Tag: Plans

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Started rib jig #1

I spent some time yesterday working on the first wing rib jig.  The workbench needed a new top surface, so I picked up a sheet of 3/4″ MDF at Lowe’s.  They were nice enough to cut it for me.  I ended up with one piece 3′ x 8′ for the bench, and two 1′ x 4′ chunks for rib jigs.  Nice how that worked out.

I marked a center line on the MDF and laid out the rib setup from Sheet #1 of the plans over it, then trimmed the paper to fit the jig.  I hate cutting up plans, but there’s an extra copy of that page for this reason.  I made all of the little chunks of plywood for the locating blocks, and cut a few small pieces of pine stock as needed.  Then I cut out the places where I would need holes to accommodate clothespins, marked those on the MDF and cut them out with a scroll saw.  I used some spray adhesive to stick the plans down to the MDF.  So far so good.

Next I had to find some clear poly to cover the plans sheet.  I finally remembered the nearly 4′ long bag in which the plans were shipped; it fit just fine.  With that in place I started nailing the locating blocks in place over the plan sheet.  I got most of them done before knocking off for the night.  I still need to make one more plywood block for the main spar locator, and make the blocks for the top and bottom capstrips.  I haven’t decided for sure how to do those.  I had thought about using a couple pieces of pine bent to fit, but that seems like a great way to mess up the jig trying to get them perfectly in place, and the jig needs to be as close to perfect as I can make it.  I’ll probably go with closely spaced pine blocks, nailed in place.

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It’s official!

I received a quart of T-88 epoxy yesterday, so the first batch of glue is covered.  Today the mail carrier brought the plans, tightly rolled and somewhat bent from their trip from the nether regions of Canada.  I will be building Celebrity serial number CE164.  So now I have a number of jobs that need to be completed…

  • Get the plans unrolled to flatten out so they’re usable
  • Get an inventory of the drawings, figure out how and where to store them so that they’re protected.  I may add tabs or some sort of externally visible identification so I’ll be able to quickly locate a drawing.  One of the irritations encountered while working on the RV-7 was sorting through a pile of drawings to find the one I was looking for.   That was a time waster.  These drawings are in at least four or five different sizes, a few of them 16′ long.  Fortunately, it does not SEEN as though I’ll need to frequently switch between several drawings as I did while building the RV.
  • Replace the workbench top with fresh MDF.  It’s a good solid bench, but the old hardboard top is scrap.  As a bonus, a 4×8 sheet of MDF will be one foot wider than the bench, giving me a 1×8′ cut-off.  That will make two 1×4′ wing rib construction jigs.
  • Figure out where to begin construction.
  • Order up some wood!

I’ll start with the wing ribs.  They use only two sizes of stock, and construction is simple and repetitive.  I can build the first two or three out of locally sourced pine, just to get the jigs built and get my process sorted out.  I can scrap them or use them as wall decorations in my office.  The jigs do not need to occupy the entire work bench, so the bench can be used for other things while working on the ribs.

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Plans ordered

I don’t know where all this will lead.  Maybe I’ll end up building and flying a new airplane.  Maybe I’ll end up with some interesting wall decorations.  All I know is, I feel the need to explore this and see where it goes.  Yesterday I ordered a set of plans for a Fisher Celebrity.

I’m already thinking about various modifications…  mostly trying to de-drag some of the structure by using streamlined tubing or even wood for struts and such.  And I’m keeping an eye out for possible engine choices.  I’m kind of torn on the whole electrical system question.  part of me says keep it light and simple — no electrical system, no transponder, handheld radio.  The other part doesn’t want to have to hand prop the engine.

We’ll just have to see where it goes.  Who knows?  Maybe I just end up making really cool looking furniture and never finish it.