Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
10-29-2008, 11:47 AM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
Need some help, have been trying to cut parts from the white foam from a home improvement store. However I have the 3/4 in thick sheets as they were easier to transport. I have found that cutting wings and other parts proves to be a task as parts tend to be thin in certain areas and the mutiple sheets make it hard to get a good cut. I would love to use the thicker sheets but am unsure of what to do, as they are all so huge I am unsure of how to transport one haha. Any ideas as to a place to go or what to do, a single sheet wing core would be much better anyway.
Pete
Pete
10-29-2008, 12:06 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
I've been getting the 2' by 4' sheets into the back seet of a kia, if your current Home Depot doesn't carry the smaller sheets, try Lowes or another Home Depot. You can also cut the sheets down with a box cutter in the store if you want to break it down into smaller pieces. Also, you can double up the 3/4" stock to give you some more meet while you wire cut it out. I resolved to work mainly with 2" stock just so I never have to worry about the thickness issues.
10-29-2008, 07:25 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
Thanks Critter, I am going to try and get to the store here tonight or tommrow. I thought about me having problems with the thickness but went the easy route
ate that one to the face haha. Anyhoo I have been working on my build for my foamy. Already have two of the planes in this forum made, great to learn on but I havent flown them as it has be so cold lately and crapp outside. I am designing a 3d plane, have the wing done and am working on the fuse, she should look and fly great, it will look similar to the Yak/Edge style 3d planes. I think that the thicker foam will be better in the long run one solid piece instead of gluing several together.
ate that one to the face haha. Anyhoo I have been working on my build for my foamy. Already have two of the planes in this forum made, great to learn on but I havent flown them as it has be so cold lately and crapp outside. I am designing a 3d plane, have the wing done and am working on the fuse, she should look and fly great, it will look similar to the Yak/Edge style 3d planes. I think that the thicker foam will be better in the long run one solid piece instead of gluing several together.
11-03-2008, 09:03 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
I have brought out my dedicated foamie/build table into my shop, I created a new set of jigs for this bird and am going to bust out a few of these into a kit for resale.
Modifications will be implemented with a lift airfoil for the stab, lower profile, rounded booms with balsa comprising the aft section of them, dual ailerons, and crafts board foam for the fins. A bit more refined then stock, but these will perform slightly better then stock with the revisions in place.
People that know me, know I mean business when I drag out the build table. I have a small window to bust these out so am taking advantage of it. Will post photo's once I find my card reader.
Modifications will be implemented with a lift airfoil for the stab, lower profile, rounded booms with balsa comprising the aft section of them, dual ailerons, and crafts board foam for the fins. A bit more refined then stock, but these will perform slightly better then stock with the revisions in place.
People that know me, know I mean business when I drag out the build table. I have a small window to bust these out so am taking advantage of it. Will post photo's once I find my card reader.
11-05-2008, 08:19 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
Using the 2" foam stock has it's advantages, I was able to pull wings from both sides, essentially doubling the stock capacity compared to the 1.5" stock. I created 6 kits and I pulled one out to assemble, photo's are on the agenda later this evening. I have one kit already spoken for, the one I am assembling will get flight tested and is also already spoken for as well which leaves me with 4 left out of this run. I'm going light with a Zagi speed 400 "yes brushed" set up and a 9.6, 650 mah nimh pack, for I have a few of those still on hand and the main reason being is to prove this design with the revisions in place, not that it needs to be proved again.
I also just ordered some colored packing tape, red, white, blue, purple, green, orange, and yellow so i can include some with each of these kits, for it is by far the absolute best way to add color to these birds and since they are being covered, reduces sanding necessary significantly.
Ok, I opted to edit this post to show the photo's of the kit contents and to show off my nice stack of plane kits. Local pick up is the aim by keeping the wings in one piece, otherwise I gotta chop them into two sections to accommodate shipping. I'm sticking within the $20.00 mark, shipped to the buyers door. Contents include the necessary foam cut out, a couple of 18" sticks of 1/4 X 5/8" balsa stock and 3 7/8" basswood 3/8 X 3/8" stock for the motor mount. Guys will have to wait for my tape to come in if they want some of that as well.
I also just ordered some colored packing tape, red, white, blue, purple, green, orange, and yellow so i can include some with each of these kits, for it is by far the absolute best way to add color to these birds and since they are being covered, reduces sanding necessary significantly.
Ok, I opted to edit this post to show the photo's of the kit contents and to show off my nice stack of plane kits. Local pick up is the aim by keeping the wings in one piece, otherwise I gotta chop them into two sections to accommodate shipping. I'm sticking within the $20.00 mark, shipped to the buyers door. Contents include the necessary foam cut out, a couple of 18" sticks of 1/4 X 5/8" balsa stock and 3 7/8" basswood 3/8 X 3/8" stock for the motor mount. Guys will have to wait for my tape to come in if they want some of that as well.
11-06-2008, 12:50 AM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
Thanks Fisher,
I'm taking some detailed, step by step photo's for it, this will help with the kit equally as for people wanting to build this plane from scratch and have never built a plane before. I kind of wanted to wait for the tape to come in before assembly, but being impatient and giving myself the reward of building one of these, I'm diving into it now.
Ok, edit again, I took a ton of photo's on each step of the build process, will post them here and at my board as well shortly, just wanted to show you guys the updates and the "airframe as well".
