Chapter 6 Fuselage Assembly

I followed the advice of Wayne Hicks and jigged the fuselage upside down on my work table. Wayne had a slot in his table to install the Instrument panel which I had planed and built the table to allow. When it came time however I was in such a hurry I just moved the carcass a bit off the edge and let the IP hang over the table edge as it was jigged into place. 

I am also doing a few other things different then normal, imagine that. I was thinking about the braces the plans call for to hold the bottom in position while you take it back to the table and glass it over. I then got to looking at the masonite left over from making the sides and realized that the one edge of that masonite was the exact shape of the lower longeron. I used it as a template to draw a pattern onto some one/by that I had laying around. I then cut the shape and nailed on some cross pieces on which to lay the foam. I used my pneumatic stapler trick to fasten the foam to the support. It worked great and I get no divots from 5 minute epoxy. The bottom was also supported more evenly across the whole surface and when it comes time to fasten the bottom to the fuselage I am planning on just running a few dry wall screws down through my frame work into the lower longerons to hold it in place for cure. 

The other thing that will come back to bite me is I am going to use a full width hinge on the speed brake. I can not figure out why the original was only part way and several people have told me they wished they had done this. The way I see it the hole was easier to cut, it should be stronger and I don't even have to cut the hinge Wicks sent me to length. 

A word of caution: You see me talk of making frequent changes to the plans. Actually the changes that I do are mostly procedural during the construction phase and brought about by an idol mind with more tools then sense. I have made very few changes to the actual aircraft design and would not recommend doing so. Anything in that regard that I do change as in the speed brake I very carefully run past my team of experts located on the Canard Builders mailing list. 

The fuselage upside down screwed to the table and sides clamped tite	Looking down the center line; level, straight, and square.
This band clamp worked great to hold the sides against the seat back	This is how I clamped the sides down to the table with 2 blocks of wood.
I held the seat back in place with a board screwed to the table top.	I fastened a block to the table then clamped a square to the block to support the seat back in the correct position.
The completed Fuselage on it's side.	Installing the heat duct and seat back brace.
The frame work to hold the bottom waiting for the foam.	I made a jig for the band saw to cut the spacers for the bottom.
The bottom spacers laid out and ready to be glued in place.	The same jig also allowed me to trim the ends to make perfect joints.
Using the band saw jig allowed me to cut perfect end joints.	Another shot of the end joints before gluing.
Another variance from the plans,  I am going to use a full width hinge on the speed brake.	More to come soon.

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