What company will laser cut parts for a flea fly?
01-27-2016, 11:01 AM
#1
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What company will laser cut parts for a flea fly?
It seems like that some time ago I found a company that listed the flea fly as one of the models they laser cut. A search through several laser cutters yesterday did not find it.
I would like to do it as and electric. What motor would be best for it? I have the plans and may cut it out the old fashioned way.
I would like to do it as and electric. What motor would be best for it? I have the plans and may cut it out the old fashioned way.
01-27-2016, 12:37 PM
#2
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Contact Pat Fallacaro at Lasercut USA (www.lasercutusa.com). He'll take care of you.
You can tell him that doxilia referred you to him.
As far as power, I'd look for a 15 size motor able to turn 8" props nicely on 3s. You'll want 350-400W of power for a 40-48 oz model.
David
You can tell him that doxilia referred you to him.
As far as power, I'd look for a 15 size motor able to turn 8" props nicely on 3s. You'll want 350-400W of power for a 40-48 oz model.
David
Last edited by doxilia; 01-27-2016 at 12:40 PM.
02-02-2016, 05:17 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Lazer Works has one ready to go. It should be here soon. Now servos? HT225BB less than an ounce and gutsy enough. How would you do the barn door ailerons? Hinging them at the bottom with a large gap at the top just seems wrong. The wing is thick enough to hide a servo. I have two Futaba 9650s from another project that were never used. They should work in the wing. Electric retracts? How can it be made lighter?
Ahh the thrill of the game. Sometimes more fun than flying
Jerry
Ahh the thrill of the game. Sometimes more fun than flying
Jerry
02-02-2016, 05:39 PM
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I was confused for a minute, had to open the plans. As Phil designed it they were hinged at the top, the plan view you are looking at is the bottom with the large gap. I would probably build it as shown and put the servo (225 or 9650 are a good choice) where the bellcrank was originally. As an option you could center hinge them or convert them to strip ailerons. As far as retracts, I never saw a Flea Fli with them and I would not bother with them but I'm pretty sure there are some small electrics that would be perfect. These were pretty light already, good wood selection and careful finish are key.
Last edited by gltruett; 02-02-2016 at 05:43 PM.
02-06-2016, 06:56 AM
#8
Thread Starter
Slotted blocks for main gear, not to be found. 1/8 landing gear not to be found. Main gear of any size does not show up on any search. It looks like I will have to go back to the way we used to do it. Bend your own and break out the router table. My home made landing gear were never as precise as the ones at the hobby shop. Where is the best place to get balsa? :Maple to make the landing gear blocks?
02-06-2016, 08:39 AM
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Jerry,
ill be be interested in following along - build threads are always fun!
the easiest way to produce gear blocks for the mains is to use 1/8" ply strips. Two epoxy laminated strips dimensioned per plans are strong enough for the base. You then cut a third one and cut a 1/8"
wide slot in it either side of the centerline. It can be full length in which case you end up with two strips that flank the 1/8" music wire struts or just a slot into which the strut base is inserted. If you do be latter, one end of the slot is drilled through again with 1/8" bit to pass the torque extender portion of the strut. The axles can be also bent from the same wire portion or you can use DuBro 1/8" axles which allow you to fine tune the length of the landing gear. The latter are more elegant IMO.
I hope this helps, David
PS Would you mind laying out the kit sheets and taking pictures of them? Curious what parts are included. Thanks.
ill be be interested in following along - build threads are always fun!
the easiest way to produce gear blocks for the mains is to use 1/8" ply strips. Two epoxy laminated strips dimensioned per plans are strong enough for the base. You then cut a third one and cut a 1/8"
wide slot in it either side of the centerline. It can be full length in which case you end up with two strips that flank the 1/8" music wire struts or just a slot into which the strut base is inserted. If you do be latter, one end of the slot is drilled through again with 1/8" bit to pass the torque extender portion of the strut. The axles can be also bent from the same wire portion or you can use DuBro 1/8" axles which allow you to fine tune the length of the landing gear. The latter are more elegant IMO.
I hope this helps, David
PS Would you mind laying out the kit sheets and taking pictures of them? Curious what parts are included. Thanks.