I'm taking some detailed, step by step photo's for it, this will help with the kit equally as for people wanting to build this plane from scratch and have never built a plane before. I kind of wanted to wait for the tape to come in before assembly, but being impatient and giving myself the reward of building one of these, I'm diving into it now.
Ok, edit again, I took a ton of photo's on each step of the build process, will post them here and at my board as well shortly, just wanted to show you guys the updates and the "airframe as well".
11-06-2008, 02:59 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
wow, nice job there, i got some courigated plastic so im considering making a SPAD version of the soo (with a 35 size glow from a neighbor), where can i get the kit from?
11-06-2008, 05:05 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
Thanks Calvino,
I have the kits listed at WF: http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40746 .
The assembled airframe shown just left my shop and is in the hands of a local guy because he opted to snag it rather then assemble the kit which means I get to put together it's replacement. Glad I took photo's.
If you decide to Spad one of these out and are thinking about the .40 Glo range, I highly recommend increasing the size to at least a 4' wingspan. I partially Spadded out one of my earlier ones, yet kept it in it's original size and stayed with electric as well.
I have the kits listed at WF: http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40746 .
The assembled airframe shown just left my shop and is in the hands of a local guy because he opted to snag it rather then assemble the kit which means I get to put together it's replacement.
Glad I took photo's.If you decide to Spad one of these out and are thinking about the .40 Glo range, I highly recommend increasing the size to at least a 4' wingspan. I partially Spadded out one of my earlier ones, yet kept it in it's original size and stayed with electric as well.
11-06-2008, 11:17 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
Ok, excuse the typo's, this has been one busy day, I've sold 2 through Craigs list and one to a guy I ran into earlier at Craigs list for an unrelated gig, ie. I was looking for people to help me with my truck and he happens to be into RC. 3 planes in one day, I think I might build more if I see more action like this, lol. The airframe I put together of course left with the guy that I ran into there and the other guy is picking up the others next week. I'm glad I didn't chop the wings, for I don't have to worry about shipping them with local sales like this.
Here are the build instructions for this kit, I'll fix the typo's later, I was asked for these, so figure, might as well create them.
Old Reliable - Free Foam Flyer style plane building instructions.
Begin by sanding the foam to your desired level. If you are covering it with colored packing
tape, cover all of the areas prior to assembly, leaving the areas where the components attach
together uncovered.
Start with the balsa boom sticks, sanding as desired, place these next to the booms and
measure 20" from the tip of the foam boom to the end of the balsa. Mark the area on the
stick so that you can quickly place it correctly back on the boom once it is hot glued up.
Mark the area where the stabalizer will go as well, keeping in mind, we are going to cut 2" out
for the elevator..
Cut the elevator out of the stabalizer 2", it helps make a cleaner cut if you temporarily place
some tape on top of the foam. Bevel the lower section of it so that it can swing down all the
way.
Flipping the booms right side up, you will want to clamp it to the table so that it's level and
easy to handle. Use some waxed paper on your table so that the hot glue doesn't stick to it.
Glue the stabalizer onto the boom, taking note where you marked the area at. Glue the other
boom onto the stabalizer as well. Do not glue the fins/rudder on yet.
Flip it upside down and center it on the wing, the wing is also flipped upside down. Mark the
inside and outside areas of the wing where the balsa stock hangs out at. You will do the same
on both sides of the wing, this will allow you to line up the booms accurately, glue them in
place.
Set that aside and move onto the fuse. Place the end of the fuse, where the motor mount is
going to be onto a piece of corregated cardboard. Cut out that area, make a second smaller
square as well. You will want to have your motor on hand, this will determin how much of the
stick to utalize. Notch both pieces so that the stick mount is snugly fit. Glue the smaller piece
onto the end of the cardboard, the larger one should now be glued onto the firewall area with
the notch facing upwards. Cut out enough foam to accomodate the stick and it's support
piece. Sink them in glued in place and add another piece of cardboard onto the top of the
plane to lock it all together.
The reason it is mentioned corregated is so that it can absorb the hot glue into it.
Mark the center of the top of the fuse, where the cardboard is now covering, use this to line it
up to the wing. You will want to place the motor as far back as possible, while giving the
prop enough clearance.
Glue the fins in place to the side of the booms, place them just above the bottom of the balsa
to help protect them from road rash. Mount the ailerons and elevator.
The COG mark is traditionally 2" from the leading edge, it will handle more winds at 1.5".
Put your gear into place, holding off on the battery until last, you will find it's proper location
by taping it in place temporarily and checking the COG. Once the proper location is
determined, carve out the area, giving yourself a slight gap. Sheet the area you just carved
out, inside of it, so that the walls are reinforced, again, cardboard works well for that area.
Here are the build instructions for this kit, I'll fix the typo's later, I was asked for these, so figure, might as well create them.
Old Reliable - Free Foam Flyer style plane building instructions.
Begin by sanding the foam to your desired level. If you are covering it with colored packing
tape, cover all of the areas prior to assembly, leaving the areas where the components attach
together uncovered.
Start with the balsa boom sticks, sanding as desired, place these next to the booms and
measure 20" from the tip of the foam boom to the end of the balsa. Mark the area on the
stick so that you can quickly place it correctly back on the boom once it is hot glued up.
Mark the area where the stabalizer will go as well, keeping in mind, we are going to cut 2" out
for the elevator..
Cut the elevator out of the stabalizer 2", it helps make a cleaner cut if you temporarily place
some tape on top of the foam. Bevel the lower section of it so that it can swing down all the
way.
