Welded on lower, starboard side-rail. Test fit bottom skin. Made new pattern for new belly former.
May 27
2hrs
Bent new belly former. Not quite right. Tried tweaking it... didn't work. Measured for new pattern.
May 28
1.5hrs
Laid out and cut new pattern. STILL not right!
May 29
1.4hrs
Measured, laid out and cut new pattern. Needs a little tweaking.
May 30
.7hrs
Tweaked pattern. Looks good! real good!
Jun 24
1.8hrs
Made six new tabs for belly former.
Jun 30
1.4hrs
Cut three tabs too short. Made three more tabs.
Jul 1
2hrs
Ground off existing four tabs that I'm replacing. Grind down four tabs. Ready for welding onto belly former.
Jul 2
2.3hrs
Align and weld on four tabs onto belly former. File excess weld from former from other tabs, etc.
Jul 3
2.6hrs
Match-drilled holes in belly skin pattern to anchor nut plates.
Jul 4
.5 hrs
Cut forward, starboard side skin pattern blank.
Jul 5
.7hrs
Sand endges of starbards side skin. Fitted and aligned on fuselge. Need to make port side skin before drilling holes for attaching.
Jul 6
.8hrs
Cut out, sanded and fitted up port side skin. Ready for drilling and attaching.
Jul 7
1.4hrs
Fitted up and started match-drilling holes for port side skin pattern. Drilled all the forward edge holes.
Jul 8
1hr
More fitting up of pattern skins
Jul 12
1.1hrs
More fitting up of pattern skins. Not happy with squareness of firewall. Not sure, but thinking it's not as square as it could be. thinking...
Jul 13
.4hrs
Started sketching out possible solutions for squaring up. Need to make a jig... but how?
Jul 22
1.6hrs
Figured it out over the past week. Started cutting jig pieces.
Jul 27
1hr
Wasn't happy with a few ways I was going to connected the flat parts of the jig together to keep them flat. Arrived at a solution. Cut blocks and glued to "arms" of jig.
Jul 31
.5hrs
Thinking it through... the jig.
Aug 3
.5hrs
Started drilling and screwing jig for fire wall.
Aug 6
.5hrs
Figured out support for jig.
Aug 7
.8hrs
Cut additional wood parts for jig. Glued and screwed together.
Aug 10
1.5hrs
Squared up jig to firewall. Cut new blank (since the holes in the first one were now mis-aligned)
Aug 11
1.6hrs
Match-drilled sides of belly skin pattern.
Aug 12
.9hrs
Match-drilled front edge of belly skin.
Aug 13
.7hrs
Cut port-side skin blank.
Aug 14
1.2hrs
Filed/sand edges of blank. Fit/aligned to fuselage.
Aug 16
.5hrs
Cut starboard-side skin blank
Aug 17
.8hrs
Filed/sand edges of blank. Fit/aligned to fuselage. Ready for match-drilling both side skins.
Aug 18
1.3hrs
Started match-drilling port side. Not happy with it. Need to cut another port side-skin.
Aug 19
.9hrs
Cut new port-side panel. Filed, sanded, and fitted up to fuselage.
Aug 22
.9hrs
Match-drilled forward edge of port side panel.
Aug 23
1.1hrs
Match-drilled forward edge of startboard side panel.
Aug 24
1.8hrs
Match-drilled bottom edge of both port and starboard side skin patterns.
Aug 25
1.2hrs
Flip fuselage, match-drilled holes on upper edge of starboard side skin pattern.
Aug 27
.6hrs
Match-drilled holes on upper edge of port side skin pattern.
Aug 29
1.8hrs
Match-drilled leading edge of forward top skin pattern.
Sept 1
2.5hrs
Re-cut top/front skin pattern. Match-drilled front edge holes.
Sept 3
1.7hrs
Match-drilled both sides of top/front skin pattern. Not flush with back. Will need to clamp and adjust holes.
Sept 8
1.3hrs
Un-screwed both sides of top/front skin pattern. Clamped, then filed/adjusted holes to work.
Sept 10
1.1hrs
Aligned second upper skin pattern. Match-drilled starboard side.
Sept 11
.9hrs
Match-drilled port side of upper skin pattern.
Sept 12
1.2hrs
Match-drilled port side of upper, rear pit skin pattern.
Sept 14
1.6hrs
Match-drilled starboard side of upper, rear pit skin pattern.
Sept 15
2.2hrs
Fitted up a lot of parts that attach to the fuselage; seats, rear enclosures, instrument panel, rear windshield. Made notes of what still needed to be done with fuselage.
Sept 17
1.2hrs
Mark and trim front corners of the rear instrument panel.
Sept 20
1.1hrs
stared at project - making a longer list of what to do
Sept 21
1hr
Actually closer to 3 or 4 hours. Looking through past note on the electrical to figure out what I need to do for the side-panel for the breakers.
Sept 22
2hrs
Various layouts for the side-panel. Number four is it!
Sept 24
1.5hrs
Drilled side panel blank. Not happy with the first 1/2inch hole (moved).
Sept 25
1.1hrs
Cut new blank. Drilled holes for intercome. Not happy with intercom on panel (too large of box showing)
Sept 26
1.4hrs
New CAD layouts. Picked one of new layouts and cut new blank.
Sept 28
1.5hrs
Attached breakers and mic jacks to figure out where I needed to notch aluminum "L" that I am using for edging; cut, notched, filed, sanded.
Sept 30
.5hrs
Worked on side-panel - glued on "L" edging.
Oct 1
1.1hrs
Trimmed side panel. Figured out way to mount - measured and cut existing "L" brackets to length.
Oct 4
1hr
Cut and notched existing "L" brackets for mounting.
Oct 6
1.5hrs
Drilled holes in side panel. The bend does not allow full screw hole to be drilled where it needs to be drilled in the "L" attaching bracket. CAD'd up two new bracket patterns to be used.
Oct 8
1.4hrs
Drilled, cut and fitted up new side brackets.
Oct 11
1hr
Tweeked brackets - ready for welding on. Need to make jig for alignment on fuselage.
Oct 14
.5hrs
Made jig for side panel brackets.
Oct 15
1.4hrs
Aligned and welded on both side panel brackets.
Oct 16
1hr
Started reading up on making the main fuel tank. Would like to make that next and then fit it onto fusealge.
Oct 17 - Nov 9
N/A
A lot of thinking... and planning for the main fuel tank.
Nov 10
2.5hrs
Main fuel tank - trial fit, marked and trim to fit without interfering with bushings.
Nov 11
.8hrs
Adjusted and routed new top corners on main fuel tank.
Nov 12
1.5hrs
Figured out and CAD'd up beading on fuel tank and location of fuel cap, etc.
Nov 13 - 20
N/A
Puzzling over fuel tank... and how to make it.
Nov 21
1.6hrs
Routed lightening holes in main fuel tank jig. MUCH lighter now.
Nov 22 - Dec 21
N/A
A lot of soul searching about the main fuel tank.
Dec 22
2.5hrs
Measured and cut the blanks for the main fuel tank wrap, end caps, and baffles.
Dec 26
1hr
Fitting the main wrap onto the frame/jig. Need to purchase more clamps, and rachet straps. Re-CADing.
Dec 28
2.4hrs
More fitting up of wrap on frame/jig. Un-wrap, mark. Trim excess off of long end to 16.5inches. Re-CADing.
Dec 29
2hrs
Re-wrapped. Re-CADing... thinking things through as I progress along with the build of the main fuel tank.