Author Topic: other materials for engine bearers (Read 5683 times)

Phil Krankowski · « **on:** May 09, 2015, 07:13:40 PM »

Hard maple is the standard.
I have been disappointed by what I have purchased recently. I had poor luck through local lumber mills so I ordered.

What other woods are good choices?

White oak? I've used that with 1/2a, seems to be plenty durable although it is listed as softer than hard maple. Easy to get anywhere, shipping pallets are frequently made from good, rough cut white oak.

Hickory? It is listed as harder than hard maple, but splits easier. Hammer and shovel handles are cheap and easy to get anywhere.

Anything else that is easy to get that would be suitable? I understand easy to get wood in Ohio is not the same as easy to get elsewhere...

Phil

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #1 on:** May 09, 2015, 07:32:33 PM »

Ordered from where?

I've had nearly uniformly good luck with maple motor mounts, the only exception being the motor mounts in a Top Flight Blue Box Nobler kit that I built about six years ago, which had maple mounts that went any which way but straight.

Brodak has good motor mounts.

Phil Krankowski · « **Reply #2 on:** May 09, 2015, 07:57:59 PM »

OK, about 3 years ago, I suppose that is less than recent, although I am just completing the models I purchased for.

I received curly maple engine bearers that I would have loved to use as inlay in a jewelry box. I had the nose come off today. I was running the engine in a RC stand since it was too windy to fly. I think there was a prop strike.

Phil

Phil Krankowski · « **Reply #3 on:** May 10, 2015, 09:32:28 AM »

after looking around I found
http://www.wood-database.com/

I think I will see how the Osage Orange I saved in my attic is.

Phil

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #4 on:** May 10, 2015, 11:11:04 AM »

Look carefully for straight-grained pieces:

Quote

"Having typically small, crooked, and knotty trunks, Osage Orange isn’t usually harvested for lumber, but can occasionally be found for sale in either board or small turning block form. Due to its domesticity and adequate supply, the price should be moderate, though likely to be higher than most other native lumbers on account of its “specialty” status."

or plant a grove in your backyard, and see if you can crowd it into growing straight, or prune it to grow straight.

Phil Krankowski · « **Reply #5 on:** May 10, 2015, 11:30:30 AM »

I have a few pieces from when I cut one about 5 years ago. I have more standing on my property. These things will flay the skin off trying to get to the trunk, nasty thorns... Hedge apple, monkey ball tree... Destroyer of lawn tractor tires.

Phil

Phil Krankowski · « **Reply #6 on:** May 10, 2015, 02:59:09 PM »

This is a small piece, both short and not fat. One of the others is dated "fall 2010" so it should be good and dry. Just need to drag out my table saw.

I'll check Tom Morris' and see.

Phil

john e. holliday · « **Reply #7 on:** May 10, 2015, 05:09:38 PM »

I am finishing a plane with aluminum for engine bearers. It eliminates the blind nut or t-nut as the material can be drilled and tapped. I you are worried about epoxy holding the material to the wood, Some small holes can be drilled into the material part way.

Brett Buck · « **Reply #8 on:** May 10, 2015, 05:55:28 PM »

Quote from: Ty Marcucci on May 10, 2015, 11:53:21 AM

Tom Morris sell STRAIGHT, long, maple motor mounts and even some Spruce mounts. The spruce mounts have pre applied aluminum pads. Light, strong and available.

Exactly. There's no real substitute for the real article, and I get mine through Tom Morris. In addition to supplying model airplane supplies, he doubles as the world's nicest guy.

Brett

Will Hinton · « **Reply #9 on:** May 10, 2015, 06:24:24 PM »

Quote from: Brett Buck on May 10, 2015, 05:55:28 PM

Exactly. There's no real substitute for the real article, and I get mine through Tom Morris. In addition to supplying model airplane supplies, he doubles as the world's nicest guy.

Brett

Ain't a bad git-tar plucker, either!!

Phil Krankowski · « **Reply #10 on:** May 10, 2015, 06:27:01 PM »

Quote from: john e. holliday on May 10, 2015, 05:09:38 PM

I am finishing a plane with aluminum for engine bearers. It eliminates the blind nut or t-nut as the material can be drilled and tapped. I you are worried about epoxy holding the material to the wood, Some small holes can be drilled into the material part way.

Aluminum, like 1/2 inch aluminum bar stock? Is it a particular grade?

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #11 on:** May 10, 2015, 06:30:06 PM »

I just reached into my Legacy kit for the engine bearers, and one of them was broken, with the grain taking about 1 1/2 inches to run across the 3/8" width of the piece.

Fortunately I have spare wood. But -- grr.

Phil, look around or ask about aluminum bearers specifically. The ones I've seen are significantly machined out to save weight.

RknRusty · « **Reply #12 on:** May 10, 2015, 08:24:18 PM »

The aluminum bearers on my Magnum are drilled with 4-40 Heli-Coils inserted. They are pretty strong and I can torque the bolts a little tighter than if it was only threaded aluminum.

