FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I hope so! Next I'll add the framing and sand to the final shape.

Sensor Man

In regards to Post #23


100% agree with you. No time to build is a lot of bs.

Sensor Man

Some good kits offered. www.fibertechnmore.com

Taildragger

My Feedback: (204)

Looking for 40 size scale bipe kits for a customer. So far Sig miniplane is all I can find.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Since we are a little light on updates I have been getting some building time between home improvement projects and honey dos. I got the tail feather built and the ailerons and started on the gear and wing cabana wires (no picture). The first tail skid has been formed but I want to do at least one more. I want to have one skid with a small metal wheel inserted and one with a brass cap on the end to see which one works best off asphalt. Hope to build the landing gear wing this weekend and maybe do some more work on the fuselage or wings. We'll see what happens.

acdii

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXJ581&P=0

donnyman

I know you asked for kits!

But may I suggest you look at the plans that are available, and do some scratch building. you shouldn't have any problem finding them. Starting with the outerzone site.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Donny is right and with the proliferation of laser cutting services it would be easy to get a custom short kit of shaped parts based on your plans.

hairy46

My Feedback: (1)

Great ideas guys, that is where I am at in my building, just got all the tools I need to build off of plans, so let the building begin!

GallopingGhostler

Outerzone: T/F Hot Canary Bipe

Here's a real hot dogger and should be reasonably easy building, 38" span Hot Canary sport biplane for .35 - .45 engines.

acdii

Kit cutters are out there and if you can put together the drawings for the parts to cut, they will cut them for you, you just have to supply the sticks and sheets and hardware that you normally would get in a normal kit. On the plus side, you get the hardware you want instead of what comes in the box, which some of it is useless.

foodstick

I might add If you build a kit, trace all the special cut pieces, bulkheads,ribs ..everything but the sticks and sheeting. Trace it on a piece of rolled new paper from staples or something. Then that can be copied at a printer.. stored to disk.. and even enlarged or shrunk to build different sizes...

It might be the only way to save some of these designs ...

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Supplying your own sheeting, sticks, and hardware does allow you to tailor the project to your own tastes and gives you an opportunity to pick the quality and each individual pieces of wood for it's purpose. Depending on how fussy you are you can make your build easier and lighter choosing the right materials. My LHS has a scale in the wood area, I use the heck out it. I grade each piece according to the purpose/location with in the airplane and weight is an important Characteristic I look at. If you just consider wing sheeting having matching or close to matching panels helps the lateral balance. two pieces of 3" X 36" balsa sheets can have a wide difference in weight. I have seen "C" grain and "A" grain vary in weight by 500% to 600% easy! Grain type makes a big difference when you start trying to shape it in a curve. Try forming a "C" grain around a tight curve then try an "A" or "B" you will start to understand.

acdii

Anyone who has sheeted a Corsair wing would! My latest project that is on the board and being mocked up is a Ziroli B-25. There is a lot of sheeting and planking that has to be done. Some of the wood is very heavy(still dont know what the 1x2x12 Maple board is for, but it is a brick).

GallopingGhostler

You mean by going to laser cut, one gets better quality than kit wood?


Die cut bulkheads from 1959 Berkeley Impulse Single Channel Pylon Racer

Seriously, we are spoiled by the kits of today. Yesteryear, one made do with the wood, only replace stuff that didn't work or didn't work well. I still remember the rock hard balsa die prints in Comet rubber power kits resembling soft pine, die mashed stuff with Sterling. Yes it flew, wasn't contest grade flights, but then the worst flight beat the best day of work or school!

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I had a project laser cut a few years back (modified Dick Katz design) and he went overboard with plywood. I discussed the stock the cutting service used ahead of time and we specified isubstituting a lot of light ply instead of plywood in certain areas. It saved a ton of weight but still kept structural integrity. I remember seeing old kits back in the day before Balsa became readily available. I think that was why everything in the early 50s on back were all stick built. Ply or hardwood veneers were just too heavy to build with and still get any flight time to speak of..

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I mean by buying a short kit and selecting our own sheeting, etc. we get better quality by taking the time of looking at each sheet we buy. Since the Wind Turbine industry took off we don't see as light of balsa that we use to see. I have seen a lot of dense hard balsa in the shipments the LHS receives. It's not the fault of Balsa USA, Midwest, or from whomever they order from they have to ship what they can get from their suppliers.. Face it one of those turbine blades takes more balsa than what a company like Balsa USA could use in a year so they get priority from suppliers!

acdii

With laser cutting it is more the quality of the parts than the wood itself. Better cut parts make for a better overall build. The kit I am working with not all the laser cut parts fit perfectly due to wood swell, but I will take tight fits over sloppy joints and crushed edges any day.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Also laser cutters have an easier time adding tabs and slots to lock pieces together tightly in proper alignment that couldn't be done without the precision of laser cutting.

spaceworm

Back in the beginning of laser cutting, it was suggested that the charred edges of the laser cut should be sanded to allow the CA to bond. Is this still necessary, or was it ever? Thanks.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I have neve sanded them nor had a CA glue joint fail because I didn't sand it off.

acdii

The SIG kits tell you not to sand the edges. I take a tooth brush and dust the edges to knock off char, but thats it. The thought behind sanding is that the laser seals the pores, but it is just the opposite, but you do need to knock off the debris that is left over from the cutting, and a soft toothbrush does the trick well.

baronbrian

My Feedback: (13)

My last issue of tower talk had exactly 1 page dedicated to kits for sale. in my current club of about 30 members, only about 5 have EVER built a single kit. this winter we are going to have a workshop on thursday nights dedicated to building a kit that was donated by a club member so that members can see the process of building, covering, setting up a plane from balsa parts.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I like your club!

ETpilot

I’ve been back in the hobby just over 2 years now. I visited my LHS’s in my area. Then there were 3 and now down to 2. There were no kits to be found locally. So I went the plan/scratch building route. I work off a computer print out and just draw the lines I need for the build. So far 5 different models. But I do have one kit I ordered as the price was right. I still need to build it. It will be good to compare my scratch building to kit building.


A few models, Ugly Stik, LT-40 and a Forte. For the Forte I used a small picture of a plan. These were fairly easy builds. My next scratch build will be a more complex design.