Flipping the booms right side up, you will want to clamp it to the table so that it's level and
easy to handle. Use some waxed paper on your table so that the hot glue doesn't stick to it.
Glue the stabalizer onto the boom, taking note where you marked the area at. Glue the other
boom onto the stabalizer as well. Do not glue the fins/rudder on yet.
Flip it upside down and center it on the wing, the wing is also flipped upside down. Mark the
inside and outside areas of the wing where the balsa stock hangs out at. You will do the same
on both sides of the wing, this will allow you to line up the booms accurately, glue them in
place.
Set that aside and move onto the fuse. Place the end of the fuse, where the motor mount is
going to be onto a piece of corregated cardboard. Cut out that area, make a second smaller
square as well. You will want to have your motor on hand, this will determin how much of the
stick to utalize. Notch both pieces so that the stick mount is snugly fit. Glue the smaller piece
onto the end of the cardboard, the larger one should now be glued onto the firewall area with
the notch facing upwards. Cut out enough foam to accomodate the stick and it's support
piece. Sink them in glued in place and add another piece of cardboard onto the top of the
plane to lock it all together.
The reason it is mentioned corregated is so that it can absorb the hot glue into it.
Mark the center of the top of the fuse, where the cardboard is now covering, use this to line it
up to the wing. You will want to place the motor as far back as possible, while giving the
prop enough clearance.
Glue the fins in place to the side of the booms, place them just above the bottom of the balsa
to help protect them from road rash. Mount the ailerons and elevator.
The COG mark is traditionally 2" from the leading edge, it will handle more winds at 1.5".
Put your gear into place, holding off on the battery until last, you will find it's proper location
by taping it in place temporarily and checking the COG. Once the proper location is
determined, carve out the area, giving yourself a slight gap. Sheet the area you just carved
out, inside of it, so that the walls are reinforced, again, cardboard works well for that area.
11-08-2008, 08:42 AM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
ORIGINAL: saucerguy
Thanks Calvino,
I have the kits listed at WF: http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40746 .
The assembled airframe shown just left my shop and is in the hands of a local guy because he opted to snag it rather then assemble the kit which means I get to put together it's replacement. Glad I took photo's.
If you decide to Spad one of these out and are thinking about the .40 Glo range, I highly recommend increasing the size to at least a 4' wingspan. I partially Spadded out one of my earlier ones, yet kept it in it's original size and stayed with electric as well.
Thanks Calvino,
I have the kits listed at WF: http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40746 .
The assembled airframe shown just left my shop and is in the hands of a local guy because he opted to snag it rather then assemble the kit which means I get to put together it's replacement.
Glad I took photo's.If you decide to Spad one of these out and are thinking about the .40 Glo range, I highly recommend increasing the size to at least a 4' wingspan. I partially Spadded out one of my earlier ones, yet kept it in it's original size and stayed with electric as well.
The spray adhesive works AWASOME for those of you that want to use it, there are 3 things though...1. The glue will not eat the foam, the propellant will!!!! Hold the spray can at least 5-6 inches from the surface, the propellant should disolve by the time it reaches the foam, make sure and practice on a scrap.
2. Holding the can that far awyay keeps the propellant from eating the foam, but there is HORRIBLE overspray!! Make sure to do it outside of somewhere where you wont mind your feet sticking to the floor. I spent 2 hours with turpentine cleaning up the mess in my workshop[&o].
3. You really only get one chance to stick the sheet together right, as by the time you get both sheets covered well, the glue is pretty tacky, s go slow! It is possible to pull them apart sometimes but its really hard to do...[:'(]
Will show some pics later, maybe with the fuse as well...its jsut sooo hard to plan out the fuse to where I think it will fly right.
Pete
11-08-2008, 09:38 AM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
CastorTroy2150, good morning.
The important thing to consider when you gear out this plane, nothing is set in stone, if it fits somewhere, go for it, that's all that matters. Don't kill yourself on overly preplanning stuff on this one, this likely will also be one of a series you make from the design as well.
Along layering, that's a good call on using the super 777 for that area, I've also used low temp hot glue and it works too, but I think I'll try your method the next time I have to layer stuff up again and wire cut it to shape.
Along building the next one at current (replaces the one that left the other day), I just finished sanding the wing and epoxied in some plastic strapping (not to be confused with strapping tape) onto the top and bottom of the wing. It made it very rigid and added no noticable weight, the stuff was pilfered from a Home Depot garbage can that the guy cleaning the place was more then happy to let me snag from it. This is a must do revision for it big time. I'll have photo's posted on that soon upon how to implement it. The main thing there, you gotta use 30 min epoxy to get it to adhere to the wing properly and be sure to weight it down with some wax paper in between the weights.
The important thing to consider when you gear out this plane, nothing is set in stone, if it fits somewhere, go for it, that's all that matters. Don't kill yourself on overly preplanning stuff on this one, this likely will also be one of a series you make from the design as well.
Along layering, that's a good call on using the super 777 for that area, I've also used low temp hot glue and it works too, but I think I'll try your method the next time I have to layer stuff up again and wire cut it to shape.
