Tweaked alignment. Made tool for measuring hole to hole for struts.
Jan 3
1.5hrs
CADing strut ends
Jan 4
1.5hrs
re-CAD strut ends. Tubing is 2.375 not 2.
Jan 6
1.6hrs
Test for making strut ends
Jan 7
3.5hrs
Test piece for strut ends
Jan 8
2.2hrs
Another strut end test - need to refine my approach.
Jan 10
1.8hrs
Welded two-piece metal jig together. Modified with an angle cut. Ready for new test piece.
Jan 11
.9hrs
Heat and squeezed 4th test piece. NICE! But I need to make the ID of opening smaller.
Jan 12
2hrs
Modified squeezing jig. Made 5th test. Need to adjust procedure. I'm not holding streamline tubing perfectly centered and I'm holding it at a slight angle.
Jan 14
1.2hrs
6th test... DAMN CLOSE !!!
Jan 15
1.7hrs
First strut end started - carefully aligned pattern, rough cut end.
Jan 16
.9hrs
Finished end - ready for bending!
Jan 17
1.2hrs
Heated End with tourch. Squeezed. NO JOY!!!
Jan 18
1.1hrs
Began making wider jig. First one was too small/thin for firsts squeeze?
Finished cutting/grinding end. Heated end. Squeezed. YES!!! GOOD squeeze.
Jan 24
1hr
Started cutting/griding second strut.
Jan 25
2hrs
One bad sqeeze. Cut 2nd second strut end. A good squeeze! YES!!!
Jan 27
1.2hrs
Cut notched, 2nd end of second strut.
Jan 28
1.1hrs
Heated and squeezed fourth end. Yes!!! Then modified first smaller jig with wings to keep it level in vice. Cold squeezed all four ends to get them closer to 7/32nd width.
Jan 29
1.1hrs
Worked on second strut and made the final squeeze on the first set of struts.
Jan 30
.9hrs
Practiced making inserts for the strut ends (to enclose the opendings in the tube(.
Feb 1
1.6hrs
Made first insert. Just about finished makng second insert.
Feb 2
1.1hrs
Inserts: finished second one and rough cut the third and forth.
Feb 4
1.9hrs
Finished trimmng, grinding sanding second two inserts. Welded on two inserts.
Feb 5
1.9hrs
Welded on two inserts. Started drilling out 5/16th inch holes in tear drops.
Feb 6
1.4hrs
Cut out tear drop reinforcing plates.
Feb 8
1.5hrs
Burned off patterns from tear drops. Started filing/sanding tear drops.
Feb 9
.1hrs
Burn off excess glue. Was taking forever to sand the faces with glue on them.
Feb 10
1.5hrs
Finished prepping tear drops. Drew up plans for jig to hold struts when drilling holes.
Feb 11
2.1hrs
Made jig, and drilled 5/16inch holes in one struts.
Feb 12
1.3hrs
Second strut drilled.
Feb 14
1.2hrs
Started fitting up struts. Angles of UWCS and fuselage brackets aren't jiving.
Feb 17
1.6hrs
Thinking of solution for off angle of brackets. Started getting the next and final two struts ready for grinding and notching. Cut out patterns and aligned them on one end of both struts.
Feb 18
2.0hrs
Ground and filed/sanded to shape the two strut ends. Out to the garage workshop to ponder the angle difference.
Feb 19
1.7hrs
Fitting up of struts. Need to modify opening on one end. Plans were designed for Dela not Radial Skybolt. Go figure.
Feb 21
1.9hrs
Cut off inserts from one end of both struts. Modified opening on the end of the strut to allow it to fit with the UWCS bracket.
Feb 22
1.2hrs
Decision made to lower UWCS to 15" above longeron.
Feb 23
1.5hrs
Modified jig to hold in position. Made first alignment of UWCS on jig. Checked modification needed to make to strut end. Took measurements of hole-to-hole.
Feb 24
1.2hrs
Tweaking of alignment. Took hole-to-hole measurement again. Confirmed adjustment that I need to make to CAD for modification of strut ends. Made change to CAD. Printed patterns.
Feb 25
2.9hrs
Needed to print patterns again (printed out to fit page... not 1:1). Aligned patterns and notched both ends that needed adjusting.
Feb 26
2hrs
Heat and squeeze strut ends.
Feb 27
1.2hrs
Form inserts; patterns, cut, grind, squeeze.
