MasterAlex

Hey Ken, take a look at what that Fat Old Elf just dropped off at the house!

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

[sm=thumbs_up.gif][sm=thumbs_up.gif][sm=thumbs_up.gif]

Somebody has been a good boy this year!!!!!!

Ken

chashint

Yes, you will like it a lot

aerojunkie

Master Alex,

Santa was a little late ordering my Hog Bipe but I should get it in a couple weeks. When are you going to start building yours and will you do the build here? Inquiring minds want to know?

aerojunkie

vmsguy

Congrat Alex,

Everything I hear about it, says it's a great plane....

Just to warn you... There are a few people on this forum that will insist you put a 4-stroke motor in it. I've never heard or the "Biplane Police" but, they could exist..


Just to warn you.. 4-stroke, or take you chances...

cubfloater

My Feedback: (5)

I agree re: the 4 stroke. Most agree that a 90 is best but mine flew great on a 72 Saito and after I crashed it I got another kit ready to start because I liked it so much. Built an Astro Hog while in morning and now ready to build the Bipe. If more posts here it may prompt me to go clear off the board and open the box! Good luck with yours!

Jim

MasterAlex

I've always wanted to do one of these, I can't say for sure, but I may give it a go and do a build thread. I am in the process of adding a second building bench to my shop (thanks for the pictures MinnFlyer) so I can get this going. I am not the fastest builder, but if there's interest I can give it a shot.

MasterAlex

Oooh, thanks for the heads up there, I am going to put a OS .61FX in mine ... [X(]

No not really. I'm putting a Saito 100 on her! I am also fairly sure that I'm going to add a cowl - an RV-4.

-MA

aerojunkie

Master Alex,
I just finished building my "Kit Table" (I have a table that I use for ARF's but is not quite flat enough for kits), I'm just waiting for the sheet of glass that I ordered, it should be delivered in a few weeks and then I'm ready to build.

MasterAlex

FWIW, I have a sheet of glass that I lay onto my table for the covering/finishing process. I do not build on it, however. I have yet to invest in a magnetic building system (don't flog me Ken!), so I'm still sticking pins into ceiling tile. With as much pounding/clamping/abuse that I give my table, I just don't trust myself keeping the glass on the table full time.

How thick is your glass sheet? Have you seen Caffenman's build table? I believe his entire table is glass (1/4" thick) - very nice.

-MA

MasterAlex

In case anyone's interested in the Table I referred to in post 7, here's the [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6155743/anchors_6155743/mpage_1/key_Melamine/anchor/tm.htm#6155743]link[/link].

I built the one that Minnflyer drew out and it is solid as a rock. Picked up a slightly damaged hollow core door at Menards for $7 - there was a small hole on one side - perfect for our use.

-MA

aerojunkie

Master Alex,

My building table is 7'x3' and the glass that I ordered is 1/2" thick and tempered. I will be using the magnet systen that is on the airfield models web site. I ordered the magnets and the wood needed to make the fixtures and just waiting for everything to arrive. I'm not worried about breaking the glass table, I'll use my ARF table for anything other than laying down sticks. Here is a photo of the table (the one in the back) before the glass and the two shelves. I'm still in the process of putting my shop together but not having it completed hasn't stopped me from having planes, it's a work in progess.

AJ

mmattockx

I like Ken's table frame, very simple and sturdy. I want to add for the leveling, you can buy adjustable furniture feet at Home Depot (Lowe's, Rona, etc.) that you drill a hole into your leg (or support frame or whatever) and then a threaded socket goes into the hole and a threaded foot screws into the socket. Use about 6-8 of these around Ken's frame (with the feet pointing up to support the top) and you can perfectly level and support whatever building surface you choose to use. They are infinitely adjustable and allow you to re-true everything as often as you want in only a few minutes.

