I am building a Top Flite Super Combat Streak from scratch.  I bought the kit at an auction a couple of years ago.  Now that I want to build one I decided to photocopy the part sheets and build one from scratch rather than building the kit itself.  (couldn't bring myself to wrecking such a nice old kit) I duplicated the formed leading edge by planing a 30 degree angle on two pieces of 1" x 3/8" and gluing them together with a piece of 1/8" x3/8" between them in a 60 degree jig that I made.  

My question is how do I get the 1/16" cuts to locate the ribs in the leading and trailing edges square and evenly spaced.  I found that by bolting two 24p hacksaw blades together that they mic 1/16".  I've had some ideas but nothing that really falls under the KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid).  Some sort of simple 90 deg. adjustable width mitre is where I'm thinking I need to be.  It would be nice to be able to use the same tool for both the LE and TE.

How about a cheap plastic miter box, the kind intended for use with a regular hand saw?  I think the saw blades will work best if you turn them to cut on the pull stroke. 

I've never tried cutting the slots myself, but thought about using my Dremel table saw. A better quality table saw would probably work much better, but I don't have one.

Select a fine tooth blade the width of the rib slots, and adjust the blade height for the rib slot depth you want. A fine Dado blade might give you a more precise slot width.

Clamp a piece of music wire exactly parallel to the blade, and use that as a guide for cutting the slots. It should be placed at exactly one rib space from the blade. Slide in the table miter guide, and adjust for a true 90 angle.

Lay the LE/TE piece flat against the miter guide, with one end just touching the music wire guide at one end. Now slide the miter guide and LE/TE stock slowly over the table saw blade to cut the first slot.

For each subsequent slot, index the previous slot onto the music wire guide, and cut the next slot. If done correctly, you should have perfect rib spacing between slots, and from the outside slot to the end of the LE/TE piece.

Then let me know if it works, so I can try it.  

Bill

Excellent idea Bill.  That would have to make a perfect job al the way around.  Now, if only I would not have traded my table saw for a snowblower last year.  I have to cut the ribs and other parts out yet so I have some more time to mull this proceedure over.  Thanks for the input.  Worst case I'll put pencil lines on the LE and TE from a square and just eyeball it.  I'm pretty good at doing stuff like that.  This is my first scratch build so I'm learning as I go.http://

HOW OLD is that wood you're using?  "Testors, 1/16x3x36, 16 cents"!?!?!

Nice job on the ribs/LE, by the way.

I'm philosophically opposed to cutting notches in LE's, TE's and Spars. It makes a stress riser where you don't want one. Don't do that!  Steve

Hi Jerry,

Your wing is looking good! 

I have to agree with Steve that slotting spars will weaken them.

You can't replace the slotted spars now, but I would bridge the corners between spars and ribs, with a very thin fillet of Sigment (since that is the adhesive you said you are using). The cement will transfer a tiny bit of the tension load from spar to rib, and rib to spar, around the existing joints and slots in the spars.

Bill

You have developed a great technique for copying the machined LE and TE as formerly provided by Top Flite. It sure beats buying a huge slab of balsa and machining it into 60-70% shavings and sawdust.

The notches provide in kits are for rookie builders and as stated many times, just weaken the final product.  Experienced buildings can measure and use drafting/carpenters triangles and table top fixtures to align the wing without notches.  Many Goldberg Voodoos were scratch-built with the readily-available LE and virtually nobody notched them.

What engine are you planning? Nice and sedate or fast and mean?  Please keep the pictures coming - I want to build one of these some day. 

Since people have been saying that square tanks work fine, I built one to completely fill the 2 5/8 X3 X 1 space in my new Box Car Chief.  You gain some capacity by not using a wedge.   

Jerry,

Brodak makes a med wedge Uniflow tank with the tubes out the top and side, so they don't protrude past the front of the tank. I had to use that style on my built Skyray 35, as standard tanks with tubes out the front would not fit.

They don't have a picture that shows the exact tank I have, but look on their web site to see wide wedge Uniflo tanks to get an idea.

Bill

That's really looking great, Jerry. 

I had a Super Combat Steak back in about 1973.  I used a Fox 35 on it and it was a great flying model.  I liked it better than the profile version!  Only complaint was the lack of tank space.......

Mongo

Thanks for the replies and compliments guys.  As far as the fuel tank goes, I ended up using a Brodak BH-539 Standard Vent Wide Wedge Fuel Tank 3 oz.  It is shown to have the dimensions of 1"h x 2"w 3"long in the catalog.  Since shipping was $7.99 for just the tank I decided to also order a clear canopy 9" x 1 3/4"w x 1 1/2"h and a 1/12 scale pilot as well.  Still $7.99 for shipping.  Of course the tank I received was 3 1/16" long.  I had to sweat the end off and cut the body of the tank since I had exactly 3" of space available to fit the tank into.  It worked out nicely, pressure tested, no leaks, exact fit into the space.  Landing gear is the next engineering project.  I don't like the one wheel landing gear set up the SCStreak has so I'm going with 2 wheels in the front and a 3/4" dia. or so tail wheel.  I have some ideas for the front landing gear.

I hope I'm not looking at a PERFECT BellCrank! They are way too soft and the holes will elongate in no time flat. Fox (aluminum) bellcranks and the old Veco's are OK. Brodak or Sig OK too.

W.