Along building the next one at current (replaces the one that left the other day), I just finished sanding the wing and epoxied in some plastic strapping (not to be confused with strapping tape) onto the top and bottom of the wing. It made it very rigid and added no noticable weight, the stuff was pilfered from a Home Depot garbage can that the guy cleaning the place was more then happy to let me snag from it. This is a must do revision for it big time. I'll have photo's posted on that soon upon how to implement it. The main thing there, you gotta use 30 min epoxy to get it to adhere to the wing properly and be sure to weight it down with some wax paper in between the weights.
11-08-2008, 12:32 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
ORIGINAL: saucerguy
CastorTroy2150, good morning.
The important thing to consider when you gear out this plane, nothing is set in stone, if it fits somewhere, go for it, that's all that matters. Don't kill yourself on overly preplanning stuff on this one, this likely will also be one of a series you make from the design as well.
Along layering, that's a good call on using the super 777 for that area, I've also used low temp hot glue and it works too, but I think I'll try your method the next time I have to layer stuff up again and wire cut it to shape.
Along building the next one at current (replaces the one that left the other day), I just finished sanding the wing and epoxied in some plastic strapping (not to be confused with strapping tape) onto the top and bottom of the wing. It made it very rigid and added no noticable weight, the stuff was pilfered from a Home Depot garbage can that the guy cleaning the place was more then happy to let me snag from it. This is a must do revision for it big time. I'll have photo's posted on that soon upon how to implement it. The main thing there, you gotta use 30 min epoxy to get it to adhere to the wing properly and be sure to weight it down with some wax paper in between the weights.
CastorTroy2150, good morning.
The important thing to consider when you gear out this plane, nothing is set in stone, if it fits somewhere, go for it, that's all that matters. Don't kill yourself on overly preplanning stuff on this one, this likely will also be one of a series you make from the design as well.
Along layering, that's a good call on using the super 777 for that area, I've also used low temp hot glue and it works too, but I think I'll try your method the next time I have to layer stuff up again and wire cut it to shape.
Along building the next one at current (replaces the one that left the other day), I just finished sanding the wing and epoxied in some plastic strapping (not to be confused with strapping tape) onto the top and bottom of the wing. It made it very rigid and added no noticable weight, the stuff was pilfered from a Home Depot garbage can that the guy cleaning the place was more then happy to let me snag from it. This is a must do revision for it big time. I'll have photo's posted on that soon upon how to implement it. The main thing there, you gotta use 30 min epoxy to get it to adhere to the wing properly and be sure to weight it down with some wax paper in between the weights.
Thanks for the info, I believe that the canopy will be removable as in your balsa yaks and edge planes, and will have a small compartment to hold the receiver, and possibly the battery/ESC. I think that all the servos will be located externally; this will eliminate the need to run pushrods through the airframe as well as cutting a servo area to hold a servo tray, which would weaken the integrity. Wing servos in the wing, rudder and elevator will be located on the aft part of the fuse as in many 3D planes I’ve seen. I will most likely re-enforce the servo holding areas with glass and make the screw mounts with hardwood. All the fuse parts are now cut, now all that is left is a little plotting and shaping. So far here are the parts cut.......
1. Left and right Wing
2. Main fuse
3. Aft upper fuse (slanted part)
4. Cowel block (will need to be sanded and rounded.
5. Part of the canopy (which will be made from foam and sanded to shape, easier then shaping plastic.
I plan on the making the kit available as soon as I can get her assembled and test flown (should be sometime in the next week), and then the bugs worked out(a while down the road haha.The fuse should be assembled today, I plan on making the tail feathers out of balsa, but we will see. If I do decided to kit this plane It will come in precut parts that will have to be shaped(wings will be ready to install obviously, less some sanding maybe). She looks like she will be a nice flyer, can’t wait to get her up. Finally learned the method for using a hot wire bow. It really is an art; I think that was my main problem to begin with.
The 3M glue is a life saver when using layered foam, for a few reasons. It doesn’t slow the bow down as it cuts through the layers like epoxy could, its fast drying and strong, and cheap (4-6.00 a can). I make excellent transitions when the layers get thin in areas.
I will post some pics as soon as the digital camera comes back with my wife at around 5pm, she is at a women’s retreat for church.
11-08-2008, 11:05 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
I look forward to seeing the photo's Troy. It does take a lot of practice on that bow to get consistent cuts. I manufacture a couple of other kits which are much more advanced then this one, they have helped to push my skill levels forward, and these straight cuts with this plane were a refreshing change of pace. I decided to go with this current plane kitted out mainly to get others to enjoy the fun, and hopefully, they will start building their own if they have the resources on hand, ie. many people don't have a shop or the space to scratch build these, which is why I got the approval from the original designer to do them. I also did not want to step on any toes, which is another reason it would be a good idea to get his permission, if for any sakes, out of courtesy and respect for him.
I highly suggest holding off on placing the battery until last, this is going to set your COG mark and you will find it in most cases will be located rather far forward. Once you have taken this plane up, you'll see why we love this particular design, it has a great deal of merit in all of the right areas.
I highly suggest holding off on placing the battery until last, this is going to set your COG mark and you will find it in most cases will be located rather far forward. Once you have taken this plane up, you'll see why we love this particular design, it has a great deal of merit in all of the right areas.
11-09-2008, 12:46 AM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
well, once i get the airfoil worked out i may start work on my SPAD/glow Soo, should be nice, maybe i will make a "half soo' for an indoor flying meet and general stuff, can't wait to get a cam...... 
