tools, jigs, fixtures, and other neat stuff

[Gordon Misch]

Nice! I'm a little surprised 5052 pulled that well. Shows what I know - - -

 

[jimboflying]

How do you keep the parts lined up in the process?

 

[Farmer Hank]

Hi Jim, The weight of the punch on the blank keeps it all lined up. After a couple of parts are made, you will find out where to position the press so the pressure is applied evenly.

 

[jimboflying]

Do you push the small part into the big part or the big plate over the small part?

 

[Farmer Hank]

Do you push the small part into the big part or the big plate over the small part?

Push the small part into the big part, then knock it through with a hammer. Neaten up the formed edge with a small hammer, trim it so it is fairly even, and sand it lightly with a belt sander. Almost a dead ringer to an original part.

 

[gpepperd]

What is the clearance gap between the inner and outer piece?

 

[Farmer Hank]

What is the clearance gap between the inner and outer piece?

The gap is very close to .025 all the way around, but perhaps a little wider at the nose where the metal needs to crinkle up a little more. I have an original Piper part, and the flange at the nose is only 1/8” so it is formed a little bit better than mine (mine turned out 1/4”+).

 

[frequent_flyer]

You only need a male form if you use the rubber mat press method. That's how CubCrafters, and their factory assist builders, press all the ribs and many other parts of the aircraft. A while ago I found several links that showed how this can be done with an inexpensive hydraulic press in a home shop environment.

Here is an example using a more expensive setup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QNM0JUUYEY&ab_channel=MikeB

edit to add -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw5yEMsDxR8&ab_channel=RainbowAviation

 

[jimboflying]

If you make a metal surround of the rubber sheet you will get even better adaptation because you will also get better lateral pressure.

 

[Farmer Hank]

 

[Farmer Hank]

This is a tool I made years ago to make the hinges for rudder and brake pedals. Drill the block oversize taking into account the thickness of the metal you need to bend. Clean up the edges of the drilled area with a straight milling bit. Chamfer the edge with a 1/8” round over bit used for woodwork. Just run it slowly at high speed. Press the 5/8” bolt into the tool, bend the excess over with a pair of pliers, and then complete the bending with a flat plate over the whole shebang. All kinds of hold down clips can be made.

 

[Farmer Hank]

 

[Farmer Hank]

This is a tool I made to bore pulleys in order to add ball bearings. The rings hold the pulley centered so the boring tool will center perfectly.
in the mid 80s I thought my Cub clone should fly like a Bucker. So I put ball bearings in all the control pulleys and added a servo tab to the elevator. I was going to add servo tabs to the ailerons, but never got around to it. Fact is: a Cub will never fly like a Bucker. Just got to accept that as a truism.
For you farmers out there, the tool was made from a part of a Versatile 103 swather. That piece of farm equipment was much more valuable as scrap!

 

[Farmer Hank]

 

[Farmer Hank]

This is a jig I made for building ailerons and flaps. Both are 90 1/4” long. I bought trailing edges, spars, and leading edges from Dakota Cub. (First class parts!) I made the bulkheads and ribs. The hinge parts came from a SC I once owned that was wrecked shortly after I sold it. (I had to make the third hinge for the flaps.) (Hardtailjohn has the paperwork.) The bench is 2’ x 8’ and has cables and turnbuckles that make it perfectly flat. If there is some interest, I will post more photos of how I set the washout (.75 degrees).

 

[Farmer Hank]

 

[Farmer Hank]

The steel frame is very rigid. Zoom in and note three rod end bearings which are fixed in distances apart, but they can be moved up or down and in or out. Sight through until all three are concentric.

 

[Farmer Hank]

 

[Farmer Hank]

Here the flap or aileron is shimmed for washout. Hardtailjohn and I chose 1.5 degrees for the wing. Each control surface spans half the wing, so each surface is washed out .75 degrees. This is done with a smart level. Check it at least twice. A friend borrowed this setup and set his washout the wrong way!

 

[Farmer Hank]

 

[Farmer Hank]

If you reverse the bulkheads so that fabric work is easier, be sure to punch a hole where the flap operating rod goes so that you can get the bolt in.

 

[courierguy]

I bought this, a rope comalong, also called a pass thru comalong, and have been packing it in the plane when on skis for the last 10 years, and had not needed it once, after the one time I really needed it but hadn't bought it yet. But it's come in handy several times for misc. pulls in the shop etc. Now, after needing it and NOT having it while riding the new electric snowbike, it's new home is on the snowbike. It pulled me out of a cornice that had suckered me into riding too close, and then collapsed under me. It and the plane's snowshoes both saved the day. Even packed with snow, the winch worked perfect, these types of comalongs are much handier than the usual types. Never having used it in the snow for real before, I had my doubts, since resolved. Now though I have to remember to either swap it and the shoes back and forth from the bike to the plane, or buy a dual set. I flew later in the day, with no snowshoes on board as I had forgotten, the first time without since I started ski flying 11 years ago, and didn't like it, but Murphy let me go this time. I also have 200' of lightweight but very strong 3/4 mule tape webbing , used by electricians for long conduit pulls. It does take the right kind of rope though to work properly, 3 braided poly is what it's called I believe. So I have a 50' length of that, all the aux rope for distance doesn't pass thru it just gets tied on. Note the lightening holes I put in it!

 

[Farmer Hank]

This is a way to depress the aileron false spar to allow clearance for the upper cable. Make blocks out of oak that fit the false spar and sand away the wood for the depression you need. Clamp tightly and hammer a large pipe into the depression to form the metal. On the standard Super Cub the cable clears the false spar very closely. In my case I may have overdone it a little bit, so I will have to add a piece of aluminum in front for the fabric to stick to.

 

[flybynite]

I miss Mike mcs's posts. I see a lot of his pics are no longer there.

 

[jimboflying]

While making an electric airplane tug I wanted to put a plexiglas cover on it to prevent environmental damage. I wanted to put a bend line in it so I used a heat tape in a groove protected with muffler repair tape connected to a rheostat to control the temperature. I clamped one end to the tug structure and placed the heat tape board over the bend line. I put some weights on the part I wanted to bend. I then adjusted the heat tape board to heat the bend line only. Within a few minutes the lower section was in the correct position.l I removed the heat and let it cool in position. It all worked out great.

 

[jimboflying]

Problems down loading pictures. Message is invalid file type.

 

[bcone1381]

Try taking a screen shot of the photo, then download the screen shot instead of the photo.

 

[Steve Pierce]

One type of clear sheeting breaks nicely in a sheet metal break. The other not so much, it just shatters. Made display boxes back when the kids were in grade school.

 

[bda]

Lexan or Polycarbonate can be formed in a sheet metal brake without heat very easily (and drilled), just remember to adjust the radius of the bend for the thickness of the sheet. Lexan is very prone to scratching, unless you buy the treated kind - like Makralon.

Plexiglass, or Acrylic will need to be heated to be formed and often has distortion after. Also drilling requires drill bits be ground almost flat.

Remember to always oversize drill all plastics.

 

[skywagon8a]

Also drilling requires drill bits be ground almost flat.

Remember to always oversize drill all plastics.

Unibits work great in plexi. Nice clean smooth holes with no chipping.