RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

I went back and forth on weather to leave the tip extension or make a full length aileron. I decided to go with the tip extension but will probably live to regret it.
Like Kent said, I can just see the very first time I ding the plane it will be right on those tips !!

Good luck with your build Kent, Keep us updated on progress.

Steve

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

Thanks Steve , I"ll start as soon as I get my 35% Cap finished. As for the tips I cap mine with 1/8 lite ply. Makes them rit durable.

Kent

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

What tip extensions . . . the ailerons go all the way to the tip ;) (and the elevators have a counter balance) At least they do on mine now. As for the round tips . . . I liked to build them for a change . . . had fun working and whittling wood! plus it is good practice if you want to do the Yak . . .

I have monokoted the wings, stabs and fin . . . pictures to come

Rob

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

I thought I would show how I control the tailwheel. If someone has a better way please show me or tell me.
Thanks

I cut a notch in the bottom of the rudder and then add a small piece of 1/8" ply. I then add 2 small screw eyes near each edge of the rudder and then attach the springs (with a piece of pull-pull cable and crimps) from the tail wheel arm to these screw eyes. It's simple but it does add some weight.
attached are pictures of the ply piece in my Cuda rudder and the finished tail wheel on my 35% Extra

Steve

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

nice and simple I say.

Kent

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

OK..This morning I pulled my first and hopefully only DUMB ***** moment of this build.
Last night I drew the cut lines for all the bevels on the control surfaces and figured that was a good place to quit for the night.
This morning I went down, set up the bad saw (yeah I use the band saw the cut the bevel to rough shape)
got one of the elevator halfs out and ran it through both sides...nice, looks good right.
too bad I didn't drill hinge holes BEFORE I did that !!!.
Oh well, at least the location was marked. I started with a tiny pin drill and worked my way up.
Then finished with a sharpened piece of 3/16" dowel.
at least I started with the stabs and not the wing.

Steve

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

Keep things going Steve ........... it's the small things that add up, good catch, lesson learned!

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

It's always the details that screw things up!! At least it wasn't a major problem.....like when the power went out while I was vac-baggin a wing core!!

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

That's a problem. I work for the local power company...that's why I own a generator :)

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

Last night I started to cut out and fit the bottom deck. For some reason it was short. When down on the bottom of the fuse truss it only came up to just above the bottom of the motor box. I added a strip of 1/8 balsa to the bottom deck and
and now when I add the 1/4" sheet to the bottom of the motor box and shape it will blend a lot nicer.
All the surfaces are hinged and beveled. I need to had the control hard points yet
This evening I plan on setting up the wing incidence. I'm kind of running out of things to do until I have the engine and servos. They should be shipped this week.

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

I haven't been posting as much as I should, but here is how I get the canopy to be flush with the fuse side:

Take a piece of scrap canopy material, and glue some sandpaper to it. Use this as to determine the depth to sand the hatch recessed past the fuse sides.

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

Wing ready for covering: You can see one of my "tricks here" The use of an ironing board to work on while covering

The Second tip is to STRETCH the covering as much as possible to prevent wrinkles. Not the picture with it covered is BEFORE the use of a heat gun. Just the edges are tacked.

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

I didn't take any pictures of it but I had a great idea today and it worked like a charm.

I used a photocopy of the side view of the plans to cut a pattern of the root of the stab. I then positioned this on a piece of monokoke and cut the stab root out of the piece I was going to use for the side. I was then able to do the sides in one piece without any seams around the stab area.

Rob

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

good tips. I like the iron board too...never thought of that.

I'm fitting the wings and installing the 1/8" root today. It's not going so well, I'm having a tough time getting a real nice tight fit against the fuse side. Just takes time pulling the wing off, sanding a little, put it back on..blah blah blah, you've all been there.

Steve

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

What I do for getting a perfect fuse to wing root fit is this --- using a spare wing tube socket--(there is a small piece left over) - and the wing tube put the unsheeted wing against the fuse in its approximate position and carefully sand the core to fit against the fuse
if you do this before sheeting the wing and installing the root cap you will end up having not having to sand the root cap -which
is critical for a strong wing

I guess you have to have your componets put together in a specific order to be able to do this and its too late now ,
but in the future you will see that this works great :D

Frank

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

Actually I add to the places where I need to make up the gap, so I don't lose the strength. But (and you don't want to here this), I have found when the wings to a Carden don't hit the fuse perfect, I either sanded the roots too much ahead of time, or built the fuse off a bit.

Rob

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

I should have mentioned I was sanding the foam core and not the root cap itself. I do not glue the root cap on until I can get a really nice fit all around. Maybe I'm too anal about how tight of a fit I try to get and that's why I was whining about taking it on and off, on and off.
On the subject. What are you guys using to glue the root cap on? I always use aliphatic resin. I want to try poly glue for this but I haven't found a really good way to clamp the wing tight against the fuse while the glue cures. I'm afraid as the poly expands it may actually push the wing away from the root cap....I don't know.
using the aliphatic resin, Later on in construction once I have the incidence set and the wing bolts in I put the wings on, bolt them down and then if there are any tiny gaps between the root cap and the wing I mix up some Zpoxy finish epoxy resin (because it's pretty thin) and using an old knife blade I wick the epoxy down into the little gap as best I can to fill up the gap.

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

Hey ibow24 if your anal about gitten every thing perfect dont use the poly any where you need to sand the balsa. The dam poly glue is so hard that the little seam will show thru the covering. I just finished my 35% Cap and used poly for the first time [:@]. Also wasted 200.00 worth of covering because I re did the wing tops after I could still see the faint little seam, looked bad.

Kent

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

I still edge glue the sheets with aliphatic resin to make the skins then use the poly to sheet the foam cores.

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

the leading and trailing and caps is where I had problems. [:@]Also the tail surfaces.Only aliphatic from now on, everywhere.[&:]

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

Even when you skin the wings?

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

The wing skins no , I use west system epoxy and vac-bag. I have built planes in the past and used elmers white glue for the wing skins, also contact cement with no problems.

Kent

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

I use the aliphatic resin for TE's, LE's and caps.

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

Not a whole lot of progress. This part of the build gets slow for me.
Anyway, I'm in the process of setting the wing incidence and adding ply pads and wing bolts.
I measure off the plans and draw a line on the fuse but I also check with a digital level. I set a straight edge on the fuse and block it up to 0.0 Deg. I tape the wings in place so the LE and TE are on the marks I draw (measure from the plans). If I build straight then I should get 0.0 on the level when the wings are set on those marks.
Phewwww...perfect.


Steve

RE: Carden Cuda Build
 

Steve,

What's the 'smarttool' ?? It looks like a Home Depot tool on a Robart arm ?? thanks