11-09-2008, 06:13 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
Here are some pics, the left wing is almost glassed with 1/2 cloth and Polycrylic, worked great and added great strength! Fuse is roughed out now the aft upper part of the fuse nees to be shapped with some sanding,. Then on to the tailfeathers and the canopy. Then I will cut the Ails and such. She is starting to look nice, Think I may make the wing mount to the fuse permanantly, its a small plane and would still be easy to transport. Unsure of where I will locate the wing, thought about mid wing but was thinking about low wing and making it a sport plane, as the airfoil isnt quite symetrical. Also you can see the opps I mae on the side of the fuse, wasnt during the cut, wasnt paying attention with a hot bow, doh[:@]!....What did we learn......I donno, will have to think about it, thinking about running it with a
Turnigy SX 35-36
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...6_910Kv_/_470w
And
Supersimple 40 amp ESC
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...Simple_40A_ESC
I donno, will have to think about it, thinking about running it with a Turnigy SX 35-36
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...6_910Kv_/_470w
And
Supersimple 40 amp ESC
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...Simple_40A_ESC
11-10-2008, 11:56 AM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
Thought I would give an update...
Well the left wing is trimmed of excess fiberglass, the canopy is shaped, the fuse has been rounded out and is about 85% ready. Both wings have had thier AIL. cut out and are ready for preperation for hinging. The canopy will be held on with magnets I think. The Reciever will be housed(see pics) under the canopy and seems like a really good place for it. The white foam sanded so fast, shaping is so easy with a higher grit sand paper. I jsut tested a few types and found two, one that was corse enough to removes lots of foam fast but not rip it up, and another that made a nice smooth sand.[8D] There are a few opps divits on the fuse that will be filled with epoxy mixed with balsa dust or talc powder. I have about another 10-15 minutes of fine sanding to get the whole fuse nice and symetrical and stream lined. Then it will get glassed, so excited abouth this build. Need to plot some things out, servo location, plywood firewall, and the like. Do have one question, what would be the best way to attach a firewall to the fuse. I thought about attaching the firewall with epoxy and jsut pusing it onto the foam, but I would like to have a bit more strength. Any suggestions??[&:] I would really love some feedback from some of you really experienced foam builders(saucerguy ect.) I wish a little that the fuse was about 3-4 inches longer in the rear, Im not sure she will hover well with such a short fuse. BUT, she is only a prototype so haha, live and learn right
. I am really excited, I just spearated from the military and start my new job next week. Between classes and family I am rying to get as much done before I get really busy next week. I hope to have the plane built completely by thursday, and glassed and primed by the weekend. Then it is all installation stuff. Anyhoo, looking forward to any comments!
Pete
Well the left wing is trimmed of excess fiberglass, the canopy is shaped, the fuse has been rounded out and is about 85% ready. Both wings have had thier AIL. cut out and are ready for preperation for hinging. The canopy will be held on with magnets I think. The Reciever will be housed(see pics) under the canopy and seems like a really good place for it. The white foam sanded so fast, shaping is so easy with a higher grit sand paper. I jsut tested a few types and found two, one that was corse enough to removes lots of foam fast but not rip it up, and another that made a nice smooth sand.[8D] There are a few opps divits on the fuse that will be filled with epoxy mixed with balsa dust or talc powder. I have about another 10-15 minutes of fine sanding to get the whole fuse nice and symetrical and stream lined
. Then it will get glassed, so excited abouth this build. Need to plot some things out, servo location, plywood firewall, and the like. Do have one question, what would be the best way to attach a firewall to the fuse. I thought about attaching the firewall with epoxy and jsut pusing it onto the foam, but I would like to have a bit more strength. Any suggestions??[&:] I would really love some feedback from some of you really experienced foam builders(saucerguy ect.) I wish a little that the fuse was about 3-4 inches longer in the rear, Im not sure she will hover well with such a short fuse. BUT, she is only a prototype so haha, live and learn right. I am really excited, I just spearated from the military and start my new job next week. Between classes and family I am rying to get as much done before I get really busy next week. I hope to have the plane built completely by thursday, and glassed and primed by the weekend. Then it is all installation stuff. Anyhoo, looking forward to any comments!Pete
11-10-2008, 12:09 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
Thought I would give an update...
Well the left wing is trimmed of excess fiberglass, the canopy is shaped, the fuse has been rounded out and is about 85% ready. Both wings have had thier AIL. cut out and are ready for preperation for hinging. The canopy will be held on with magnets I think. The Reciever will be housed(see pics) under the canopy and seems like a really good place for it. The white foam sanded so fast, shaping is so easy with a higher grit sand paper. I jsut tested a few types and found two, one that was corse enough to removes lots of foam fast but not rip it up, and another that made a nice smooth sand.[8D] There are a few opps divits on the fuse that will be filled with epoxy mixed with balsa dust or talc powder. I have about another 10-15 minutes of fine sanding to get the whole fuse nice and symetrical and stream lined. Then it will get glassed, so excited abouth this build. Need to plot some things out, servo location, plywood firewall, and the like. Do have one question, what would be the best way to attach a firewall to the fuse. I thought about attaching the firewall with epoxy and jsut pusing it onto the foam, but I would like to have a bit more strength. Any suggestions??[&:] I would really love some feedback from some of you really experienced foam builders(saucerguy ect.) I wish a little that the fuse was about 3-4 inches longer in the rear, Im not sure she will hover well with such a short fuse. BUT, she is only a prototype so haha, live and learn right. I am really excited, I just spearated from the military and start my new job next week. Between classes and family I am rying to get as much done before I get really busy next week. I hope to have the plane built completely by thursday, and glassed and primed by the weekend. Then it is all installation stuff. Anyhoo, looking forward to any comments!