Mark

aerojunkie

mmattackx,
I haven't seen Ken's table so I can't comment on it but I'm sure that it is nice and does the job to Kens complete satisfaction. I can assure you that my table is solid, it is made of 1x3 red oak, the legs are made by joining two boards in an "L" shape with glue and five 1.25" wood screws, I built it square and true. It has leveling feet (1/2" dia bolts, washers, nuts) on each leg, no leveling will be needed in the center because the 1/2" thick glass will be supported only on the four corners and because it's tempered it will not bend. I will be putting a 22 gauge steel sheet over the glass and using the "Magnet System" for building when appropiate. This table is solid and will outlast me and anyone alive today and hopefully it will be sufficient, only time will tell.

If anyone is interested in a table like this I would be happy to make a drawing and email the file.

Anyways, on with the build!

AJ

r2champion

MasterAlex, good luck on the Hog Bipe build. It took me about 8 months, however I had a lot of things keeping me away from the build...like babies! Flies like you would expect it to, and then some.

I took my chances and no one has a warrant out for me yet! [8D]

r2champion

C'mon now, you've had plenty of time to get that building table together (unless your pace is similiar to mine []), lets see some building!

MasterAlex

Guilty as charged! Appreciate the encouragement. I'll see what this week brings given my work schedule. ... and yes, I did finish that 2nd building table

-MA

MasterAlex

Okay, here goes ...

After a public flogging from r2champion I cleaned off the table and got this project started. I am going to see what kind of build thread I can pull off here. The last Hog thread that I read ([link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_2560569/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm]link[/link]) had its owner go AWOL (I think work got in the way) and I certainly hope to wrap this build up for spring/early summer flying. We shall see. FWIW, that linked thread is pretty good and shows a great deal of detail.

Now I can't commit to an awesome thread like Ken's LT-40 build last year, but I hope to share this experience with you guys as I go. I'm not the fastest builder and I have other "real world" commitments too ... BUT I am hoping those of you that follow this thread can offer enough encouragement to see me through the eventual pitfalls this will bring.

BTW, this is my first Bipe Build so I may have some beginner-type bipe questions so bear with me here .

A few notables on the build.

1) I am going to be doing the dual-aileron enhancement
2) I am going to power this with a Saito 100
3) I will likely put a cowl on this - RV-4
4) I will likely replace the tailwheel with a Sullivan (I do this on all my kit builds)
5) I will likely replace the supplied pushrods
6) Going naked - no pants on this build - I fly from grass and it will probably be more pain than its worth

The linked post above talked about replacing the landing gear and landing gear location. I must admit to being mildly interested in the gear mod ... more clearance might be something I could use - then again, bigger wheels solves that too!

On to the first steps (after having had the manual in the ... ahem library for a couple weeks) - unpacking and ID'ing the wood.

-MA

MasterAlex

So I identified the wood pieces and marked each so I could later identify. This also got me familiar with the kit contents. This always takes more time than I think its going to, but its worth it later so you don't mistakenly use the wrong wood. Everything starts to look the same once the balsa dust starts flying ... this gives me a fighting chance that I'll at least be using the proper sized wood if nothing else .

Since I don't yet have the Saito, I am going to start with the wings. Heck, there are two of them so I might as well start here ... I'll be seeing ribs for a while! The Hog Bipe is not completely laser cut like some of the other Sig kits. The ribs are die-cut and you need to be careful popping them free. There are tabs on the ribs that are made to break free once framed up on the building board - because they are designed to break, they can/will snap off if you're not careful. I found that working out the end with the tab first saved me a ton of frustration. Overall, it was much easier to extract the ribs than I figured - I only used a blade a couple of times and I only had to CA 2 tabs back onto their respective ribs (very small amount - tack glue only).

At the end of this, I called it a night. Hey, I'm pacing myself! I've got a club meeting tonite and will likely get back to the build this weekend. CA will meet balsa very soon! [8D]

Picture1 - Ahh, the beginning of the build - pristine bench, crisply folded plans, nothing but balsa, ply and some hardware - feel the anticipation!
Picture2 - Wing Plans
Picture3 - Die Cut Ribs
Picture4 - Progress. My little pile of ribs
Picture5 - A little tip. I am preserving an outline of every part so I can later scratch build a Hog - if I am so inclined. Capturing the outline of the part and the size of the wood is all I'll need. I'll scan this sheet when I'm done so I can electronically store it.

