a substantially different than the original design. Lots more carbon fiber to come . . . . .
Skywagon: The only carbon fiber in the wings is in the tips, although the aluminum wing structure is a substantially different than the original design. Lots more carbon fiber to come . . . . .
ceslaw
Registered User
More Wing Progress
Aft and forward ribs in place. Aft false spars in place.
The drag rods are installed and adjusted, which was an interesting process. A digital fish scale was used to measure a half inch deflection at the midpoint of each drag rod, while at the same time assuring the front spar remained perfectly parallel to a string line connecting the first and last ribs. Ended up with 14 pounds of tension on each section.
Test fitted the aileron. Dimensions came out exactly to spec. A string line between the left and right supports ran nearly dead center through the center support.
Aft false spar is in place.
The wing is essentially done except for the front skins and the carbon fiber tip. We are awaiting a set of blocks shared among CC builders used to tighten down the skins. So we have set the left wing aside and the right wing is now under way.
Aft and forward ribs in place. Aft false spars in place.
The drag rods are installed and adjusted, which was an interesting process. A digital fish scale was used to measure a half inch deflection at the midpoint of each drag rod, while at the same time assuring the front spar remained perfectly parallel to a string line connecting the first and last ribs. Ended up with 14 pounds of tension on each section.
Test fitted the aileron. Dimensions came out exactly to spec. A string line between the left and right supports ran nearly dead center through the center support.
Aft false spar is in place.
The wing is essentially done except for the front skins and the carbon fiber tip. We are awaiting a set of blocks shared among CC builders used to tighten down the skins. So we have set the left wing aside and the right wing is now under way.
Attachments
ceslaw
Registered User
Compression Tubes
The second wing is underway. A few posts of some details will follow.
The compression tubes need to slide in and out of the fittings and they must seat fully. If they fail to seat properly, the inner surface of the fitting and / or the end of the tube needs to be ‘polished’. A red Scotch Brite pad works well
If there is any doubt about whether a tube is seating fully, measure the depth of the fitting and then place a corresponding mark on the tube. This will provide a visual reference which will confirm a properly seated tube.
Once the tubes are all in place and the wing assembly is resting on the saw horses, we slid a center rib in and out adjacent to the compression tubes. It should be snug. Also check the measurements from spar to spar at each compression tube location. They should be exactly the same.
After the tubes are in place the fittings are riveted. It may be over kill, but a short piece of masking tape protects the spar from scratches when setting the squeeze riveter in place
The second wing is underway. A few posts of some details will follow.
The compression tubes need to slide in and out of the fittings and they must seat fully. If they fail to seat properly, the inner surface of the fitting and / or the end of the tube needs to be ‘polished’. A red Scotch Brite pad works well
If there is any doubt about whether a tube is seating fully, measure the depth of the fitting and then place a corresponding mark on the tube. This will provide a visual reference which will confirm a properly seated tube.
Once the tubes are all in place and the wing assembly is resting on the saw horses, we slid a center rib in and out adjacent to the compression tubes. It should be snug. Also check the measurements from spar to spar at each compression tube location. They should be exactly the same.
After the tubes are in place the fittings are riveted. It may be over kill, but a short piece of masking tape protects the spar from scratches when setting the squeeze riveter in place
Attachments
Last edited:
