Nitro Rustler Racer

Hello all,

I am going to be be building a Sig Four-Star 40. This is my second plane to build, my first one being a Great Planes PT-40 Trainer. I have been looking around for some type of board I could place down on my table so I could pin down pieces if need be. I know that I need something rigid because I do not want a crooked wing in the end! What are some things you guys use? I looked at some ceiling boards at Home Depot, but they are either to big or to small.

Any help is appreciated.

Alex7403

Hello,

I'm using this one: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXVZ63&P=7

built two midstars and 4*60 on this one, i know there is also 48 inch long.

Alex

aerowoof

the best is a hollow core door,usually you can get a damaged door for $5 -$10 the damage being a hole on one side or a hinge in the wrong place.I use the 12 wide doors as well as the 30" wide.t pins go in easilly and the doors stay flat.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Get a ceiling tile that is too big and cut it to the size you want

Campgems

A flat surface that stays flat is what you want for a base. An ideal base is a piece of pool table slate that has been discarded by a dealer. Where I live, it is not likely to find the slate, so the next best thing is something like a door or a strong shelfing material. If you have an old desk you can lay the door/shelf on it and check it with a straight edge to make sure it is flat. The local hardware store will have sill plates that will give you a good 36" plus straight edge. Just sight down them to make sure they are not bent, which is common in hardware stock. If you door or shelf isn't straight, you can clamp and shim it so it is flat. A piece of button thread strung very tight corner to corner will indicate if you have a hump or dip in the surface. Get it close as possible to flat. The use either sheet rock or an accostic celing pannel to cover it. Sheet rock will let you get up to 8 ft long pieces, the celing pannels are 4'x 2'. so you will need to splice it end to end.

I've built two 4*60's plus five other planes on a shelf of meline (spelling?) with a 1x2 oak edge. It is just over 6' long and 16" wide. I lay it on an old computer desk for a base. I have two of these. One has ceileing pannels, with a splice for building, and the other I use as a cutting board. The Oak edge extends about 1/4 " above the surface and makes a great straight edge for cutting long strips of balasa. My desk surface has a piece of carpet that covers the whole top. When I get to covering, it makes a very nice work surface, nothing hard to damage the balsa. I lay which ever shelf I need over the carpeting and build from there. It's not absolutely flat within a couple thousands per length, but it's close enough. Most of my twisted, warped wings and such are from covering anyway, so my setup works well for me.

I'm going to build a couple 1/4 and 33% scale planes with Foam Core wings and for them, I'll use some old slate tops I picked up years ago for another project. I'll make the table and the bed the slate tops on for a true flat surface to build on. For balsa over foam core wings, you only get one chance to make them right and you need a flat surface to work from. Built up wings can be twisted set to shape by twisting and heat guning the covering. It can just as easily go out of whack setting in your car for a few hours in the sun.

Don

qldviking

my building table is a piece of 10' x 4' ply 1 1/4" thick with cork flooring tiles glued down. I had the whole ting fine sanded straight at a big joinery shop tha had a big sander that sanded it perfectly smooth and evenly straight. I have 8 adjustable legs underneath it, as well as 3 big drawer cabinets for all my building tools. It has a rigid frame that sits 3' under all way around so I can use my little table top vice. I have a roll of plastic that fits nicely over the top and is sticky too, protects the cork nicely. I am in the process of making a new framing jig thats full size of the top for my upcoming projects, a 40% Edge, and a 144" ws cub, and a 1/3 scale pup. This set up is not for most, but can be scaled down to suit most buiders