Until next time...

aerojunkie

Master Alex,

Great start to a new Hog Bipe build, I'm glad to see you finally decided to do it.

As mentioned a few posts back, I expect my Hog Bipe kit soon and as soon as I finish my building table (sounds familiar?) I'll start the kit. I guess you'll start a few weeks before me but I'm betting that I'll finish a few months behind you.

Today I received the magnets for the "Magnet System" and tomorrow I should get the wood for the fixtures. I'll cut the wood this weekend to get everything ready. Hopefully it won't be too long before I get the chance to glue some "Hog Balsa" together.

Good luck with your build and I'll be keeping tabs for sure.


Miguel

MasterAlex

I got a bit more work done last night ... not much, but any little progress is just that - progress.

I note for others building this kit - don't blindly pop out the circular die-cut disks in all the Ribs, you only need those removed between the bottom wing center extending out to the aileron servo - if you're doing the dual aileron servo mod. This is so the servo leads can pass through the wing. After popping out 2 disks, my spidy senses started tingling and I re-evaluated "why" I was doing what I was doing. "Hey the top wing has NO servos smartguy"! Fortunately, I realized the error of my ways. Maybe this saves someone else some grief.

Below are some progress photos

Pictures1&2 - Top wing, ribs in place and CA'd down
Pictures3&4 - Towards the outer portion of the wing, you have to space 2 ribs between part P2 (Ply Connection to Strut). Took me a few minutes to find this on the plans. Anyway, this is what it looks like - oh, and yeah they're upside down in the picture
Picture5 - Do do not glue in P2 at this time, so I clamped the 3 parts together, CA'd the ribs to the spar and removed P2.

FlyBlueSkies

My Feedback: (2)

Concerning removing the center hole in all the ribs. It is a good idea to remove them all.

The reason is that when you applying the monokote, the iron will heat and expand the air inside, between the ribs. With the holes in the ribs, the heated air will move into other areas of the wing and not present a problem by 'puffing' the monokote between each rib like a balloon.

This is also true on a hot day when the plane heats up due the sun.

It really is standard and not a problem to remove them.

Nice pictures and great documentation of your build!

I have that same plane and really like it. Leaving the wheel pants off is a good idea. During a takeoff, mine came up through the bottom wing and broke the trailing edge and the back piece of a rib. Since I bought the plane built, I did not have an outline of the ribs to repair them. So, I must sand a replacement piece until it fits....just haven't done this yet.

It would be great to have a copy of your outlined ribs...

Good luck on your build!

Jeff

cubfloater

My Feedback: (5)

I couldn't help but notice that you don't have a continuous spar through the center section of the top wing. Isn't it supposed to be? I built one a couple years ago but can't remember. It looks like I see where it's supposed to be on your plan. If I'm wrong please forgive me just can't remember.

*JCB*

My Feedback: (9)

Cubfloater: I was a little "weirded out" when i built that part of my hog bipe as well. However, that is what the manual calls for. There are a few other things later in the wing building that beef that part up including a solid top spar, a wing joiner as well as two cabane mounts the span a couple of ribs. All said and done, the center of the wing seems to be pretty strong. I still plan on fiberglassing the center section on both wings given that this plane is a real performer!

MasterAlex

... yeah, I thought about that too. I typically put smaller holes for air escape when covering. Probably 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of another. Maybe structurally it matters a tiny bit but ... whatever I'm past that now .


Thanks! Its the "honeymoon" phase right now, we'll see how well I'm doing come time to cover,

Jeff, PM me and I'll shoot it to you.

No doubt! I read that portion of the manual about 5 times. Fortunately SIG has it in bold that this is not a mistake. Also the pictures in the manual make it clear that this is the way to go. Like *JCB* said, it had me a bit "Wierded out" thinking the spar isn't solid all the way across.

Humm ... excellent idea!