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tools, jigs, fixtures, and other neat stuff

View attachment 65266This 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.
I mentioned that I had overdone the depression of the aileron false spar. Here is my solution. .025 5052 aluminum shaped with the form blocks in the photo.
 

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Break the two edges and curve downward a bit to keep the sharp edge from chafing on the fabric. Be certain to glue the fabric to the depression before you shrink the fabric or it will pull up defeating your purpose.
 
Break the two edges and curve downward a bit to keep the sharp edge from chafing on the fabric. Be certain to glue the fabric to the depression before you shrink the fabric or it will pull up defeating your purpose.
The edges have been formed at 90 degrees which give it a lot of stiffness and a smooth edge for the fabric to fair from.
 
Saw that on several videos covering the Milwaukee Tool Pipeline 2024 where Milwaukee announces their new tools and what they are working on. They make some great stuff that I seem to keep spending money on. ;)
 
Speaking of electric winches, I used my 1/2 ton Warn winch recently to suck the gear legs togther to allow me to pull one shock strut off the RANS to do a little work on the fairing. Milwaukee tools have always been top drawer, with the price reflecting that! The Warn is one of those tools I don't use much, like my little 1/4 ton chain comalong, but when I need it I'm glad to have it. The 1/4 ton tool is small enough to fit in one hand, but when just a few hundred pound controlled pull is needed, it's super handy, I use it more than the Warn. A lady friend gave the 1/4 ton to me, I didn't know there was such a thing, since then everytime I use it I send her a picture and thank her again.
 

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I have an inexpensive manual chain hoist. Its inferior. Significantly inferior to that milwaukee chain hoist.

With that being said, having that manual hoist has introduced me to the chain hoist and has given me a host of possibilities in the shop. It's interesting how I know I cant appreciate a nice tool like that Milwaukee unit until I've used the manual one with the chains hanging down and getting in the way.

A very cool tool that dovetails nicely with a chain hoist is a hoist scale. I hang it between the chain hoist and the abject (airframe, engine, etc) and know how much force is being applied and get other data. More fun.
 
‘Speaking of electric winches, I used my 1/2 ton Warn winch recently to suck the gear legs togther to allow me to pull one shock strut off’

Nice!! I tried that with a ratchet strap……not good enough. Maybe a ‘Duh’ moment for me.
 
Prototypes for printed pulley guards. This plastic will melt at high temperatures, so we are waiting for better materials. Hopefully it will be black or white. Blue doesn’t go well with my proposed paint scheme. Paint might not stick well to this stuff.
 

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Nice Hank. It’s a good example of what’s coming in our world. So so many parts, covers, enclosures and fairings can be printed now with all the different materials available.
 
Prototypes for printed pulley guards. This plastic will melt at high temperatures, so we are waiting for better materials. Hopefully, it will be black or white. Blue doesn’t go well with my proposed paint scheme. Paint might not stick well to this stuff.
Nice. I've been using mostly PA-CF (bambu labs) the nylon with carbon fiber and it comes out looking really nice. I made my front and back stick grips with electric trim and PTT - that right there nearly paid for the printer. But I've made cable guides (not with the CF, too rough, just nylon or PETG, electrical shunt covers, and just today started what you are doing with pulley covers - it is super nice once you learn the CAD software (I use the Solidworks deal through EAA) my skills are a work in progress. I use cheap filament for prototypes also. Bambu just came out with some new carbon fiber nylon that they claim is waay stronger called PPA-CF - but it is crazy expensive - they claim 1:1 precision and 227 C melting with 'steel-like strength'. From their site:
Product Features
  • Metal-Like Strength
  • Industrial-Grade Precision
  • Stable Performance in Humid Conditions
  • Unmatched Performance Under High Temperatures
  • Compatible with a Wide Range of Printers
I picked up a roll for things that may take some abuse (rear stick cover, front center pulley cover, possible cowl ducts, etc.

Grip right out of printer.
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This is instead of the flimsy aluminum that normally holds this fairlead in wing root.
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The rear stick grip was the same but I changed its shape to not hit the seat back at full down with seat all the way back - I probably printed 25 grips before it all came together but many of them were just pennies of cheap filament (but looked cool in sparkle lol). I like the way the CF 'nearly' hides all layer lines.

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Prototypes for printed pulley guards. This plastic will melt at high temperatures, so we are waiting for better materials. Hopefully it will be black or white. Blue doesn’t go well with my proposed paint scheme. Paint might not stick well to this stuff.
Use them as a mold and do vacuum bagged carbon and glass layup.
 
Tip of screwdriver, cut off and ground down to fit the bolt hole in brake pad housings. Works well to hold them in place while trying to insert the other bolt. Especially with Bushwheels where you can’t get your fingers in there.
 

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I should have posted this years ago. This is the most useful piece of yellow gear in my hangar. It’s your basic cherry picker, 18” wider and 48” taller. It was modified using surplus farm equipment. It will fit between the rear wheels of a pickup. I first built it much wider to straddle the main tire on a combine and lift the 90-degree gearbox from behind the cab.
 

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Tip of screwdriver, cut off and ground down to fit the bolt hole in brake pad housings. Works well to hold them in place while trying to insert the other bolt. Especially with Bushwheels where you can’t get your fingers in there.
Lots of room with 35s
 
Tip of screwdriver, cut off and ground down to fit the bolt hole in brake pad housings. Works well to hold them in place while trying to insert the other bolt. Especially with Bushwheels where you can’t get your fingers in there.
If the diameter of the screwdriver shaft is the same as the brake pad bolts, cut some threads above the point same size/thread as the bolts. Then you can turn the screwdriver into the pad and hold the pad up against the caliper while you get the other bolt started. A long bolt of the appropriate size, pointed on the end, also works.

The next trick is remembering where you put the tool the next time you change the tires or brake pads.

Jim
 
If the diameter of the screwdriver shaft is the same as the brake pad bolts, cut some threads above the point same size/thread as the bolts. Then you can turn the screwdriver into the pad and hold the pad up against the caliper while you get the other bolt started. A long bolt of the appropriate size, pointed on the end, also works.

The next trick is remembering where you put the tool the next time you change the tires or brake pads.

Jim
I made a box dedicated to brakes so everything is together. I use long bolts when I can't get my fingers to cooperate.PXL_20241127_161453804.webp
 
I got tired of getting on the floor to work on or remove a tailwheel so I made up a tool box with everything I need, take it to the tailwheel and no more up and down.View attachment 109251View attachment 109252

I got tired of getting on the floor to work on or remove a tailwheel so I made up a tool box with everything I need, take it to the tailwheel and no more up and down.View attachment 109251View attachment 109252
So…… you’re not a real mechanic then, huh? 🤪
 
I’m still getting up and down from the floor so I have to learn and live vicariously through guys like you 👍
 
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