I saw pictures of RcKen's magnetic building system, his is like the ones at airfieldmodels.com. I thought the idea was pretty spiffy so I started to look into it and found that the total cost of the magnets and fixtures to be a little pricey, each fixture has 4 latch magnets $0.55-0.65 a piece plus his design calls for 1/4 birch plywood. ( it is really pricey if you have him make it for you ). Great planes also makes one , it sells for $119 on tower which is less than the airfeildmodels but not as nice. So I decided to see what I could come up with on my own.


Building board, a raid of my father's garage uncovered a tarnished piece of .109 galavinized steel it's 11.25" wide by 54" long. It is a little shorter than I wanted build should be fine. After going over it with some scotch brite it looks good.

For the fixtures, I decided to use these welding fixtures. ( I have more than what is pictured) They hold very well and I can buy them all day long for $2 to $2.50 a piece.

For holding ribs and small pieces I ordered some N40 rare earth magnets 1/4 X 1/4 64 magnets for 18.75 off of ebay, includes shipping tax etc. A magnet slightly larger than this held to the board very well, so the plan is that these magnets will be small enough to use several to position a rib or other small part, and it not require a pry bar to move them around.

So far this is the plan, so since I don't have a kit in the shop, I will have to go buy one with the money I saved ( Ever notice how we "save" money in the hobby just like women) to let you know how it works.

Merry Christmas and let me know what you think.

I like the creativity, and I agree that it appears to be a little on the small side. Nice work

Chevalier - The "pricey" system I have on my site should be totally unnecessary. Making the fixtures per the free plan I provide is a beginning wood-working project. The fixtures are for builders. It's a catch-22 in a bad way for me if you think about it.

Anyway, I really do think magnet systems are the way to go for most purposes. The only qualms I would have with your welding fixtures would be if the edges are not deburred or if they are so hard they easily leave dents in the piece you're building.

The reason I use thicker plywood isn't for strength but to avoid a narrow edge jammed up against my woodwork which will leave a dent that must then be removed.

Obviously if you're careful when you move these up against your work it shouldn't be a problem. But if you put a few in place and then pull the tail together it will make the fuselage bulge in places where there may be fixtures. Again, possible dents.

I'm just making general comments here as I've never actually held one of the fixture you are using so I may be imagining non-existent problems.

In any case, your system will really help you build straight airframes.

- Paul

*bump*