drube

This will be the first time i'll be cutting my own kit and building from plans. I chose the Flybaby because I like the way it looks and am looking for an easy flyer. I've had the plans for a few years and finally feel brave enough to attempt the build. I'm sure i'll have lots of questions and have already received lots of great advice. Can't wait to start cutting! So the wood is ordered now and I need to get a copy of the plans made for templates. I'll try to post a pdf of the plans if able, would make it easier for when I have questions. What's the proper way to start? Do I cut the whole kit first then build, or do I cut as I go?
Here's the link to the plane. https://www.rcmplans.com/index.php?m...oducts_id=1771

acerc

Subscribed!!
I like to take a day, sometimes two, and cut everything that I can. All the formers, ribs, and all ply parts. All the stick and sheeting stuff is easier to fit as I go along.

TomCrump

I think we develop our favorite methods to cut a kit.

I don't like to stand over the saw, cutting for hours on end.

If I'm building the wing, I cut the parts for it. If I'm building the fuselage, I cut those parts.

In the end, I doubt if it makes any difference.

The most important thing, is that you enjoy the process.

Here's the fuselage and "wings" for my scratchbuild. Ryan.

Zor

Looking forward Tom to see your Ryan progress.

Incidentally, as an insructor at the club, I did the first two flights on that full scale Baby.

Zor

drube

The Ryan is coming along nicely Tom. I guess everyone has their own way of doing things. As long as it gets done right? lol

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I cut the complete kit all at the same time. I can't stand for more then about 10 minutes so I sit on a chair/stool when at the saw. Sanders I have to stand so I sand until the pain gets too much then sit for a while then get back to it. Really doesn't mater but our wood club is three blocks away and a pleasant place to hang out. It only takes me two or three hours to cut a kit with all the tools we have. There is no wrong way to do this. Just enjoy the process.

drube

Gene, it's a bummer you're in pain all the time.. There needs to be a magic pill that works for everything!
I was able to get copies of the plans made today, but couldn't find anyone who could convert them to a pdf file. I'll keep searching. Just waiting on wood now. Excited!

drube

I was able to find someone to convert the plans to pdf. Not perfect, a little has been cut off but will do.

funnotcrazy

Hey Drube,

I like your song Pain. What inst do you play. I am drummer.

LARRYKOP

Sure like that plane. Are you going to share those plans? Would sure like a copy.
[email protected]

drube

Thanks! I'm a drummer also but on those songs I sang and played everything.

drube

Larry, You should be able to save the pdf files I uploaded. If you can't let me know.

Lightspeed1551

My Feedback: (4)

My grand father scratch built a 100cc fly baby a few years back.

drube

Got any pics?

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I have bottles of magic pills but then I tend to drool a lot and then that idiot married to my wife finds his way into my shop. Nothing new about it and you just learn to cope with it.There are too many others in a lot worse shape then myself. I just lowered the flight times on my TX when it's bad. Not a big deal. If I can sit down for a minute the pain goes away fast.
Kinko's can make you a hard copy and also put your plans on a disc, not sure what the file type is.
A question for the kit cutter that posted. If someone has crap for plans like the Sukhoi 29 from Airage that nothing fits. If you put them onto a CAD will that correct the fit problems??? When finished the plane is really a nice one but I have swore all the way through two builds of it. After building one off of CAD drawn plans I don't ever want to work with the old hand drawn plans again.

LARRYKOP

Hi,
Thanks, I saved them somehow. Not sure how I did it. You said that Kinko's can plot them. I'll copy them to a USB flash drive and run over to Kinko's tommorrow.
Thanks,
Larry

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

They just run you plans through a machine and it will either give you a hard copy or put them onto a disc for you. No reason to put them on disc unless you just want an easy way to store your plans. My system to store is the corner in the closet in my shop.

drube

Yes, I had my plans scanned and put on my jump drive as pdf files at Office Depot. They also said they can print the plans from the pdf files and I think they need to be at 100%.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

In my area Kinko's is the only place with a machined big enough to copy most of my plans. In Calif. I had a club member that could do it for me at work, that was cool.Then I had a friend that had a machine at home that made me vinyl decals. No connections at all in this area. National usually only takes about three days to deliver your wood orders so get ready to start building!!

hairy46

My Feedback: (1)

Will be watching, always wanted to build of plans and will just as soon as Iget my shop finished, allways admired the scrach builders"

Zor

100% is an undefined size since it can be 100% of the original.
Consider you would wish the prints to be the actual size you wish to build the model.

