what is a bevel?
 

this is prolly a big ol newby question but, what in the heck is a bevel. In my instructions it says to bevel the front of the aeleroin, so how do i do it. and what does it mean? please help me fast

RE: what is a bevel?
 

It simply means cutting an angle so the aileron can move. Look at the photo on this page that shows the piece going through the table saw. YOu don't need the saw. A sanding block can accomplish the same thing, but the photo shows what the bevel looks like. This piece is double beveled which is probably what you need to do. Some planes have a single bevel, but it's not too common.

http://airfieldmodels.com/informatio..._points/03.htm

RE: what is a bevel?
 

A bevel is a 45 degree sanded into the top and/or bottom of the front of the control surfaces. This provides the control surface the room to move up and down (or left and right for the rudder). I use a sanding block on a table. Hold the piece at a 45 degree angle (approx) and then sand it until you reach the center hinge line (You do have the hinge line drawn on, right?) Then flip it over and do the other side.

Here is a quick picture. Top is the aileron (looking from one end) as it comes out of the box. The bottom is what it should look like (again, closely like this. It doesn't have to be perfect.)

RE: what is a bevel?
 

The drawings get the point across, but a bevel doesn't have to be 45 degrees. The angle only needs to be such that the flying suface can move as much as needed. Most planes other than 3D don't use anywhere near 45 degrees of throw and the excess opening just creates more drag.

RE: what is a bevel?
 

yea I researched it on google and pretty much narrowed it down. thanx a lot guys. now the only thing is when i was drillng the whole for the torque rod the drill bit went through the wood and broke it open. One of those stupid mistakes of not taking your time. I'm really upset because i do not want to redo the whole aeleroin, I dont even think I could redo the entire aerleroin with my skill.

I was thinkin about puttin a small piece of wood over it just to make sure it doesnt pop out during flight or something. what do you guys think? thanx

RE: what is a bevel?
 

Easy fix. Fill the area with epoxy and micro-balloons, wrap waxed paper around it and then clamp a scrap of plywood on each side. When it dries it will be flush and smooth.

While it's still wet, poke a wire in the hole to clear our some of the mix. Don't leave the wire in the hole or it will be glued in permanently.

You'll need to redrill the hole (more carefully :) ) after the glue dries. If you don't have micro-balloons, then you can gather up balsa dust as you sand things and mix the dust in epoxy. Works just as well.

RE: what is a bevel?
 

thanx a lot caffeen your a real help. also is the balsa dust needed?

RE: what is a bevel?
 

It will make it easier to sand. Otherwise the epoxy is much harder than the wood and won't sand away at the same rate. Also, the dust will make the epoxy thicker so it will stay where you put it. Otherwise it will run where ever it can.

RE: what is a bevel?
 

PS. Only one 'f' in Cafeen. :)

RE: what is a bevel?
 

hello again, i have one more question and it doesnt have to do with the aeleroins. it has to do with the elevators,

If the elevators are seperated( _ _) how do the push rods work with taht, i know this is probably hard to understand.

Do the pushrods brake into two and then conect to each elevator? thanx again

RE: what is a bevel?
 

It depends on the plane. Most elevators have a hardwood or wire joiner. What do the plans say?

RE: what is a bevel?
 

the plans dont say anything, its a four star if that helps

RE: what is a bevel?
 

I've never built it so I don't know what they want you to do. It should say in the instructions.

In any case, if there's a joiner, then you hook the elevator pushrod to one side of the elevator. If the elevators are controlled individually then pull-pull controls are the best way to do it.

RE: what is a bevel?
 

Read the instructions again. They should mention either joining the elevators with a wire, or using a split pushrod (Check the sections on attaching the Elevator and the section on connecting the pushrods)

And while a pull-pull system has some advantages, I would recommend that a beginner stick to the stock pushrod setup.

RE: what is a bevel?
 

The 4* uses a wire joiner for the elevators at the elevators so a single pushrod will go to them from the servo tray. When you glue in the joiner wire and before the glue sets, put the elvators on a flat surface and hold them flat with a book or some other weight to keep them flat while the glue dries. Make sure you wipe off any excess epoxy.

It does show this on the plans, you need to look carefully at the part of the plans that show the elevators. You will see the joiner wire in between them and a dotted outline inside the leading edge of each elevator about 2 inches in from the left and right respectively. I am pretty certain the manual also describes how to do this and also how to cut the groove in each elevator to get the wire to sit flush to the leading edge of each elevator.

Now I am describing a 4* 40 kit. The 60 size (if that is what you are building) may be different as far as having 2 pushrods, one to each elevator half in which case there should be a balsa dowel rod in the kit, probably around 1/2 inch or larger, in diameter to which you will add 2 short pushrods to one end for the elevator halves and a single short rod to the other end that will connect to the servo.