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PA18 Horizontal Stabilizer

Bucrepus

Registered User
I'm in the process of building the horizontal stabilizer. The outboard leading edge of the stabilizer tube gets squeezed to a 3/8". Does anyone have advice on the best method of doing this and maintain the squozen part centerline with centerline of the tube?
 
I used 2 short pieces of 1"x 4" maple cut to about 6" long to form a "V" in my vise. If you have a hinge handy you can fasten them together but if not just play with the geometry and it will work. Place the tube in the notch of the "V" align carefully and squeeze until the desired results are achieved. Cracking of the tube shouldn't be a problem since you wont be compressing the tube totally but if you have a torch you can also anneal the tube first to make it more malleable by heating the last 4" or so to a dull red and letting it cool slowly at room temperature before forming it.
 
I will add, when I am squeezing a tube I place a spacer at the end of the tube to control the desired dimension. One benefit with the spacer is if the tube gets down to the desired 3/8 before the taper if fully formed it allows you control as you "walk back" the tooling to achieve how far your formed area is.
The spacer also helps making the end faces of the tube a parallel rather than having a pear shape end.

There are times you may want a shim, say a 3/16 thick piece of wood to place inside the tube as it forms so the center does not become a figure 8 when what is to be flats closes together.
 
I used 2 short pieces of 1"x 4" maple cut to about 6" long to form a "V" in my vise. If you have a hinge handy you can fasten them together but if not just play with the geometry and it will work. Place the tube in the notch of the "V" align carefully and squeeze until the desired results are achieved. Cracking of the tube shouldn't be a problem since you wont be compressing the tube totally but if you have a torch you can also anneal the tube first to make it more malleable by heating the last 4" or so to a dull red and letting it cool slowly at room temperature before forming it.

Are you suggesting leaving one side of the 1x4 flat, and then cut the other side at a taper? Then make a duplicate piece of 1x4 for the other side?
 
Sort of like this but using a bench vise for the clamping force:

09+Squeeze+End.JPG
 
Makes perfect sense now. Pictures are worth a thousand words. I see from what you were saying about the hinge also, it would install on the end where you have the double c clamps.
Thanks for the input.
Storm pilot and Charlie
 
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