02-06-2016, 08:44 AM
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BTW,
I think the 225BB are overkill for a small model like this. You can use true mini and micro servos like Spektrum 3000 and 4000 series or equivalent. 3K on throttle and 4K on controls.
David
I think the 225BB are overkill for a small model like this. You can use true mini and micro servos like Spektrum 3000 and 4000 series or equivalent. 3K on throttle and 4K on controls.
David
02-06-2016, 05:38 PM
#12
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kit parts
02-06-2016, 05:56 PM
#13
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at 270 squares, the 225BB's are definitely monsters. You only need 0.4 oz servos on those ailerons. I'd mount them to a small 1/16" ply plate glued to the aileron root wing rib. Just a short protruding servo arm and a short 2-56 linkage to the control. For elevator, rudder and throttle a simple triplet in the rear of the fuse wing bay. Nothing more than Spektrum 4000 class type servos for controls. Not too familiar with Futaba servos but the equivalent HiTec would be HS82/85 or even HB65's which are a great little servo. For the throttle you only need a micro 9g servo.
How would you do the barn door ailerons? Hinging them at the bottom with a large gap at the top just seems wrong.
Electric retracts?
How can it be made lighter?
I hope this helps. Nice kit!
David
02-06-2016, 07:46 PM
#14
Thread Starter
What size battery would it take to get reasonable flying time with an Eflite 15. I am going to go for light this time, even 5/32 landing gear will not be more than about an oz. It is not difficult to bend 1/8 main landing gear.
02-07-2016, 06:40 AM
#15
A buddy and I each scratch built a Flea Fli about a year ago and I am in the process of building a second one as a spare. I keep things simple and use Hitec HS81 servos in everything I fly including the Flea Fly. Plenty of power.
My first Flea Fli has a foam wing which I cut myself and my friends has a built up wing, my second one will have a built up wing as well.
I would caution you about converting to strip ailerons, there isn't much room in the fuselage for the aileron horns to clear the wing mounting block. My planes both are built as per the plans I hinged the barn door ailerons at the top with a sevo in each wing.
One other thing, I think it's a good idea to add a tail skid as I frequently scrape the tail on windy days and one time even scraped the bottom of the rudder which broke a hinge loose. Taller mains might fix the problem but more 1/8 inch wire means more drag.
Plan your firewall nose gear mounting carefully, it's pretty tight in the nose. Almost forgot, I changed the tail feathers to 3/16 balsa to save a little weight.
It is a great fling plane with an old school Enya ,19 engine. It is a very capable old style pattern plane that snaps and spins great, lands slow with a nice nose hight attitude but watch the tail!
My first Flea Fli has a foam wing which I cut myself and my friends has a built up wing, my second one will have a built up wing as well.
I would caution you about converting to strip ailerons, there isn't much room in the fuselage for the aileron horns to clear the wing mounting block. My planes both are built as per the plans I hinged the barn door ailerons at the top with a sevo in each wing.
One other thing, I think it's a good idea to add a tail skid as I frequently scrape the tail on windy days and one time even scraped the bottom of the rudder which broke a hinge loose. Taller mains might fix the problem but more 1/8 inch wire means more drag.
Plan your firewall nose gear mounting carefully, it's pretty tight in the nose. Almost forgot, I changed the tail feathers to 3/16 balsa to save a little weight.
It is a great fling plane with an old school Enya ,19 engine. It is a very capable old style pattern plane that snaps and spins great, lands slow with a nice nose hight attitude but watch the tail!
Last edited by 049flyer; 02-07-2016 at 06:42 AM.
02-07-2016, 09:50 AM
#16
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Jerry,
probably somewhere between 2200 and 3000 mAh on 3s. How much you can put in there depends a bit on how much weight you can spare. I imagine with 270 squares you will want to be somewhere between 36 and 40 oz all up. Aim for a 32-34 oz RTF model without LiPo. That will allow you 6-8 oz of battery.
Models of that size and weight are really perfect for 1/8" struts but you can put 5/33" on mains if it gives you comfort. Better yet would be 3.5 mm struts (optionally on retracts).