Pete
Well the left wing is trimmed of excess fiberglass, the canopy is shaped, the fuse has been rounded out and is about 85% ready. Both wings have had thier AIL. cut out and are ready for preperation for hinging. The canopy will be held on with magnets I think. The Reciever will be housed(see pics) under the canopy and seems like a really good place for it. The white foam sanded so fast, shaping is so easy with a higher grit sand paper. I jsut tested a few types and found two, one that was corse enough to removes lots of foam fast but not rip it up, and another that made a nice smooth sand.[8D] There are a few opps divits on the fuse that will be filled with epoxy mixed with balsa dust or talc powder. I have about another 10-15 minutes of fine sanding to get the whole fuse nice and symetrical and stream lined
. Then it will get glassed, so excited abouth this build. Need to plot some things out, servo location, plywood firewall, and the like. Do have one question, what would be the best way to attach a firewall to the fuse. I thought about attaching the firewall with epoxy and jsut pusing it onto the foam, but I would like to have a bit more strength. Any suggestions??[&:] I would really love some feedback from some of you really experienced foam builders(saucerguy ect.) I wish a little that the fuse was about 3-4 inches longer in the rear, Im not sure she will hover well with such a short fuse. BUT, she is only a prototype so haha, live and learn right. I am really excited, I just spearated from the military and start my new job next week. Between classes and family I am rying to get as much done before I get really busy next week. I hope to have the plane built completely by thursday, and glassed and primed by the weekend. Then it is all installation stuff. Anyhoo, looking forward to any comments!Pete
11-11-2008, 08:14 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
I'm loving the progress guys, the plane is looking really nice! Isn't it cool to just grab a chunk of foam and turning into a plane like this. You are right, it does sand very easily, the catch here on when you get to the final surface is to get used to that perfect amount of pressure. Along the pock marks, I call it separating the wheat from the chaff, it's inevitable. On the firewall, if you sink some support struts, such as bamboo skewer or some basswood dowels in place, this will give you a nice structure to keep it all in place.
My tape came in today, thinking 60's mode right now, all the pretty colors, lol. I also assembled another one to replace the earlier one that was quickly snagged by the other pilot. I'm just showing one photo for now on it, I took an extensive amount of extra supplement photo's, for there are some extra steps going this route, but it sure stiffens it up on the cheap. The plastic strapping is quite heavy duty, you can easily get away with the thinner lighter white version as in what Mountain Models provides with their Magpie.
I'm finishing cleaning up my shop, I haven't decided what color scheme I want to go with, having this kind of a selection of colors at once has me in indecisive mode. Any suggestions would be helpful.
My tape came in today, thinking 60's mode right now, all the pretty colors, lol. I also assembled another one to replace the earlier one that was quickly snagged by the other pilot. I'm just showing one photo for now on it, I took an extensive amount of extra supplement photo's, for there are some extra steps going this route, but it sure stiffens it up on the cheap. The plastic strapping is quite heavy duty, you can easily get away with the thinner lighter white version as in what Mountain Models provides with their Magpie.
I'm finishing cleaning up my shop, I haven't decided what color scheme I want to go with, having this kind of a selection of colors at once has me in indecisive mode. Any suggestions would be helpful.
11-19-2008, 10:55 AM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
ORIGINAL: saucerguy
Along my straight cuts, I'll ink in the lines on top of the foam. I have a couple of straight cutting jigs that keep the wire from veering either direction, it's basically two upside down T pieces that have a slot in the middle of them. Once the wire is in position, I'll power it up and let gravity pull it through the foam. It's much safer and easier to do then cutting those on the tablesaw, much less, less messy as well and you can technically cut through a stack of sheets at once if you were inclinded.
Well, it looks like I'm dragging out my foam cutting table, have a kit to fill in some of the gaps on that ships out on Monday and I'm itching to bust out some extra's as well, with the rc dragon, rc p40 and rc so's, partially to have some extra inventory and partially to have some extra foamies to build when I have time. I put my stick built scratch onto the side while I take care of biz, but it's also on the agenda afterwards.
ORIGINAL: critterhunter
Looks good. The wire will flex a good bit. Tie knots in the spring to stiffen it up as much as possible. Still, even if it does flex it's not a problem. Just cut slower so the heat of the wire does the work and not tension on the wire. You don't need wood jigs for the fuse or booms. I pitched those as they don't really help much, especially if you are using a hot wire table cutter like the one I built (pictures on the first few pages). I just trace out the outline of the part and then use the table cutter to free hand hot wire it out. I prefer to stay just outside the traced lines in case I slip and then sand to final contour. I find that even a perfectly cut wing can use some sanding to tweak things out, along with the body parts. Don't think hot wiring eliminates sanding. It just eliminates a lot of mess and much more sanding if you didn't have a hot wire cutter. I like to use an orbital sander on the wing and other parts, but if I'm trying to create a perfectly flat and straight line I use a belt sander. Hand sanding is best for curves and such. As for wire diameter/heat....You a for the most part trying to get the wire to a temperture that is slightly below the wire glowing red. This keeps it as clean as possible and cuts without drag. You can cut with lower tempertures but you'll have to move slower to avoid tearing or drag. If you need temperture control them buy a $5 light dimmer from Home Depot/Lowes. Plug that into the wall and then the charger into it.
