Author Topic: Back to wings.............. ;D (Read 3132 times)

Bill Little · « **on:** February 28, 2007, 07:54:55 AM »

What style of wing construction do YOU PREFER? Or, do you have a preference?

Why?

Thanks
Bill <><

Jim Morris · « **Reply #1 on:** February 28, 2007, 10:00:12 AM »

Hi Bill, I like using the foam wings with the Dixon sheeting. I like this best because it is easier for me to get it strait, because I have "builder handicaps" just ask Tom Luper,HA. I can also cut out some of the foam to reduce weight. My planes arent super light,but never real heavy either.

Mike Palko · « **Reply #2 on:** February 28, 2007, 10:18:07 AM »

Two words, lost foam.

Anyone who has used this method knows why. I have also built wings on rods and a flat bench with good results, but if I had to choose, lost foam is for me.

James Lee · « **Reply #3 on:** February 28, 2007, 03:22:04 PM »

Hi Bill
I'm old fashioned and prefer the D-tube wing construction. Light and strong, and to me, looks right.

Jim

Bill Little · « **Reply #4 on:** February 28, 2007, 03:30:31 PM »

Quote from: James Lee on February 28, 2007, 03:22:04 PM

Hi Bill
I'm old fashioned and prefer the D-tube wing construction. Light and strong, and to me, looks right.
Jim

Hi Jim,

I seem to be getting construction methods as well as condtruction "types". ie: methods; lost foam, rods. types; foam, D tube.

I was thinking along the lines of what you posted, but what Mike posted is great, too! So...............

Me, I'm an I-Beam kinda guy, but use the lost foam method whenever I build a D tube!

Bill <><

Mike Palko · « **Reply #5 on:** February 28, 2007, 04:05:40 PM »

Sorry Bill, read the question to fast......

Bill Little · « **Reply #6 on:** February 28, 2007, 04:14:30 PM »

Quote from: Mike Palko on February 28, 2007, 04:05:40 PM

Sorry Bill, read the question to fast......

No apology needed, I was'nt clear! And I love the lost foam system. I did a product review on one of the very first lost foam set ups from Bob back when I wrote the Products Column in Stunt News, must have been 10 years ago!

I only have 4 of the set ups, but I have built 7 different wings using the system.

EDIT: I menat to say "wasn't clear"!

Bill <><

Gordon Tarbell · « **Reply #7 on:** February 28, 2007, 07:06:57 PM »

Is the lost foam style of wing building (jiging) where the jig is like an exoskeleton or mold that holds the ribs inplace for glueing? Can most wing styles be built with this? Also can I assume(I know I shouldn't ass-u+me) that each is specific to a model and how much is the initial cost of this? Sorry for all the questions but I am wanting to get better at building and know a fixture is better in many ways over just a table top. I have an adjusto-jig (wing and fuse) now but want something better.

Mike Palko · « **Reply #8 on:** February 28, 2007, 08:21:20 PM »

Quote from: gordon tarbell on February 28, 2007, 07:06:57 PM

Is the lost foam style of wing building (jiging) where the jig is like an exoskeleton or mold that holds the ribs inplace for glueing? Can most wing styles be built with this? Also can I assume(I know I shouldn't ass-u+me) that each is specific to a model and how much is the initial cost of this? Sorry for all the questions but I am wanting to get better at building and know a fixture is better in many ways over just a table top. I have an adjusto-jig (wing and fuse) now but want something better.

Gordon,
The explanation of how to build a lost foam wing can get very in depth (it's a very complete system). To put it VERY simply, the foam wing is cut into stations. Each station becomes a template for a rib. Once the ribs are cut you build the wing in the cradle. Check this thread for pictures of a lost foam wing under construction from the man himself. http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=4181.0

Randy Powell · « **Reply #9 on:** February 28, 2007, 09:47:25 PM »

Here's my favorite

Jim Thomerson · « **Reply #10 on:** March 01, 2007, 02:44:51 PM »

My own design airplanes tend to be I-beamish. I generally use a box spar rather than an I beam. Stronger and more rigid with the same wood. I enjoy cutting out ribs least of the things involved in building airplanes. Slicing beamer-typer ribs is relatively painless. It is fairly simple to jig up a beamer so it comes out straight. I cover with silk, silkspan, or tissue, and dope; so covering adds rigidity and strength. I'm not adverse to building other types of wings, and moulded D-tube is very good. I do think we have a history of overbuilding wings.

minnesotamodeler · « **Reply #11 on:** March 01, 2007, 03:05:10 PM »

If you ever blew the wings off a combat ship you wouldn't say that.

