ORIGINAL: dale691
Hi all, Just thought I'd open a thread for all the guys looking into getting into kit building, What do you consider to be the most important piece of equipment or tool that you use?
Also for my benefit what is the best way to bevel the LE of ailerons and the like?
cheers
***********
The "best" way to bevel the leading edges of control surfaces is with a small table saw and I mean small.
The second best and nearly as perfect, is to get some aluminum angle stock and glue some good quality 100 grit sandpaper onto it (contact cement is good, but so is CA). Then mark off your angles on the ends of the control surface stock and use a ruler and pencil to draw across the top, bottom and center of the stock. After that, you simply sand away the material that is not a beveled control surface. Just take your time and you'll be fine.
A good building surface is probably the most important tool for successfully and enjoyably building models. Good does not mean huge, or elaborate. Just something that is at a comfortable height with good lighting and, if you can arrange it, a surface that is flat and which accepts building pins easily. I've built on glass panels before using masking tape to hold down sacrificial wood pieces upon which pins were driven into in order to support wing and fuselage components. There are many, many ways to have a good building table. I do not snear at any of them and I've probably used all of them in the last fifty years.
Good luck. You'll have a ball.
Ed Cregger