ORIGINAL: CastorTroy2150
I jsut cut my jigs for the fuse, and the wing, so I will be able to go and get my faom tonight and begin. I will make the tailfeathers out of solid balsa and the plane will be glassed or sheeted one of the two. Will cut the cowl jigs as well. The rest will need to be hand shaped. After the kit is complete and test flown I will show pics and a video of it flying. At that point, which could be further down the road, I will be offering kits if anyone is interested. And not these big expensive out of the sky priced kits. These will be very affordable and include everything but the electronics and motor/mount and battery. Basically an ARF parts cut, I will be installing .10 sized retracts on mine so that would be an option as well. I was thinking it would cost me about 50.00 to consrtuct one kit, with rods and hardware, no sheeting. I would sell for 70.00ish plus shipping. It would be a great kit, and cheap. We will see how it all goes. Should have a fuse and wing cut ready to show pics sometime tonight.
I jsut cut my jigs for the fuse, and the wing, so I will be able to go and get my faom tonight and begin. I will make the tailfeathers out of solid balsa and the plane will be glassed or sheeted one of the two. Will cut the cowl jigs as well. The rest will need to be hand shaped. After the kit is complete and test flown I will show pics and a video of it flying. At that point, which could be further down the road, I will be offering kits if anyone is interested. And not these big expensive out of the sky priced kits. These will be very affordable and include everything but the electronics and motor/mount and battery. Basically an ARF parts cut, I will be installing .10 sized retracts on mine so that would be an option as well. I was thinking it would cost me about 50.00 to consrtuct one kit, with rods and hardware, no sheeting. I would sell for 70.00ish plus shipping. It would be a great kit, and cheap. We will see how it all goes. Should have a fuse and wing cut ready to show pics sometime tonight.
Well, it looks like I'm dragging out my foam cutting table, have a kit to fill in some of the gaps on that ships out on Monday and I'm itching to bust out some extra's as well, with the rc dragon, rc p40 and rc so's, partially to have some extra inventory and partially to have some extra foamies to build when I have time. I put my stick built scratch onto the side while I take care of biz, but it's also on the agenda afterwards.
Yea, that's the way I do my straight cuts too and it works well (Gravity Cutting). Figured this might be a good time to go over the basics for any newbies in what I do working with foam. For wings, I measure out a rectangle and then gravity cut that out. Always good to give yourself a good inch or so of extra width. That'll cut off anyway as your bow does the leading/trailing edges on the jig. The length should be what you want (say 3' for a 3 foot wing) but it's better to have it a hair long so it snugs into the wing jigs. If you cut the wing square out of thick enough foam you'll be able to flip it over and cut another wing out. If it's way to thick then I'll use a couple pieces of angle iron taped to my workbench and then slide the foam through it to cut out slabs. If doing wings longer than your bow (about 40" is the max most of our power sources can heat up) then just cut out two and glue them together.
For fuses, I in general just trace out the outline on the foam and then use my table cutter to cut it out free hand. I always stay a bit outside the lines and then sand with an orbital, belt, or by hand. Wings often need some sanding as well. I tend to not cut out the lower leading edge lip that goes under the wing but rather just sand that out by hand.
To gravity cut straight lines, I just weight the foam hanging over the table edge, then mark the line I want cut. I'll then just hang the bow by it's wire over the trace, making sure it's "balanced" fairly well so one end doesn't sink faster than the other. I make sure the bow isn't moving before plugging in the charger to make the cut, and I have it set for maximum heat to cut straight without drifting by dragging. To do this I simply slide the alligator clips I have hitched to the bow wire as close together as possible.
For cutting out ailerons, I just use a right angle or T square metal ruler and weight it down on the wing to act as my guide. I then use a little hand held mini bow to cut it out.
11-19-2008, 11:00 AM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
ORIGINAL: saucerguy
Thanks Fisher,
I'm taking some detailed, step by step photo's for it, this will help with the kit equally as for people wanting to build this plane from scratch and have never built a plane before. I kind of wanted to wait for the tape to come in before assembly, but being impatient and giving myself the reward of building one of these, I'm diving into it now.
Ok, edit again, I took a ton of photo's on each step of the build process, will post them here and at my board as well shortly, just wanted to show you guys the updates and the "airframe as well".
Thanks Fisher,
I'm taking some detailed, step by step photo's for it, this will help with the kit equally as for people wanting to build this plane from scratch and have never built a plane before. I kind of wanted to wait for the tape to come in before assembly, but being impatient and giving myself the reward of building one of these, I'm diving into it now.
Ok, edit again, I took a ton of photo's on each step of the build process, will post them here and at my board as well shortly, just wanted to show you guys the updates and the "airframe as well".
11-19-2008, 11:04 AM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
ORIGINAL: CastorTroy2150
Saucerguy, you really got me motivated to start back onto my project. Remember how I was having a Problem with the multi-layers of thinner foam curling and being to thin as I cut the wing? I fixed it, by using some 3M Spray adhesive to glue the wings together they cut perfectly! I have one set of wings cut and the fuse marked out and ready to cut. I havent ctu the fuse as I havent yet figured out if I I will run pushrods or have the servos mount externaly on the fuse for the tailfeathers. I will post some picks later today though, dont have time right now. The spray adhesive works AWASOME for those of you that want to use it, there are 3 things though...
