Author Topic: Quickest Way to Build a Wing (Read 4298 times)

Tim Wescott · « **on:** March 24, 2010, 10:31:12 AM »

Spring has sprung, yet I still have a building project I want to do.

So, given that I'm an experienced stick, sheet and tissue builder, what's the quickest way to build a decent (i.e. not solid balsa) wing?

The resulting lifting surface will be stuck onto a fusalage-like bit of balsa plank, with appropriate tail feathers and 25-sized engine.

Learn to cut foam? Build a constant-chord plank, with tapered flaps? Something else? Jig-built? "Cut em off later" feet on the ribs? Something else?

Going and buying an ARF would be _the_ quickest, but that's cheating.

Randy Powell · « **Reply #1 on:** March 24, 2010, 11:34:30 AM »

If you can get laser cut ribs with tabs, you can hack out a wing on a flat surface in an evening.

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #2 on:** March 24, 2010, 05:22:41 PM »

Quote from: Randy Powell on March 24, 2010, 11:34:30 AM

If you can get laser cut ribs with tabs, you can hack out a wing on a flat surface in an evening.

I'll take that to mean if I can stack-cut ribs with tabs in an evening, then I can have a wing in two (I'm working through a couple of Bags-o-Balsa; I refuse to spend money until I absolutely must).

FLOYD CARTER · « **Reply #3 on:** April 02, 2010, 05:12:57 PM »

Remember that Brodak sells wing rib kits for all of their planes. Find a wing about the size you want, and order the ribs. Price is about $30, and worth every penny of it! I've built the last 3 planes (of my own design) using Brodak ribs!

Floyd in OR

Jim Thomerson · « **Reply #4 on:** April 02, 2010, 06:41:11 PM »

Or build an I-beamer with sliced ribs.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #5 on:** April 03, 2010, 10:27:04 AM »

Just buy an ARC.

Really getting a laser cut kit with tabs on the ribs and a super flat surface is the quickest for me. For almost gauranteed straight wings a wing jig from a good supplier is for me the best. I have the CLC Jig set from Jim Snelson. I have also had my own rod jig and the Tom Morris Lincoln Log jig set. To do it right you don't want to rush it.

Bob Furr · « **Reply #6 on:** April 03, 2010, 05:34:51 PM »

If you decide to try foam let me know... to see part of the video that my son sells for me on the web go to youtube and search on "foam wing cutting". That will bring you to 8 minutes of the two hour video that a friend and I produced several years ago. Until I started cutting foam I never really knew how fast a basic CL model could be put together.
Bob Furr

wwwarbird · « **Reply #7 on:** April 05, 2010, 09:55:27 PM »

Buy an ARC and kit-bash it.

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #8 on:** April 06, 2010, 09:07:41 AM »

Quote from: wwwarbird on April 05, 2010, 09:55:27 PM

Buy an ARC and kit-bash it.

But that's cheating!

I stopped by the LHS yesterday and got enough 5/32" music wire to jig up the wing in question, and I figured out how to hack up a 5/32" drill to make a clean hole in balsa. So I guess the wing's going to be jig built.

The plane's going to be a Sarpoulis "Pretender" from the May 1979 issue of Flying Models. It's supposed to be .19 sized, and I've got an OS MAX .25. I'm hoping that at 390 square inches that'll be enough plane for the engine.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #9 on:** April 06, 2010, 09:14:39 AM »

Hope you have a lot of supports for the 5/32" rods. I use 1/4 steel rods from my local hardware store. Hardly any flex over the 3 foot span. Peice of brass tubing to join the two rods for a full wing span. In other words 4 rods total. Keep us posted.

jim gilmore · « **Reply #10 on:** April 07, 2010, 07:24:55 AM »

The fastest way to build a wing is to.................

Stay off the net,and build a wing.

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #11 on:** April 07, 2010, 10:17:49 AM »

Quote from: jim gilmore on April 07, 2010, 07:24:55 AM

... Stay off the net,and build a wing.

Asking questions on the net is what I do when I can't get my body off into my shop!

