Originally Posted by
GameEngineer
Perfect work as usual Vince. Okay time for another builders question. I see others fillet all joints with wood glue. I don't see you do that. Is it overkill if the joint was glued properly? Ribs to spars mainly.
Excellent question Steve. Of course this is my opinion and others may disagree but...
If you have good contact between two pieces of wood, in other words no gaps, then fillets are NOT necessary. All they will do is add unnecessary weight to your model. The bond between the two surfaces will be strong enough. Don't believe me, then edge glue two 1/16" balsa sheets together and let dry. Now bend the sheets trying to break the glue bond. Yes, the wood will break, but not on the glue joint.
If when gluing up let's say a rib to a spar that is loose fitting, then it may be beneficial to have a fillet of glue to regain the strength lost from the lack of contact.
Whenever possible, after I glue two parts together I always scrape off any remaining glue that squeezes out. Glue that you see that isn't scraped off in any of my photographs means that I didn't have the access to do so. It not only saves weight, but it looks better too!
Hope this answers your question Steve.