1. The glue will not eat the foam, the propellant will!!!! Hold the spray can at least 5-6 inches from the surface, the propellant should disolve by the time it reaches the foam, make sure and practice on a scrap.
2. Holding the can that far awyay keeps the propellant from eating the foam, but there is HORRIBLE overspray!! Make sure to do it outside of somewhere where you wont mind your feet sticking to the floor. I spent 2 hours with turpentine cleaning up the mess in my workshop[&o].
3. You really only get one chance to stick the sheet together right, as by the time you get both sheets covered well, the glue is pretty tacky, s go slow! It is possible to pull them apart sometimes but its really hard to do...[:'(]
Will show some pics later, maybe with the fuse as well...its jsut sooo hard to plan out the fuse to where I think it will fly right.
Pete
ORIGINAL: saucerguy
Thanks Calvino,
I have the kits listed at WF: http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40746 .
The assembled airframe shown just left my shop and is in the hands of a local guy because he opted to snag it rather then assemble the kit which means I get to put together it's replacement. Glad I took photo's.
If you decide to Spad one of these out and are thinking about the .40 Glo range, I highly recommend increasing the size to at least a 4' wingspan. I partially Spadded out one of my earlier ones, yet kept it in it's original size and stayed with electric as well.
Thanks Calvino,
I have the kits listed at WF: http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40746 .
The assembled airframe shown just left my shop and is in the hands of a local guy because he opted to snag it rather then assemble the kit which means I get to put together it's replacement.
Glad I took photo's.If you decide to Spad one of these out and are thinking about the .40 Glo range, I highly recommend increasing the size to at least a 4' wingspan. I partially Spadded out one of my earlier ones, yet kept it in it's original size and stayed with electric as well.
The spray adhesive works AWASOME for those of you that want to use it, there are 3 things though...1. The glue will not eat the foam, the propellant will!!!! Hold the spray can at least 5-6 inches from the surface, the propellant should disolve by the time it reaches the foam, make sure and practice on a scrap.
2. Holding the can that far awyay keeps the propellant from eating the foam, but there is HORRIBLE overspray!! Make sure to do it outside of somewhere where you wont mind your feet sticking to the floor. I spent 2 hours with turpentine cleaning up the mess in my workshop[&o].
3. You really only get one chance to stick the sheet together right, as by the time you get both sheets covered well, the glue is pretty tacky, s go slow! It is possible to pull them apart sometimes but its really hard to do...[:'(]
Will show some pics later, maybe with the fuse as well...its jsut sooo hard to plan out the fuse to where I think it will fly right.
Pete
11-19-2008, 11:08 AM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
ORIGINAL: saucerguy
I look forward to seeing the photo's Troy. It does take a lot of practice on that bow to get consistent cuts. I manufacture a couple of other kits which are much more advanced then this one, they have helped to push my skill levels forward, and these straight cuts with this plane were a refreshing change of pace. I decided to go with this current plane kitted out mainly to get others to enjoy the fun, and hopefully, they will start building their own if they have the resources on hand, ie. many people don't have a shop or the space to scratch build these, which is why I got the approval from the original designer to do them. I also did not want to step on any toes, which is another reason it would be a good idea to get his permission, if for any sakes, out of courtesy and respect for him.
I highly suggest holding off on placing the battery until last, this is going to set your COG mark and you will find it in most cases will be located rather far forward. Once you have taken this plane up, you'll see why we love this particular design, it has a great deal of merit in all of the right areas.
I look forward to seeing the photo's Troy. It does take a lot of practice on that bow to get consistent cuts. I manufacture a couple of other kits which are much more advanced then this one, they have helped to push my skill levels forward, and these straight cuts with this plane were a refreshing change of pace. I decided to go with this current plane kitted out mainly to get others to enjoy the fun, and hopefully, they will start building their own if they have the resources on hand, ie. many people don't have a shop or the space to scratch build these, which is why I got the approval from the original designer to do them. I also did not want to step on any toes, which is another reason it would be a good idea to get his permission, if for any sakes, out of courtesy and respect for him.
I highly suggest holding off on placing the battery until last, this is going to set your COG mark and you will find it in most cases will be located rather far forward. Once you have taken this plane up, you'll see why we love this particular design, it has a great deal of merit in all of the right areas.
11-19-2008, 11:14 AM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
On attaching motors: What I do is take some aluminum and bend it into a "U" shape, sliding that onto the fuse so that the ends go over both sides of the foam. Gorilla glue can be enough to hold it but it helps to put a bolt through the foam and both ends. Nice thing about that is you can adjust the motor thrust angle with the bolt and just some tape to keep it from shifting. A friend does that all the time. I just glue my mount on with a hair bit of down thrust (prop end of motor down a hair) to insure good wing traction. The motor's mounting plate of course gets screwed into the aluminum. I always dab a bit of clear nail polish on those screws along with any on the motor it's self because they might vibrate loose.
12-02-2008, 07:56 PM
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RE: Here's A Simple & FREE First Foam Build Plan! (Part 2)
I wanted to update you guys here. I have the completed bird ready for it's maiden. I used a zagi speed 400, 25 amp speed controller, 9.6 650 mah nimh pack "have several of these on hand" and it's ready. The next one I'm building has swept forward wings and is going to get shaped more along the booms and fuse to reduce drag and will even give it a cockpit and perhaps landing gear.