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #12 on:** April 07, 2010, 10:22:03 AM »

Quote from: john e. holliday on April 06, 2010, 09:14:39 AM

Hope you have a lot of supports for the 5/32" rods. I use 1/4 steel rods from my local hardware store. Hardly any flex over the 3 foot span. Peice of brass tubing to join the two rods for a full wing span. In other words 4 rods total. Keep us posted.

I plan on making lots of supports, yes. I gathered from reading posts on this group (hopefully correctly!) that Brodak wings are set up for 5/32", so I figured
that was as much of a standard as I'd ever see, so I'll go with it.

It seems like everything that I looked at locally had a bit of a bend to it, except for the wire from the LHS -- and if it does have a bow, at that size I can shim it out.

Work is progressing. Now I need to ask "what's the quickest way to clean off a workbench" !!!

jim gilmore · « **Reply #13 on:** April 07, 2010, 03:02:46 PM »

Hey, tim I know how the asking questions goes myself. Hope you took it as a pun no harm inteended.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #14 on:** April 07, 2010, 04:55:21 PM »

Work is progressing. Now I need to ask "what's the quickest way to clean off a workbench" !!!
[/quote]

It is called a floor broom. Like the ones they used to use in schools for werrping floors.

Ward Van Duzer · « **Reply #15 on:** April 20, 2010, 11:22:53 AM »

Tim,

When I came back to the hobby I bought Dick's original "Pretender" for a quick start. It was powered by an old Fox .19. It was plenty of power believe it or not! Remember the name...It's Pretending to be a large(ish) stunter!

W.

As to the quickest way to build a wing... Send Hunt a check for 300 bucks!

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #16 on:** April 20, 2010, 03:55:16 PM »

Quote from: Ty Marcucci on April 20, 2010, 11:34:18 AM

The quickest way to clean off a work bench is to finish the job in hand, get the trash can and actually ask yourself, "do I really need this gadget, whizmo or whojit"? Then either toss it, or place in a drawer full of "I might need it one of these days".

Right now there's a Nobler on the bench, with a halfway fixed nose (from the first @#$% flight!). I think I may have missed the building season on this one.

But it's raining heavily, so maybe not.

jim gilmore · « **Reply #17 on:** June 24, 2010, 06:19:26 AM »

I think as americans wehave a problem with the things we keep because we might have a use for it someday.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #18 on:** June 24, 2010, 08:25:06 AM »

But, did he get the Nobler fixed?

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #19 on:** June 24, 2010, 11:52:44 AM »

Quote from: john e. holliday on June 24, 2010, 08:25:06 AM

But, did he get the Nobler fixed?

I found out that Top Flight Econocoat is made with an adhesive that dissolves in exhaust residue. Grr. Since I'm coming to stunt almost from zero, I'm retiring the Nobler until I'm a better flier and will be learning on profiles until I can make a plane last long enough to justify making it pretty.

I ended up with using a jig-built scheme, using two 5/32" rods. It's going slow, but that has more to do with the practitioner than the method. As usual, I think it's going to be ready to fly just about the time the weather closes in for the winter.

Randy Powell · « **Reply #20 on:** June 25, 2010, 10:11:07 AM »

Quickest way to a wing: Buy a sheeted foam unit from from Bob Hunt.

Bill Little · « **Reply #21 on:** July 01, 2010, 04:58:04 AM »

Quote from: Tim Wescott on June 24, 2010, 11:52:44 AM

I found out that Top Flight Econocoat is made with an adhesive that dissolves in exhaust residue. Grr. Since I'm coming to stunt almost from zero, I'm retiring the Nobler until I'm a better flier and will be learning on profiles until I can make a plane last long enough to justify making it pretty.

I ended up with using a jig-built scheme, using two 5/32" rods. It's going slow, but that has more to do with the practitioner than the method. As usual, I think it's going to be ready to fly just about the time the weather closes in for the winter.

Hi Tim,

Are you having fun building that wing? I bet you are so don't worry about how long it takes you to finish it.

A question: Doe the wing have LE sheeting? If so, you might want to try a tip I found. Wet the sheeting with Windex and then pin the sheeting to the wing while it's in the jig. Let it dry and take the pins out. it will be shaped to the LE pretty good and will glue down with less chances for a warp. Kinda like making molded leading edges.

Keep on posting progress! And most of all have fun.

Mongo