FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Leroy, will the pins going through the stab and into the elevator be replaced by Robart hinges or do you plan another type of hinge system? Just curious.

Mike

Leroy Gardner

Mike I always predrill parts for hinges and dowel them for assembly, I makes for perfect alignment when installing the Robart hinge points. After its all glued up and pinned down I pull the dowels and add the blocks as needed, the predrilled holes become the guide to drill the blocks. I use 3/16" hinges for anything over 1/4" thick, 1/8" for 1/4" structure. Come to think of it I think the hinges are DuBro. Look at the rudder, you can see the 1/8" dowels, there will be 5 hinges in it. These are the only hinges I use any more.

Leroy

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I think I need to try that tip.

rt3232

My Feedback: (6)

Leeroy

On pre-drilling I assume you are using a drillpress, have been doing that bit sense the u/c days.

Cheers Bob T

SunDevilPilot

Just a quick note on laminating.

For my first attempt I used a template as seen in this thread and some clamps into pre-drilled holes. As someone already mentioned the clamps don't always give you a good 90 on the outer edge. So, on my latest build I modified my approach.

This time I used a similar template for the shape I am attempting to achieve. Then I put the template on another piece of wood, large enough to allow for the blocks, and traced it. Once traced I put packing tape where the laminations will go (Both on the larger board and on the outer edge of the template. The glue will in no way stick to the packing tape. One the tape is on the baseboard and the form I screw the two pieces of wood together (Base and Form)

Once the glue is applied I used the blocks and a pneumatic nailer to go around the laminated wood and press it onto the template. The blocks inner edge are also covered with packing tape to prevent sticking. By using blocks I get a perfect 90 on the inside and the outside of the laminations.

Also note, I did some research into what woodworkers (Aside from airplane modelers) use for laminating. Many recommended the plastic resin glue seen in this photo. I used it on my Nieuport and it worked really well. Gives you quite a bit more working time and sands really nice.

Once the laminations dry I just pull the blocks up (Use only one nail per block to make this really easy).

SunDevilPilot

Leroy Gardner

SunDevil thanks for that, goes to show there is a number of ways to laminate with success. I used Tightbond for mine and got them tight and they came out great for my first time.

I finished up the gluing of other side and all the hinge blocks are in place, sanding is next and on to the fuselage. I have a trip to make to get some 1/8" lite ply to remake the side sheets, the plans are somewhat vague in places so will study them and build manual some more. I also found the bottom longerone line is not straight but I build with straight edges. I'm done for the night, more tomorrow.

Leroy

Leroy Gardner

Some of us have figured that out but you can't do it to everything. I will be making drill guides for the ailerons and flaps, they are not at the same angle.

Leroy

rt3232

My Feedback: (6)

Yep and when you get to making a drill jig please post you process for making one. I would suspect some of the fellows watching may not be builders and are trying to learn. But with the selection of BARF's ups I ment ARF's why should they.

Will go back to my dish and lay down and watch

Cheers Bob T

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Leroy, why is it no matter how much you have in your wood pile you still seem to be missing the one thickness you need and have to make a trip?

rt3232

My Feedback: (6)

FlyerinOKC

Not trying to be a smart a@# but you can just laminate a couple of piece's to make what you need, That's what's so great about all most any wood : ie long splice or lap splice.

My scrap box is my go to spot when in need some thing under 6"

Cheers Bob T

Leroy Gardner

I have a pretty good supply of sheets and sticks, some aircraft plywood and a box full of scrap everything, I'm in that one all the time. when it comes to lite-ply it's limited to misc. smaller pieces. I got a beautiful 12" X 48" X I/8" today for the new sides which I will cut tomorrow and start the fuselage assembly.

I almost finished one side of stabilizer and elevator, it's all rounded and sanded with the hinge points (not glued in) in it, looks good. I made up new sanding blocks for the radiuses, I mark a center line on the edge so I don't over sand them. Hinge holes are counter bored for the hinge head, I use a step bit for that. Things are going well with the build.

Leroy

rt3232

My Feedback: (6)

Leroy

Looking great.

Two Questions, What hinges are you going to use ? and have you decided on what covering you will be using ?

Cheers Bob T

Melchizedek

Tail feathers looking good Leroy.
I like the frame up part best I think.

Kevin

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Not when you're looking for 1/8" lite ply! I will admit I was short some 1/8" balsa this pass week and considered laminating some 1/16" balsa but the LHS is only 3 miles away and you never know if he might have gotten in something new to see so I used it as an excuse to go.

Leroy, I love the little gussets in the rudder I think I would have done the fin too; which explains why my airplanes get a little heavy at times. the work looks beyond great!

