Ok so let’s get started with the most important part of building a kit.
Planning!
Many a projects have failed because of bad planning.
Planning has many different factors some we will not be able to finish until we decide what will be built but also we need to get some finished before deciding on what can be afforded. So let get started
1. Work Station and or shop;
Even if you live alone I would not suggest setting up your workspace in the kitchen or living room. These are the worst spots you can think of keep in mind there will be drying times in the construction process this could be ten minutes to a full day at least. During this time the parts will need to be left alone and undisturbed. This leads us to another pitfall for beginners knowing when to back off and LEAVE IT ALONE. We will get more involved with this later.
Another thing you will be using glues and other chemicals that can stink to high heaven. More importantly is visitors NOTHING is more attracting than an unfinished plane friends come over…. OH WOW LOOK AT THIS ITS SO NEAT CRACK…. WOOPS DID I DO THAT. Believe me it has happened. If you do not have an extra room to work out of then look for an out of the way place that will not be tampered with. If possible set up near a window if you will be working in the house this will help a lot when you start using stuff that stinks. Also when you are using paints you will need some ventilation.
While some of you are saying duh no joke believe it or not this is something that has been overlooked before.
TIP For those that live in an apartment or economy rooms then get one of those dressing partitions and put it around your workspace. Remember out of sight out of mind. Besides in most cases a person will ask hey dud what you got behind there…. this will give you the chance to explain what look don’t touch means and the facts to your friend how many bones will get broken if he messes with that cool looking plane. And if he doesn’t ask you have a good reason to bounce a baseball off that hard head they usually get the idea after the first or second throw. If it takes three use the bat!
Ok all jokes aside.
I live in a two bedroom house with an extra room and what we call a Mud Room this is a closed in back porch that I can do my painting in. This way I don’t smell the house up but still stay warm and clean. For painting you need a “clean room” but we will get into that later.
Painting your plane is a planned feature for the future. I would not suggest it for beginners. It not only takes a lot of practice but also a lot of patience and money. You can get some real nice custom planes using cover rite and other Name brand Covering materials just keep it in mind when setting up your workspace what you can and cannot do with whatever location you choose.
I am going to use 4x8x3/4 sheet plywood for my work surface.
TIP Find the chair you will be working out of one that fits you. (Your feet should be able to touch the floor flat with just a small amount of pressure be released off the back of your legs. This will give you all around support. If your feet are off the ground then you will not only be pulling on your back but also cutting the circulation off in your legs) Take a seat face close to the wall you will be installing your work table at with your knees touching the wall measure 6 inches from the top of your knees this is about where you build your table. It should be in between your belly and chest right at your diaphragm. This will let you work at the table with a strait back. Also when needed elbow support. All the while you will still be high enough to look down on your project not across.
A small note (no pun intended) I am six feet tall so I can leave the board a 4 feet and still reach the back. For those shorter than that you may need to cut your board down a little. No harm in doing so it is more important that you are able to work conformably with the least amount of stress on leg, back, and Neck. In most cases it is more important to have a long table a 3 foot to the wall and 5 or 6 foot long is more than what you will need for the prodjects we will be looking at. So take your time and plan it out. Here are some questions you need to further think about.

1. Is there a plug in that is easy to reach?
2. Remember the window even if you have no plans for painting it will come in handy when you need fresh air. Also natural light is the best to judge colors with. Word to the wise do not set your table against or inline with the window, the reason? If someone opens a door you will get a draft and may blow all your hard work to the floor. Makes for a bad day trust me took me all day to get everything back in place. Set up to one side or the other. This way a gust of wind will have less chance messing with you.
3. Flooring if you have carpet then plan on getting a white drop cloth or plastic it makes clean up a lot easer. I would use a drop cloth or some sort of floor protection whatever the case. Accidents will happen and super glue and or resin is a real pain to get up off the floor remember the little deal about wind drafts the wing wasn’t all that hit the floor. Ok so we have talked about setting up a work table for a room the same can be applied for those in apartments or you can go to Wal-mart and buy a good folding card table for around twenty bucks without chairs or 40 with four chairs I have one that is 3x3 your wings are done in two pieces so a 72 inch wing span plan can be built on this table. It would be tight but doable.
4. One other consideration if you’re married. Folks handle house hold money differently. This is one reason planning is so important. This is a hobby that can get into the thousands of dollars before you know it. Set your limitations plan accordingly and have fun. A nice fun flying plane can cost $300.00 or $3000.00 its all up to you. And all important tell her thanks for understanding the big boys and big toys theory, trust me that table works fine to build on but it is hard to sleep on!
Well folks I am going to back off a little and see if we can get some of the pros out there to let us in on some of those trade secrets.
My next post will be a shopping list for tools and some places you would never a thought of to get hobby tools.