A bit of math and a lot of lines drawn on my table but here are the forms for the new longerons with a longer 36 inch side fashioned in.
A longer view
Chapter Five, Fuselage Sides
In my next big adventure from the one true way I took a whack at hiding the canopy hinges. Many folks have spoke of all the comments they receive about the exposed ends of the hinges and have tried to figure out a way to hide them. Last summer I met another builder who for now I wont mention to keep from incriminating him in case this don't work. He had the idea of just slightly changing the shape of the sides to allow for a bit more room to hide the hinges plus the added benefit of installing one long 36 inch hinge instead of the two smaller ones. This would allow easier access to the hinge pins for installation and removal. This all sounded like a fantastic idea so I am giving it a try. If it works I will post the benefactors name for full credit. If it flops I will allow him to remain anonymous.
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A bit of math and a lot of lines drawn on my table but here are the forms for the new longerons with a longer 36 inch side fashioned in. |
A longer view |
As long as I was changing things I decided to take it a bit farther while building the jigs to lay up the sides. I wanted to be able to move things around or off the table if I needed to so I built the jigs as a separate piece that just sat on top of the table. It worked great and allowed me to move it around while I was working to get a better angle at some things.
Waiting in two pieces to be put together. |
This is the jig assembled and standing on edge on my table. |
Edge gluing the foam see how handy it is to be able to move the jigs. :-) |
This is how I cut the beveled foam. I just clamp a metal ruler on top and use a hack saw blade to follow along the edge. |
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Despite appearances I actually can follow instructions I just rarely do. I am a big fanatic on pneumatic tools so to fasten the foam to the jigs I used an air powered narrow crown stapler and just stapled the foam to the jigs. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures with my bad digital camera but this leaves a very small divot and holds real well. After I was done it just popped off and only left a few very small holes that can be patched very easily. |