I've often wondered if it was worth the trouble to use something like formica to make a permanent template for every part in a kit, laminate the plans or make several copies, and then just replicate the parts whenever the mood struck to build the model again.

If one does that and then purchases wood and shapes his own parts, buys all the hardware after market, etc. if you save any cost. Or is it just the fun of doing it that way?

Since I've never done it I wondered if by the time I was all thru how I'd come out. My gut tells me I'd have a bunch of materiel left over, I'd probably use better hardware than what the kits typically supply, and I'd probably bash the model a lot more. But it also tells me a pre-cut kit may just be less expensive.

Anyone do it? Did you build enough planes from the plans and templates afterwards to make it worth going to the trouble in the first place?

I'd appreciate your insight,

Clay

From what I've seen and been told, You really won't save any money scratch building over buying a kit. It just gives you a little more ability to modify the plane and more pride in the outcome. As far as making templates, for some parts that may not be a bad idea int the event that you need to make repairs latter. Particularly, I think that having a pattern for the wing rib and fuse formers could save a lot of aggravation down the road. It's like an insurance policy, you hope you don't need it, but if you do need it, you'll be glad.

A pre cut kit is cheaper for 1 plane. The fun of building is the building, so if you want to make planes or more than one of the same, learning to make your own parts is the best think you can learn to do. You can pull it out of your hat of tricks and do anything. I have some kits that you can not buy anymore so they will be templates. Also there are a great many plans out there and all you have to do is make your own parts. It is also not hard to do and I always look for new ways to do it.

you have one more advantage building your own, you know exactly what materials went into it, and also how well its glued up. I am through with arfs, last few were a joke the way they were built, and substandard materials compared to what I have for building myself. I have several planes on the building board at prsent, from a little 40" own design zero, a 2m glider, to a 92" Hurricane. I find it very enjoyable and relaxing to build too, and the end result will be something different to those arfs

You won't save any money, but it's never a bad idea to have a way to replace parts.

What I always do is to save the empty frames from the die-cut parts. This way, if I ever need to replace a part, I have the frame it came out of to use as a template. If I never need it, I didn't waste the time of making a template. After all, why make a set of templates if you're never going to need them?

I've made templates from 22 gauge steel because I like working with steel but that's a little on the overkill side. It worked nice though. I have steel templates of the ribs in several of my planes.

Guys, you're sort of reinforcing my thoughts. I no longer have much in the way of woodworking tools. So I can't just go out in the garage, stack several sheets of balsa against a template, and then hold the whole shebang against the disc sander and make a stack of ribs. Much less cut slots for the spars. No band saw or scroll saw either.

So, I always felt that by the time I geared up to be able to do it effeciently I'd spend way more to tool up and tie up more garage in equipment I really don't need anymore. So, I was just going to buy a kit whenever the mood hit me. But then I always stare at this perfectly good set of plans and think "man, I should have made a template of all the parts before I glued'm in." Then in my mind's eye I'd have plans and templates at the ready should I ever decide to build another.

Whenever I've boogered up a piece and just made another from scrap or new wood its always surprised me how much effort it took just to replicate a simple part. But if you can stack them up and make six at a time perhaps it would be worthwhile.

Just the sort of thing that runs thru my mind and gets me into all sorts of trouble.

Clay

I started doing this when i was building a Goldberg Cub and a friend had crashed his and needed a template for a new firewall. I made a template from mine for him, and made templates for all of the other parts while I was at it.

I didn't make actual templates, I just traced all of the parts onto a few sheets of paper. Then, later I realized that by saving the frames, I already HAD all the templates I needed right there.

One thing that has not been covered. What do you do when the kit is suddenly no longer available? If you have the templates, then there is nothing stopping you from continuing to build a particular kit. Don't you wish that you had templates for all the old Pica kits?

I have templates for several models, and did use high pressure laminate (formica) to make them. Of course having a cabinet shop does not hurt. I have tons of the stuff.

Bill, Waco Brother #1

You may have just come up with a sideline career. Get your templates together and hit RCU classifieds. "A hobby pursureed too vigorously becomes a profession." "A man who enjoys his job will never work a day in his life."

