Wing Holder

[Mike Griffin]

When you build a wing that has a blunt leading edge or trailing edge for that matter, it would be nice to have some sort of jig that would hold the wing with the trailing edge up so you can use the "shoeshine" sanding method to round off the leading edge and/or the trailing edge.  Trying to hold it under your armpit or between you knees or even on a table gets awkward and I have crushed ribs trying to hold the darn thing so I can sand. I have taken old styrfoam cooler and notched out each end but this really is not very stable.

Has anyone ever built anything that would fill the need?  I can envision the wing skeleton being wedged between foam firmly so it will not move as you sand back and forth on the edge.

Mike

[goozgog]

Wing in a foam sandwich in a Black & Decker WorkMate.
Be GENTLE!   

[Mike Griffin]

Wing in a foam sandwich in a Black & Decker WorkMate.
Be GENTLE!   

Good idea.... thanks

[Paul Wood]

Mike,

I'm not sure what the "shoe shine" method is, but I set the wing on a pad such as a large piece of thick foam rubber or padded carpet.  I just lay my non-sanding arm on it for weight and the foam keeps the wing from moving or rocking around.  I use a combination of razor plane and T-bar sander to shape the L.E. and T.E.  Seems to work pretty well for me.

Paul

[Mike Griffin]

Hi Paul...the shoe shine method is taking a sheet of sandpaper and cutting about a 2 or 3" wide strip the length of the sheet and wrapping it over the leading edge and sanding back and forth.  If you have ever seen a shoe shine stand where the guy takes a rag and puts the rag over the shoe and holds the rag by both ends and briskly goes back a forth to shine up the polish....

Mike

[Geoff Goodworth]

Do you guys have polystyrene foam fruit and veg boxes in the US?

This was a brocolli box which I took from the back of the local supermarket. The people there are happy for me to take the odd one as they don't have to dispose of those that I use.

[Allan Perret]

Mike check this out from last year.  
Make sure you go all the way to bottom of thread.

http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=27438.0

[Crist Rigotti]

Mike check this out from last year.  
Make sure you go all the way to bottom of thread.

http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=27438.0

Sweet!  a "Perret Wing Clamp".

[Bob Hunt]

Hi Guys:

Have had this tool for years... I think it may be time to offer it as a product. I made a fixture to hold my models in a vertical orientation to allow me to work on the hinge lines and install the flaps and elevators easily. I call this device, "Vertical Hold" (those of you who remember when we had to adjust our televisions might get a chuckle out of that name).


Attached is a photo of last year's Crossfire Extreme in the Vertical Hold device during the rebuild process. I've found this device to be extremely useful.

Later - Bob Hunt

[Mike Griffin]

Allan thanks a bunch for giving me that link.  I somehow missed that thread (There is so much good info on here that I miss a lot of good ideas)

Bob, could your jig somehow be made to hold the wing in a vertical orientation with the Leading edge up as well so you can round off the square leading edge?  There are differences in airfoils which affects the thickness of the wing. Both your and Allans ideas are great and Bob in your case if you could make something available like this it would sell.  To have one jig that would serve both purposes (aligning flaps and sanding the leading edge) would be great.

Thanks for the great ideas guys..

Mike

[Bob Hunt]

Hi Mike:

I suppose the fixture could be modified to allow it to accept wings trailing edge down to facilitate sanding the leading edge round. Here's a much better thought: Don't make wings with block leading edges!

Molded leading edges are vastly superior to block leading edges. They are lighter and absolutely accurate in radius as the mold bucks that they are molded around are cut from accurate templates. I cannot fathom why anyone would want to carve and sand a leading edge and take the chance that it is inaccurately shaped, when there are processes now easily learned that will cure that problem permanently.

See the Leading Edge Cap How-To on the Building section of this forum for more information.

Later - Bob Hunt