Feb 28
1.2hrs
Fine grind/sand inserts. Weld onto struts.
Mar 1
1.3hrs
Squeeze strut ends. Brackets are too shallow. Thinking of options to fix.
Mar 2
1.1hrs
Decision made; cut off front two strut brackets.
Mar 3
1hr
Re-work CAD drawing for brackets.
Mar 4
3.9hrs
Print CAD's. The re-work CAD's again.. Cut out (4) new bracket blanks.
Mar 5
1hr
Make test blanks from aluminum to figure out the correct bend on each half.
Mar 6
1.3hrs
Hammer over brackets to correct angles.
Mar 7
2hrs
Weld together both halves of both strut brackets. Weld excess slag from fuselage where I cut off brackets.
Mar 10
1hr
Fitting up of both brackets. Still need some cleaning up of the excess slag.
Mar 11
2.2hrs
Cut two doubler blanks. Bend to shape. Marked overhang... finish grind/sand to shape the first one.
Mar 12
1.1hrs
2nd doubler fitted. Options for overlay tubing build up?
Mar 13
.9hrs
Weld on both doublers.
Mar 14
1.5hrs
Grind off slag from port side, Station Zero. Fitted up two tube build ups.
Mar 16
1.0hrs
Cut and fit-up of upper build ups. More grinding/filing of excess slag.
Mar 17
1.5hrs
Weld on both build ups.
Mar 18
1.8hrs
Drill one hole in one bracket. Rediscovering how I did it the first time. Not real happy with the process.
Mar 19
1.4hrs
Drilled the additional seven holes.
Mar 21
1.6hrs
Holes in brackets still don't clear the upper longeron. Re-re-do of CAD to make arms longer on sway wire part of brackets.
Mar 24
1.7hrs
Cut and ground to shape four new bracket pieces
Mar 25
1.3hrs
Measured angle for bend of brakets. Filed edges, sanded, bent to shape all four pieces for new brackets.
Mar 26
1.4hrs
Welded together both bracket halves.
Mar 27
1.5hrs
Made and ground to size the first doubler plate.
Mar 29
1.3hrs
Filed to size the first doubler. Cut, ground, and filed second doubler.
Mar 30
1.3hrs
Finished both doublers. Welded on first doubler onto bracket.
Apr 1
2.2hrs
Using my double-slide vice... I clamped and drilled all eight holes in brackets. VERY happy with the results.
Apr 2
1.4hrs
Sanded scratches out of brackets and test fit.
Apr 3
1.3hrs
Aligned and tack welded on both brackets. Positioned UWCS. Looks great!
.7hrs
Set-up double sliding vice and drilled one hole in one strut. Set up second strut for drilling.
Apr 4
.2hrs
Welded edge of strut, where I had filed it down a while back.
Apr 5
.9hrs
Adjusting struts to fit. Not too happy with how the struts are aligning with the UWCS brackets.
Apr 6
1.5hrs
Made the decision to cut off the cabane attachment part of brackets and weld on new attachments to the correct angle. (I had bought these from someone and their "A" isn't lining up with my "B".) Had the parts cut to make the UWCS brackets... so I drilled out the holes in the two cabane attachment pieces.) Figuring out new angles to match the brackets on the fuselage.
Apr 8
1.9hrs
More adjusting and figuring out angles.
April 9
1.3hrs
Making sure I get the right angle... still double, triple checking. Got it! Took UWCS off of fuselage.
Apr 10
1.8hrs
Take off hardware so that I can take off brackets for surgery.
Apr 13
1.7hrs
Cut off cabane attachment brackets and ground down (both front spar brackets).
Apr 15
1.7hrs
Printed out new patterns to make new cabane attachments. Drilled and then cutout both. Filed one to size.
Apr 17
1.9hrs
File and fitting both cabane fittings
Apr 18
1.2hrs
Remove paint from exiting UWCS spar brackets... begin sanding.
Apr 19
1hr
more sanding
Apr 21
1.4hrs
Sand. Place brackets back on spars. Lift UWCS back into position.
Apr 22
1.2hrs
Level brackets on upper longerons so that both are at the same height (note: one is not tacked to the fuselage)
Apr 24
1hr
Align struts and bracket ears.
Apr 25
1.1hrs
Tacked Port bracket (up high off longeron) and not happy with that.
Apr 26
.2hrs
Checked alignment. Need to file down inside edge of cabane fitting.