ORIGINAL: combatman
ORIGINAL: Gray Beard
I live in a Del Webb Community but the shop is our own making. Originally the club put up the money for equipment and got the space from the HOA. This is a huge complex and it is really a small space and they won't give us a bigger area or allow us to expand. We have never asked them for any money, fact is they are like a lot of HOAs and more of a hindrance. We do the club projects that pay for any new equipment, the board has never been asked for help. We do have to ask the board for any building type of upgrade we want to do. So, it's a private club and you pay a whopping $25.00 a year dues and have our {club}rules to follow. Our rules are the most stringent rules in any of the clubs here but for good reason.
I gave up buying kits years ago and I gave up tower even more years ago. They no longer carry much of anything I use or require and Iwas building bigger models then they had products for.
At one point up to about 15 years ago tower had a lot of everything a builder would need, a one stop shop if you will. Then they quit stocking items like canopy's and landing gears and started selling more and more ARFs and less and less kits!
I question the price rise of kits now?? Perhaps they plan on going full ARF like horizon??
I built/cut my own kits for years using just my scroll saw and sander, my wood club is better but I still do a lot of my cutting here at home in my little shop.
Start looking at plans, anyone that is a kit builder can build from plans. As a kid I designed my own planes and used an exacto knife to cut them so I know how easy cutting a kit can be.
Why worry about Tower and there prices, who needs them anyway??
Gray Beard, I think you are very fortunate.
However, I don't think that anyone who is a kit builder can build from plans. I am a kit builder, but when I look at plans that have minimal or no instructions, I am lost. I for one need those step-by-step illustrated instructions that Great Planes, Top Flite, Sig, etc provide.
There is some truth to that but most people that have built about three kits should be able to build from plans. As a kid I used a piece of pine for a building board and an exacto knife to cut the balsa parts and a coping saw to cut the ply parts. In my shop today I have a scroll saw and a sander that I have been using for about 12 years to cut my kits. When I moved here 6 years ago it took me a while but about two years ago I started using the wood shop to cut and sand.
As for the lack of instructions you are very correct, some people can't build without the step by step instructions. With plans you must look at the LD numbers on MAN plans. When you are looking for a new build you just find a plane you like then look at the LD number, LD2 is pretty easy and you or most people should be able to build it, LD3 you should have several kits plus a few plans/scratch build under your belt. It get's easier after you have done it a couple of times. Once you get the hang of it you will not bother with kits unless you find some good deals at auctions or swap meets. Kits are almost a thing of the past, you may as well give plans a chance.