Thanks Ward.  It is a Veco bellcrank.  Thanks for the reply.  I had heard that before about the Perfect bell cranks but hearing it a second time is good.  I'll remember that for sure this time.

I alway ran the grain across the fuse of the bottom of typical planes.  On the "Sweet Sweep" the grain runs length wise and seems to be just as strong.  Also crossed grain uses less material.

I forgot, I had to install the landing gear before the planking.  I don't like the one wheel landing gear that the SCS is supposed to have so I came up with a way to use a 3 wheel landing gear set up.  Here's some pics of the landing gear.  I epoxied a doubler behind the F2 bulkhead so the screws in the landing gear lugs would have some extra bite.  The screw and washer at the "V" of the main gear is mostly for a place for epoxy.  The "anchor" for the tailwheel wire is 1/4" thick pine.  The pine wedge got too narrow in the back but that worked to my advantage because that allowed me to position the wheel before I epoxied it, to the correct alignment.  Before I epoxied the tailwheel assembly to the fuselage, I cut a piece of 1/16" balsa to match the taper between the rear halves of the fuselage.  With the fuselage upside down, I then put the balsa in place between the fuselage halves, while pinching the rear of the fuselage to hold the balsa in place and I set the tailwheel assembly on top of it to adjust the pine wedge to be flush with the bottom of the fuselage.  I then removed the tailwheel assembly and C/A'd balsa to the fuselage.  That gave me a platform to locate the tailwheel while the epoxy dried.  I didn't have to clamp anything.  I hope that makes sense.  It worked great.  In essense I made a "cement form" to lay the tailwheel assembly in and locate it while the epoxy dried.

I haven't posted the progress in a while.  I monokoted all the pieces first, then I assembled it.  I've never done that before, it worked out nicely.  I'll post this picture then it's off to the hangar to install the engine, hook up the control rod to the control horn, finish the monokote around the engine bay and maybe install the pilot and canopy.  I'll fly it tomorrow whether the pilot and canopy are installed or not.  I'm going to put my Enya 29IV on it for right now.  I bench ran my Enya 35 and I think it needs some more bench time before putting it on a plane.  They have the same mounting holes so it will be an easy swap.

Here's part of the fleet.  Couldn't fit it on the last post.

That Streak turned out really well.  I may just have to do one.  What is the bipe?

Thanks.  The SCS was a fairly easy build from scratch.  I made the parts accurately and from there it was pretty much assembly just like a kit build.  I put the pilot and canopy on it last night.  I had bought a 1/12th scale Sport Pilot and a Sig Clear Canopy 2" wide x 1-3/4" high x 9" long from Brodak.  I was unsure if I was going to install the pilot and canopy, but it just looked unfinished without it so I put it on.  The dash and seat back are just a 1/16th former planked with 1/32" balsa.

The bipe is a Brodak 38 Special.  I have an OS Max-s 35 on it.  Great flying plane.  It's advertised as being able to do the whole AMA pattern, I'd have to learn it before I could do it.  If I was good enough to do the AMA pattern I'm sure it would.  I've never tried doing the AMA pattern.  It flys as well as a plane with ailerons in my opinion and is an easy build.  One guy in our club has a 38 Special with an OS FP 40 and it is really fast and still a very good flier.

Jerry, seeing the 38 Special is great.  It looks a lot better than mine.  The plane will do the full pattern.  Now seeing that great looking SCS I may have to build one of the kits I have.  That canopy does wonders for the plane.

Jerry, the other guys 38 special has a Fox 40 on it. In fact it's a 1980 Fox 40 and was timed a little more aggressively then the current versions. Good for about 90MPH and a good adrenaline pump to make sure your still alive. I enjoy flying it and it seems to have some appeal when all of the maneuvers look like you were completely in control.. The things that we do for kicks.
Dennis

Dennis... a FOX?  I think FP 40 was just a guess on my part.  I figured you wouldn't put a FOX in anything.  I didn't expect you to call me on it either.  I was bench running the Enya 35 today.  I took Randy Smith's advice and ran 25% oil 50castor/50syn., ran great, 2 to 3 flip starts and I could run 2 cycle the whole tank without tightening up.  I guess that means it's broken in.  I put my OS Max-s 35 on the SCS.  I didn't expect the Enya to be ready to go this soon and I didn't want to wait to fly the SCS.

I flew the SCStreak today.  It flies real nicely, more responsive than the Flite Streaks, and it seems to be more stable too.  I didn't use nearly all the control, it seems to have lots of up and down.  I think I'll really be able to wring this thing out after I get to know it better.  I did some inside and outside loops, lazy 8's, classic 8's (the ones with a full round inside and outside loop) and I had it inverted for a while.  Just flying it to get to know it.  I swapped engines from the Model 5224 Enya 35 to an OS Max-s 35 because the Enya had some issues.  See "Tight Enya 35 Model 5224" in the Engine Set up tips section for details.  I wasn't quite happy with the engine run.  I'll have to work out a kink or two with it.  I know this engine is a good running engine.  Overall for a first time out I'd give the plane a 10 out of 10.  I really like the way it flies.  I'd say it was a good choice of a model to build.

Thanks Leester.  I'm anxious to get some time on it and run it through the paces.  I put the Enya 35 back on it because I got that engine straightened out by running it on the bench.  The Enya was my first choice for it for an engine, that's why I put it back on.

Jerry, I really enjoyed reading this topic. You did a great job making the leading and trailing edges for it. The canopy adds alot to it as well. Mike