Joining a V-Tail
I've always hated the simple butt joint on a wood V-tail, while it is fairly weak, it was just too simple to do......sand the angle in and then glue it together.
So to actually make the simple assembly more difficult and stronger at less weight, I tried this throwback technique that I actually stole from a 1950's model airplane magazine. I find that model magazines that are 20 to 60 years old are much more interesting than the paid advertisements that are so prevalent today.
The pictures tell most of the story (saving thousands of words), but we are going to do a basic "box joint" to add a bunch of glue area to a standard 120 degree V-tail.
First thing is to make the flat version of the tail. Here it has the 1/64 plywood on the edges, and the hinge slots are already cut in. The elevators are tack glued to the stab with little 1/64" plywood tabs inserted into the hinge slots. Then it was sanded to shape and glassed. After it is joined, the elevators will be cut free and very little shaping will be required for an exact fit.