David
probably somewhere between 2200 and 3000 mAh on 3s. How much you can put in there depends a bit on how much weight you can spare. I imagine with 270 squares you will want to be somewhere between 36 and 40 oz all up. Aim for a 32-34 oz RTF model without LiPo. That will allow you 6-8 oz of battery.
Models of that size and weight are really perfect for 1/8" struts but you can put 5/33" on mains if it gives you comfort. Better yet would be 3.5 mm struts (optionally on retracts).
David
02-08-2016, 11:11 AM
#17
Thread Starter
Just placed balsa order with Balsa USA. Yesterday I looked around the shop to see where the 225BB was used. Had to be somewhere since there was an empty servo box in the parts drawer. Finally found it in the wing of a Tarus. Yes it would be overkill for the Flea Fli. Most likely the two 9650 futabas that are on hand will go into the fuselage. Leaving only wind servos to be selected. .7 or .6 ounce servos from either of the three mentioned manufacturers are at the top of my list. There was one in the .3 ounce range that was tempting. Even though the specs seemed to have enough torque for the wing the gears may not have a long life span in this airplane.
Work has reared its ugly head so it will be a few days before I get back to this, maybe the balsa will be here by then.
Thanks for all the help. More will be needed later.
Jerry
Work has reared its ugly head so it will be a few days before I get back to this, maybe the balsa will be here by then.
Thanks for all the help. More will be needed later.
Jerry
02-16-2016, 08:37 AM
#18
Thread Starter
order came
Due to the freezing weather in central NC I spent part of yesterday In the shop. The balsausa order came and it looks good. Those are very nice people. In my haste to place the order during my lunch break I gave the wrong street name. The right number but wrong name. When I looked over the confirming email the next morning it was clear that an error was made. The lady at Balsausa caught my order, which was already in progress and corrected the error.
This is my second attempt to get something going with RCUniverse this morning so pictures will be in the next submission.
This is my second attempt to get something going with RCUniverse this morning so pictures will be in the next submission.
02-16-2016, 08:41 AM
#19
Thread Starter
The first step is to weigh the sheeting. The heaviest will be used for the bottom of the leading edge and the next for the top. The lightest will be used for the trailing edge sheeting.
02-16-2016, 08:47 AM
#20
Thread Starter
The tri stock is being attached with the fuselage sides formed as close as possible to the curve that matches the final shape. In the past one side or the other has been stiffer and resulted in an unsymmetrical final shape. I had this problem with a Tarus and had to saw the fuselage apart down the middle and reassemble it. When the airplane was finished you could not tell anything had gone wrong.
02-16-2016, 08:54 AM
#22
Thread Starter
Time for some lamenating. This step really should have been done earlier but it seems to be ok doing it this way. The goal is to get my skill lever up to the point where I will be ready to build the King Altar kit that came from Jeff P. a few years ago. That my be my next build depending on how well I do with this one. All suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Jerry
Jerry
03-27-2016, 03:48 PM
#23
Thread Starter
Without a guide to build by construction is being worked out step by step. The triangular pieces were glued to the sides first. Maybe it would have been better to glue them to the top plank after the bulkheads were in place.
notice the pencil line even with the top plank. Here is a place where the kit could be improved. The aft edge of the bulkhead must be even with the leading edge of the wing. The bulkhead is installed with a slight angle to accommodate that. The top plank should be 1/4" longer. The parts were cut to the plans. The plans leave this to the builder, the location of the bulkhead is not clearly shown on the plans.
notice the pencil line even with the top plank. Here is a place where the kit could be improved. The aft edge of the bulkhead must be even with the leading edge of the wing. The bulkhead is installed with a slight angle to accommodate that. The top plank should be 1/4" longer. The parts were cut to the plans. The plans leave this to the builder, the location of the bulkhead is not clearly shown on the plans.
03-27-2016, 04:23 PM
#24
Thread Starter
The leading edge is glued to the ribs. the sheeting will be fitted behind the leading edge. two pieces of 1/8th sheeting laminated make a good leading edge. There was enough left over from the laser cut sheets to do this.