Zor

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I take my plans with me and give the person the disc and just say 100% please. As the plans come out of the machine I have the original taped to the window and make sure there machine has printed them to the correct size just by placing the printed copy over the original. If I'm getting two copies made they don't need tobe exactly the same as the original, a little over or under is OK. Your going to cut upone copy and build over the other so as long as they are the same your OK. By matching the copy to the original it will also show the machine operator how off there machines calibration is. Not too big of a deal. If the operator is a pain I make them get the copies dead on. I can be a pain myself when I want to be.

Zor

Hello Gray Beard,

To clarify what I was thinking. A pdf file can have any size when printed.
If the file on a disk or flash drive is not the size we want to build then I think the 100% would print the size of the pdf file.
That is the reason why I posted using different words.

If the pdf file is already the size we want to build then of course the 100% will print the size we wish to build.

I do not understand when you write Your going to cut up one copy and build over the other
I thought one would build over the cut copy for convenience of not having the whole sheet on the work table.

Ya _ _ _ Hee! ... Hee! ... Am I being a pain ? I do not wish to be.

Best regards,

Zor

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Yes you do. When I first started to build from plans I was told to always get two copies, one to cut up and one to build on. A lot depends on the plane and plans, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Sometimes you have to cut them up beyond use. Things like having to cut the pattern of the complete fuse or tail feathers. I do cut the plans that I am building over so I can get them on my board but those are usable. When cutting for templates they sometimes are so cut up you can't use them to build over.
The Prime Cut I just built had the templates set up in such a way most of the plans would still work. As I recall I did have to cut the fuse out? Each build is going to be different.
When I use Kinko's I make sure the plans the print for me off the disc match the originals or are very close. When I gave the disc to a friend to get hard copies made I just gave him the disc and said 100%. It's not rocket science, I just want a copy or two of the plans so I can build the plane. Kind of idiot proof thing to do.
When I built the pair of Swoose planes the plans were rendered total useless junk. I have big envelopes on hand and when I remove the templates from the wood I save them just in case I need to do a repair someday.
In the case of the Prime Cut I had two sets of plans. The first set I got from Airage had two left wings. Not a big deal, you just wipe mineral oil on the plans and flip them over, the print comes through the back side. It's how a lot of the older kit plans used to be drawn. I phoned Airage and told them about the problem, they already knew but I had an early set of plans, they sent me a complete new set.
Gene, goirish, sent me a set of plans he had printed up at a big print shop. I had sent him the file in PDF? I think it was PDF? He burnt them onto a disc and had them printed and sent out full size plans to some friends. These plans are way too big to get printed at most copy centers. That print shop does some of the best copy work I have ever seen.
Plans can be enlarged or reduced, only thing required when you do that is sometimes the wood size has to be changed, thicker or thinner. Just requires a bit of thought.
Question: what planes have you built from plans? There are thousands of them to choose from. Beats the heck out of the few kits offered these days.

drube

I've been going over the wing plans and I see where it says 2-3/4" Dihedral Each Tip. I don't see a Dihedral gage to cut out for the root A ribs. The build artical that came with the plans says that the two root ribs are glued together when joining the wing halves. If I keep the root ribs at 90 deg and If I do the way the plans show, I won't have any Dihedral. If I add the Dihedral won't there be a big gap at the center on the bottom of the wing? What should I do?
Am I correct by thinking that if I set my Dihedral at the tips and then glue in the root ribs at 90 deg this will solve my problem?
Hope this makes sense.