RE: Build Thread-Scratch built for 8s
The first step was to cut the fuse stringers. Rather that try to splice balsa, I decided to use some 1x2 birch from Home Depot that I milled down to ¼” x 3/16” . Then I built a fixture to cut the cross braces. The fixture is made from a piece of ¼” a/c plywood.
The first picture shows the bottom of the fixture with a key made from 1/8” plywood glued to the bottom. The key fits into the miter slot then the fixture is fed into the blade. This makes a zero gap blade slot which I find useful when cutting thin pieces. Having a small chunk of material sucked into the works is a pain that I like to avoid.
The second picture shows the fixture clamped to the table with a guide bar made from a piece of 1x1x1/8 aluminum angle.
The third picture shows the cut being made. I have found the secret to this is to use the widest blade that will fit your saw (3/8” for my little Ryobi), and the finest pitch. The wide blade helps eliminate drift, and the fine pitch gives a relatively smoother finish. Another important element in eliminating blade drift is that the blade be sharp. The second I see any drift, the blade gets changed. This blade was brand new when I started this project.
Pictures #4 and #5 shows the jig I built for cutting the diagonal pieces. I cut these from the birch stock I had just cut. After assembling the fuselage sides I came to regret this choice since they seemed a little heavy. On v0.2, the bracing will be made from balsa. (I have a scale on order, but have not gotten it yet.)
Picture #6 is the finished cross braces.