I opened up the nose on my Brodak ARF Oriental to neaten up the plumbing before the Bob Shaw contest and found the blind nuts had sunken into one of the beams and caused the mounting screws to loosen slightly. After the contest I'm going to put aluminum bearers on the back side to spread out the pressure. They look like two different types of wood. One of them smelled like mouthwash when I originally drilled them.
Rusty

Chris Wilson · « **Reply #13 on:** May 11, 2015, 05:11:35 AM »

I think that most wood that is suitable for floor boards will be fine for engine bearers and the older the better. Check out old school buildings and recycled timber.

Bill Johnson · « **Reply #14 on:** May 11, 2015, 11:42:13 AM »

Quote from: Phil Krankowski on May 10, 2015, 06:27:01 PM

Aluminum, like 1/2 inch aluminum bar stock? Is it a particular grade?

Phil,

If I was going with aluminum, it would be 6061T6 bar stock. Available in 1/2" plate on Ebay cheap.

Jim Carter · « **Reply #15 on:** May 11, 2015, 12:21:52 PM »

Heck! I've used plain ol' white pine with a couple of pieces of .030 brass as the overlay between the engine and locknuts and the mounts worked just fine. The only thing that caused them any noticeable stress was the unplanned, sudden stop against the asphalt at about 60 mph

. Best observation of all; there was hardly any saturation of fuel or oil because after I drilled the mounting holes I saturated each hole with thin CA.

Steven Kientz · « **Reply #16 on:** May 11, 2015, 02:05:01 PM »

Eight years ago the company I worked for closed its Indy location. The plant Mgr and I were "salvaging" various things before they got tossed. My best find was a locker room bench made of hard maple. Have barely made a dent in that treasure.

Steve

dave siegler · « **Reply #17 on:** May 12, 2015, 05:22:45 AM »

I have used hard beech as motor mounts. Dad build a desk and messed up a few drawers (beech) enough for lots of airplanes.

The local hardwood mill has cutting board kits that are all hard maple. Just the right size to rip down.

RknRusty · « **Reply #18 on:** May 12, 2015, 05:46:36 AM »

When we remodeled a bathroom I saved some of the wood from the old drawers because the carpenter said it was Maple. I know there are many varieties, is there any way to distinguish hard Maple from the rest? I hear our bearers referred to as Rock Maple.
Rusty

CircuitFlyer · « **Reply #19 on:** May 12, 2015, 07:00:49 PM »

Rusty,

http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/differences-between-hard-maple-and-soft-maple/

Well I'll be, I never gave it much thought before. Next time I pour some syrup on my pancakes I'll be thinking about engine mounts. We have engine bearer trees all over up here. You can buy it by the split cord if you want.

Paul

Phil Krankowski · « **Reply #20 on:** May 12, 2015, 07:40:39 PM »

Quote from: Silver Dart on May 12, 2015, 07:00:49 PM

Rusty,

http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/differences-between-hard-maple-and-soft-maple/

Well I'll be, I never gave it much thought before. Next time I pour some syrup on my pancakes I'll be thinking about engine mounts. We have engine bearer trees all over up here. You can buy it by the split cord if you want.

Paul

Man I wish! I have 4 cord of SOFT maple stacked at the end of my drive, well seasoned. Yea, pancakes...MMMMMmmmmmmmm.

I got picture of my problem to put up. The bearers I used were worthless as the figuring in the wood meant that practically all the fibers were cut when the hole was drilled to mount the engine!

Now that I am less upset I'll admit it: I left a poorly restrained airplane running in a test stand for RC airplanes (the wings were on the padded posts, I put the starter cord over the tail). The airplane came off the stand and was more or less next to the stand, the engine was several feet away. I stepped away to get stuff out of the truck. I was alone at the field. It was windy.

Phil

RknRusty · « **Reply #21 on:** May 12, 2015, 08:51:05 PM »

Phil, That's not one of your Flite Streaks. Is it?

Phil Krankowski · « **Reply #22 on:** May 13, 2015, 06:24:51 AM »

Quote from: RknRusty on May 12, 2015, 08:51:05 PM

Phil, That's not one of your Flite Streaks. Is it?

The rebuilt ARF. I'm thinking about going electric. Half the work is done to the nose now

Phil

Avaiojet · « **Reply #23 on:** May 13, 2015, 06:49:46 AM »

Quote from: RknRusty on May 12, 2015, 08:51:05 PM

Phil, That's not one of your Flite Streaks. Is it?

Rusty,

I can't believe you don't recognize that image?

Painted many years ago by a famous artist, Phil Krankowski.

One of his largest paintings actually, 83" x 41" in size.

This image, valued at 2.3 million dollars, is currently hanging in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Titled:

Flite Streak ARF

RknRusty · « **Reply #24 on:** May 13, 2015, 09:43:40 AM »

Haha, Charles. I've never seen the innards of the Flite Streak before.

Phil Krankowski · « **Reply #25 on:** May 13, 2015, 10:10:50 AM »

What a day...I go into Menards (a local home improvement big-box store) after a 100 ft tape measure (my old one came apart) and I wander over to lumber since you never know what will be found..

$15 1x3x10ft hard maple?!! One piece only, but there is a shelf tag... Sold!

Where was this 3 years ago?

Phil

FLOYD CARTER · « **Reply #26 on:** May 13, 2015, 12:26:08 PM »

I have some leftover pieces of BAMBOO flooring. Seems harder than nails or maple. I Haven't tried it for engine mounts, but it's an idea.

Floyd