building basics help
 

I am building a plane from rc model world magazine and unfortunatly i've neer built a plane before. Ilack th ebasics in building info and cant find jack on the net have tried several ways to try and find info on building for beginners.
the plane model is the miss behavin its j3 piper cub. it doesnt look to be that hard to build.
i need to know the basics of reading the plans and knowing what wood to pull and stuff like that.
if anyone knows fo any ebooks i can download or good PDF's or sites that will help it would be great.

building basics help
 

Congratulations on finding one of the most rewarding parts of our hobby. First off, if you have a hobby shop nearby (within 30 miles) ask the owner how to proceed. Secondly, if you have a flying field nearby, you'll need one sooner or later any old how, go there and see what's going on. If there are other pilots there they will welcome you as a long lost relative and can probably help you with any questions. If none of these things are immediately available look up Traplet Publications or Harry Higley. They both have books on most model subjects.
Traplet covers almost anything to do with modeling from diorama scale to large scale aircraft, boats and cars.
I don't know what their complete catalog contains but I'm sure they have something relative to building with sticks and covering. Other than that check back here and we'll go into this in greater depth. I've been doing this for 70 years now and have a fair idea of what path to take.

building basics help
 

Dank,
Sounds like you're building from a plan. It's not hard to do, just a few extra steps. To get started, though, you need to make sure on a few things:

1. You need a good, FLAT working surface. I use a hollow-core door. This is a must. Cover one side with something that will accept pins (ceiling tiles, cork. There are lots of choices)

2. Get a couple copies of your plan made. That way you can use one to cut out templates for your parts and have the other as a spare

3. Have lots of wax paper to cover your plans while you're building. Lay in a supply of t-pins and hobby knife blades too.

4. Make or buy several sizes of sanding blocks. Have a supply of sandpaper from 80 to 220 grit.

5. Be choosy with your wood. Avoid warped sheets, bent sticks, balse that's too heavy or too hard.

6. Cut out all your parts first. Gang sand identical parts (like wing ribs)

7. Fit it together before you glue anything

8. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a break, clear your head and then go back to it

9. Take your time, keep it straight

10. Join your local club, find a mentor, ask lots of questions.

Hope this helps a bit. E-mail me if you get stuck, and post a picture. Let us know how you're proceeding.
Best of luck to you.
papermache

building basics help
 

Check some of the kit manufacturer websites.

Great Planes for example make their assembly manuals available for download in PDF.
Read through it, they usually have a quite a few building tips, warnings and don't be fooled-bys.
Might pick up a nack for telling where to use lite-ply, bass or balsa and grain direction for such things
as webs and sheeting. They sometimes even include basic plans for 2x4 hollow core door workbench.

I haven't had the guts to try scratch building yet, I have a set of plans
that it might happen with someday... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

There are a couple of experienced builders in the neighborhood I might try to put the touch on
someday for a little look over my shoulder time. Try that. The resource isn't the club, but the
experience people in the club.

The closet I came so far t scratch building is when I was building a Goldberg Mirage 550.
They warn about being carefull not to build two right side fuselages...

Well after I built two right side fuselages I had a choice... Buy a batch of new parts from CG...
or go to the hobby shop, get some balsa and make my own replacement parts. It gave me an
appreciation for the ol'timers that hang out here and at the local fields who have scratch built from
the start.

RE: building basics help
 

You have me a little curious about this model. Is it a J3 Cub or a Jack Stafford Miss Behavin?

RE: building basics help
 

One of my favorites is:

http://www.airfieldmodels.com/

Take a look at building of the stick.

RE: building basics help
 

Pay close attention to the balsa for the fuse sides. (grain, hardness)
If they don't match pretty close you pay for it all the way thru building it.
I'm dealing with that on a kit right now.
My impatience to keep building instead of waiting to get a different piece of balsa for 1 side has got me fighting this thing like crazy.
1 side is soft the other is hard.
Put those two together and you have the dreaded CROOKED FUSE!

RE: building basics help
 

Another set of books that are available for beginners are by Harry Higley. He has two volumes Titled Getting Started. Very good piblications for the beginner. I also recommend his book titled Mostly Mounting. All his books are good, so select the ones that you'd like and have fun. There available from Tower Hobbies and other sources. [&:]

RE: building basics help
 

I believe those books are actually called "Getting Airborne" (volume 1 and 2). I pulled out my 15 year old copies a few months ago and re-read them before starting my Kadet LT-25 :).

-Rick

RE: building basics help
 

Yeah, your right. Getting airborne. They are worth having for the new guys.

RE: building basics help
 

I am building this craft also, as a first attempt from plans, because it looked relatively easy to build and fly, and is a trainer type that will suit dodos like me. It is great fun but you need to be aware of significant traps and difficulties. You will come across discrepencies in the plans compared to the text and pictures in the magazine. The elevator will not work unless you put a notch in the fin, as per one of the photos. A lot of information is missing and needs to be filled in through common sense and a bit of inventiveness. For example the text says to fill in between the wing spars with scrap balsa, but the plans do not show what is meant. A photograph showed only some of the inter-rib spaces were so filled. This is needed for strength near the wing roots where the greatest forces are. I found that prior reading up on aerodynamics was a great help in determining what things were important and what were not. Most of the stuff I read was on the internet and some from magazines.

cheers, Ken