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Building Tips and technical articles. => Building techniques => Topic started by: Terry Caron on September 30, 2015, 07:22:27 PM
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Hi all -
I've rebuilt a FS wing and don't have the fuselage pieces, sad to say, so I need an outer rib template for cutting the fuselage opening.
Can anyone help?
Thanks.
Terry
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I can't give you a fish, but I can teach you how to fish*.
Take an old cardboard box that's longer than the wing chord. Whack out a piece so that it extends an inch past the LE and TE of the wing at the root, and is four to six inches high. Now cut out a pocket in the long side that just nestles over the wing. Don't worry about bits extending down past the LE and TE, but do worry about getting a good fit to the wing.
When you've got that fettled to your satisfaction, use it as a template to cut out another one. Fettle the fit of that one to the opposite side of the wing. Now hold the top and bottom templates up to the wing and glue them together by the overhanging bits.
Presto -- you have a template.
* Figuratively -- I can't fish.
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...Hey Terry, and sometimes the fish just jump into your boat. Cheers, John
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Thanks Tim and John - hopefully, one or the other post will allow me to work up a template. ;)
regards,
Terry
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Just take a length of solder and wrap it around the wing, forming it to the airfoil. Slide it off and trace your template. Done it a million times.
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Just take a length of solder and wrap it around the wing, forming it to the airfoil. Slide it off and trace your template. Done it a million times.
Took a bit of careful fiddling, but worked plenty well enough badbill - a big THANKS! H^^
Terry
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Took a bit of careful fiddling, but worked plenty well enough badbill - a big THANKS! H^^
Terry
Not a problem, Sir.
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Just take a length of solder and wrap it around the wing, forming it to the airfoil. Slide it off and trace your template. Done it a million times.
Man, thats a great idea. I will have to remember that for the future.
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I know I'm late in this, but I just saw the Thread.
What I do is, I take a piece of cardboard and quick draw a half rib on the bottom using the end as the rib centerline. I cut the quick drawing out. Doesn't have to be perfect, just close.
Then I place the cardboard back on the rib, and laying a pen on it's side, I move the pen from the LE to the TE drawing the rib shape on the cardboard.
This gives me a close but not perfect rib shape.
THEN, I trace this new rib shape on .125" balsa and cut it.
THEN AGAIN, I place some sticky back sandpaper onto the wing. With that in place and with it following the wing shape, I sand that .125" balsa template to the exact shape of the rib. Just slide it back and forth spanwise.
Remove the sandpaper, vacuum the balsa dust then make cut another balsa template.
One above the wing and one below the wing. CA them together then remove the full template.
Comes out perfect.
Now you have something you can save for the next time.
Takes longer to write this than to make the template.
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Man, thats a great idea. I will have to remember that for the future.
I wish I could remember if it was me or my Father that came up with this method, but I have done this for many years. Several years ago I made mounts to carry my jets on the side of my trailer using this method and they turned out awesome.
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Then again, you could always use this gadget.
Designed for duplicating panels on cars or just about anything you need to know the shape of, including airfoils.
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That's the way to do it Charles - where did you get it?
Terry
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That's the way to do it Charles - where did you get it?
Terry
Terry,
The thing about this is it's a time saver and it's quite accurate, also, it can be used for many things, including drawing plans on paper. Well, I guess it could be scanned into CAD also, you would get that edge.
That edge. The green you see is masking tape. I use masking tape on the edge because the tape keeps it in place better and you can draw a better line.
I did metal restoration on vehicles which was my primary use of this.
I believe, but I'm not sure, I got it from Eastwood.
Looks like you are going to be a fine model builder. H^^
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Don't know so much about that Charles, but I try to have fun. n~
I want to thank everyone for your interest and input, and here's a current-state pic of what I'm cobbling together.
The wing is a rebuilt, slightly modded ARF Flite Streak.
The fuselage started out as a P-40 scratch-build years ago which I've reshaped (and may yet more).
I'm calling it the Dixie Whistler.
Terry
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Terry,
Good for you for making changes and being creative with that model. H^^
A good thing.
Nice photo also thanks for that.
So, I guess we will see a few more photos of the progress and finishing? ;D
Charles
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Anyone who has done tile flooring or is a carpenter knows how to make a perfect shape to fit. Place a straight piece of cardboard on top of wing and use /DV to follow the airfoil and it will trace to the cardboard. That is how tile is done.
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Or grab a copy of the plans and print them out...
http://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=2652
That divider/compass trick is handy.
Phil
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That's the way to do it Charles - where did you get it?
Terry
That's called a contour gage. I have a couple around the garage somewhere but I've seem them at Lowes and Home Depot.