Clint Ormosen · « **Reply #12 on:** March 01, 2007, 11:53:47 PM »

The lost foam method looks like an expensive way to build wings. You have to buy a set of foam wings and wood for a built up style?

Warren Wagner · « **Reply #13 on:** March 02, 2007, 07:10:58 AM »

Quote from: Bill Little on February 28, 2007, 07:54:55 AM

What style of wing construction do YOU PREFER? Or, do you have a preference?

Why?

Thanks
Bill <><

Bill,

Without a doubt, my favorite style of wing construction is the Dixon "Kept Foam" process. Tom actually calls it "Quick-Build" on his web site. The first time that you follow this process, you may be a little uneasy and unsure of yourself, but by the time you have built 3-4 wings, you will be an expert, and will be building wings faster and more accurately than you ever have before.

The benefits of this system are...

1) First is speed. If you use CA glue, you don't have to stop until both panels are finished.

2) You get the inherent accuracy of a foam core. With the "false ribs" you can still get the appearance of a built up wing, if that is something you prefer.

3) No jig is necessary, but it still important that you work from a plate glass surface (or other known flat surface), because you can ruin a foam core by building in a warp.

4) The process is applicable to any standard, tripled-cored foam wing so your choices are endless.

5) It's just plane fun! (pun intended)

I follow Tom's suggestion and use the foam-compatible CA glue for the wings' construction. It makes the process go extremely fast, in fact I can frame up both wing halves in one day, which is an absolute record for me. The great thing about using the CA, is that you never have to stop building once you start.

If you are unsure about the process, I would suggest taking a 10" section of an old foam wing core, and working through the process as a learning experience. The most unusual and somewhat tricky step, is applying the CA glue in a "W" fashion to adhere the LE and TE sheeting, but you'll soon get the hang of that.

On Tom's web site, he has an instruction page for doing the "Kept Foam" process, in case you are not familiar with it.

http://members.tripod.com/~TomDixon/wings.htm

Cheers.

Warren Wagner

Bill Little · « **Reply #14 on:** March 02, 2007, 08:05:28 AM »

Hi Warren,

I remember when Tom "announced" the *kept foam* process...... I actually have a .60 size plane that I need to finish, myself, using a set of his wing halves. I got them in trade form a flying buddy who bought them "sheeted". I only had to add the "cap strips" that I wanted.

It is a quick and easy process! Going to use polyspan. Probably use 2 part auto paint to finish!

One thing I will do is install ellipses (3) from front to back. It doesn't have a spar.

Jim Morris · « **Reply #15 on:** March 02, 2007, 09:55:58 AM »

I built a Sig Magnum kit and used the kept foam system instead of sheeting the whole thing like the plans showed. One of the smarter things I have ever done!

Bill Little · « **Reply #16 on:** March 02, 2007, 10:13:42 AM »

Quote from: Jim Morris on March 02, 2007, 09:55:58 AM

I built a Sig Magnum kit and used the kept foam system instead of sheeting the whole thing like the plans showed. One of the smarter things I have ever done!

Hi Jim,

I remember Todd Lee's "Opus", a P-51B built from a Magnum. It was a GREAT flying plane. Sheeting for LE, TE, and capstrips. He removed the foam between the capstrips, and it lasted for quite a long time. Finally it collapsed.

Bill <><

Harleyman · « **Reply #17 on:** March 05, 2007, 10:23:00 AM »

I like the Tom Morris "Millennium Wing" construction.
The Jig can be made in an hour or less with simple supplies from Home Depot.
Unlike the lost foam method, you can build infinite shape and size wings with the same jig.

This method of wing construction uses very little wood, so it's light weight, but produces a very stiff and strong wing.

Tom Niebuhr · « **Reply #18 on:** March 06, 2007, 01:50:51 AM »

Wing jigs and construction methods are a matter of preference. I like rod or lost foam, but the Lincoln Log method is also great. The lost foam method is probably the best for the geo type wings. Most of the Blue Sky Models kits have laser cut ribs that are already set up for these 3 methods.

I beamers are beautiful and in there own class. They are much easier to build than they look.

There is absolutely nothing new about the "Kept Foam" method, except the name. John Davis used that method for an "All American Sr" that he built for the 2nd ever OTS contest that I CDd in St Louis ,the summer of 1971! I suspect that he wasn't the first to use that method either.

proparc · « **Reply #19 on:** March 06, 2007, 10:07:53 AM »

I like the rod method for the built up wings and as I cut my own foam wings,I LOVE the kept foam wing method. I like methods that are easy and accurate. Tom Dixon might as well give up on calling the method anything but "Kept Foam". He is a victim of his own "marketing tag" success. Marketers literally bust thier buts trying to come up with something like this; a tag that you can't forget and that you simply refuse to relinquish.