Leroy Gardner

Bob I use Robart hinge points exclusively, 1/8" for 1/4" structure, 3/16" for all else. As far as covering , I have some Solartex and I really like the way it goes on but am considering raw polyester simply because of the weight of the adhesive on Solartex. There isn't any raw to be found around here, everything is pre shrunk. Frankly I know little about it and that may end up being the driving force to Solartex.

Leroy Gardner

Feathers are tail structure and how many hundred have we all seen, much the same for building in general. You would think that others (and they are many) might comment or show how they did theirs. I'm having to figure a lot out on this one and I hope I'm going about it in one right way. This is really an interesting plane to build, it has a lot of features to it and when you start changing things you really need to screw the thinking cap down tight. Fuselage will give me a run for my money so to speak, I don't care for some of how it's built and you can only change some of the way it's built not redesign it.

Leroy Gardner

I did go back to the fin and do that, they are small gussets, I really need to watch the weight back there, it comes out heavy as it is, When I build I really try not to add much weight. When one understands the stresses on structure it does help to figure out how far you can go and it becomes more of the way it is done. A good covering job adds a lot of strength and that has to be factored in. For me, scaling this one out is a challenge. Glade you like my work, I'll try and keep it up, nice to have you here.

Hughes500E

My Feedback: (16)

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Hi Leroy, I'm almost finished building my BUSA J3 into a Super Cub. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with and possibly changing mine ;-)


Great project
Steve

Leroy Gardner

Steve if your almost done it might be too late to change much, I'd be interested in seeing how you did the cowling and the tail end, and your welcome to post pictures, as a matter a fact anyone is.

I just started forming up the fuselage and I added 1/2" to the nose, the real wide body Super Cub was 2" longer than the standard one (probably because of the 165 hp engine) that's why the 1/2" on the nose. Hope to have some more pictures tomorrow night

I would enjoy having you along.

Leroy

Hughes500E

My Feedback: (16)

Great, I'm so glad you started a build thread on this. I never located a set of plans just pictures and information from the internet etc. I have used the stock parts with slight mods along the way. The largest of course being the shape, counterbalancing the elevators and the bottom of the rudder with its new alignment to the fuse.

I have the cowl but I have not mounted it yet.

I just finished sorting out the wing mounts and cabin support. My son and I fly a very light 1/4 scale BUSA J3 so I know how arduous putting the wings on by yourself is. I decided to utilize a wing tube. The cabin supports are different as well so I built in a completely new mounting setup. I have two small machined aluminium blocks on the outer edges inside the cabin. I'm using aluminum 3/8 alignment rods in the wing that are captured by the machined blocks with a 5/32 bolt that tightens on to the rod. This is all tied into another machined block on center of the upper front deck.

rt3232

My Feedback: (6)

Steve aka Huches500

Looking good, but a few more pic's of your wing mount mod Please

Cheers Bob T

Leroy Gardner

That is looking pretty good Hughes, and yes you are nearly done. I'm doing some of the things you are doing wing tube wise, attachment will be in the cabin top. Your rudder looks very lite, some corner gussets would help a lot along with some good hard mounts for the horns, same for the Vertical fin. Might just be the pictures.

Leroy

Leroy Gardner

I built up the fuselage sides, you will notice the straight edges, they stay in place until both are done. Plans are rough and bold with some bowed long lines. I can't put the top cabin supports and wing center together yet. I need to lay out the dihedral for wing so I make sure I get the right size wing tube and sleeve (will order that Monday) and I want sliding windows on the left side and I'm trying to figure out how to make the guides. There is a lot on my mind right now, from the beginning I figured some of this would be a challenge and there are more ahead.

I never put the balsa overlay on the front sides yet, they will twist some when formed to fire wall and I didn't want them too stiff. I found that the bottom taper will have be increased to fit the cowling right, I found that after I made the fire wall and fit it to the cowl location there is a radius there that shows in the profile, that's not where the corner starts, I missed that but it's an easy fix

There will be a lot of work going on in and around the fuselage. Hiding stuff and a finished interior is going to call for some creativity on my part and it all takes time.

Leroy

spaceworm

[QUOTE=.... Plans are rough and bold with some bowed long lines. ...
Leroy[/QUOTE]

I am sure you said before, but whose plans are you using? Thanks

Leroy Gardner

Balsa 1/4 scale J3 Cub is the kit I'm working from, I'm making the changes of the Super Cub as I go using the true drawings as a guide. The Balsa kit is a wide body cub and the Super Cub I'm doing is also the wide body and I can hold it pretty much to true scale of the real plane. Doesn't seem to be much interest at this point but this will be one heck of an airplane when it's finished and I have a long ways to go. There will be a lot of altering of the plans, trailing edges of wing get a complete overhaul and stabilizer and elevator was completely re drawn as well as a reshaped rudder. This variant of the Super Cub came from the PA-14 and is a bit longer at the nose for the 165 HP engine. Fuselage of mine is 68.5", right on scale.

Leroy

Leroy