ORIGINAL: UKIE
quagmire303 , Great stuff. Never new about the wingtips being a composite of different angles on the grain. Small details that I never paid attention to as a youngin', but real nice to know about now... Thanks
I assume you are referencing rounded wing tips that consist of multiple pieces to add strength. But even on the wing tips that consist of a sheet outline with bracing triangular pieces for support, most of us do it wrong (even most kit manufacturers). Those triangular pieces are called gussets. Most of us in CL find it easier to hack off a 90 degree corner chunk from a sheet than to make it correctly (with the grain running along the longest edge, for balsa). I guess the reason is because we tend to overbuild in some places and really don't need the extra strength a proper gusset affords.
Perhaps gussets are a lost art...ask a free flighter. [
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Not sure how we drifted from enlarging plans to building techniques, but it's all good stuff.
George