Bill

I've saved the parts sheets, then scanned them. I use this as a back ground and convert the scan to a Cad file of the part. I can then pick and place parts on an imaginary sheet of balsa and the print out the sheet. You have to have one of the printers that can print roll paper though. This method gives me a pattern that I 3M77 spray the back of and stick to the wood. I can then cut it out on the band saw, or with a coping saw. I sand to the line on the print and it gives me a very clean set of parts, very close to laser cut quality. When I'm done with a part, simply peal off the paper. Storage of my "templates" just takes up a little space on my hard drive.

Don

I've been scratch building most of my life and can tell you that you won't need templates for most of the planes you build. You'll be sick of them before they wear out. They won't please you in one way or another so you will want to be on to the next design.

For those rare planes like the Dirty Birdy that you do build several of over time there is a product called See Temp to make templates out of. It's a rather thick sheet plastic that can be placed over the plan and a #11 can be used to score it. It is then a simple matter to just break out the scored part from the sheet.

You can also save all the shucks from die cut parts supplied with kits for cutting replacement parts.

See Temp advertises in the model magazines and is recently carried by Central Hobbies I believe.

I use drafting Vellum paper to trace (carefully) and kit part not shown on a plan I happen to use. You'd be surprised at the times a tracing can come in handy. When it comes time to use the pattern just lay it on the balsa or ply (you can see through it to locate the pattern to the best advantage on the wood) and, using a T-Pin, poke holes around the pattern lines into the wood and when finished cut out the part. The Vellum patterns can be stored in a folder and do not take up much room in the shop.

Don,

Am I reading this correctly, that what you are scanning is the waste wood from the pre-cut parts sheets?

This seems like a very simple solution.

What a bunch of great ideas! I'll try copying a parts sheet next time around since we've a copier to try it with. The See Temp is interesting too although freehanding with an xacto blade isn't something I'm going to be any good at.

Clay

I build from plans and always {except the plane I want to build again} get two extra copies of the plans, one to cut up, one to build over and I save the original. On kits I know I want more then one of I make up templates on chip board or see temp, chip board is free. Saving money?? I built 8 Up-Roars and the kit sells for about $45.00, by buying wood in bulk from Lone Star Balsa these kits/planes cost almost nothing. When I build a bigger plane like my 80 inch Sukhoi 29 the plane came out at about 1/3 the price of an ARF of the same size. {Guess what plane got the plans destroyed?} The CG Extra and Sukhoi are no longer made, I would really like a set of plans and templates for both of these planes but I never kept the plans or made templates for them. Hind site!! Right now I'm building the Daddy Rabbit from my left over wood pile from other builds, Free Plane!! I may even have enough wood to build the Sun Fli or Drity Birdy. Lone Star is back up and running so down the line I may get the wood to finish up the Giant Hots I started just before there fire? Yes, you can save money, a lot of money but it depends on the plane and the size. One time small planes that are still kitted, not really but you may hurt the plane some day and want to fix that wing, templates tacked to the wall will be a lot of help!!

Another example of saving money on RC models: My Astro-Hog is being built from loaned plans/instructions and all the wood I've used so far, save the 4" wing sheeting, was from my "leftover" stash. I ordered the taildragger landing gear from Sig when a past order was sent in and am carving my own headrest piece from a leftover block of balsa. The "cost" of this model is minimal though the fun I'm having is priceless IMHO.

Save all those bits and pieces. I use three leftover kit boxes: one for leftover sheet stock, one for misc. small pieces of all types and leftover stick wood, and one for misc plywood pieces and basswood/etc. This is in addition to my balsa/plywood stash. I've found I can very often find the right size piece of wood for various plan parts from the leftover stuff and thereby do not have to cut up a good sheet until I really need it.

Finished a Mid West Super Hots ( 60size) from plans last summer. It DEFINITLY ain't cheaper to build from plans than a kit. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the challange, I doubt if I do it again. The whole time I was building the Hots my brain hurt ! I think maybe I did permanant damage !!! I'll probably stick to kits, unless, I run across plans that really look interesting.

If you are only building one small plane like a Hots then you can't save any money, the price of the plans and wood with shipping comes out to about the same price as the kit used to be. If on the other hand you are a plans or scratch builder then you always place wood orders and buy a lot more wood then you need and it becomes a stock pile. I'm building right now using my stock pile and have plenty of it, left overs from bigger planes I have built. If you are going to build bigger planes then you save a bunch. The cost of wood and covering is a lot cheaper then an ARF of the same size and you will get a much stronger plane out of the deal. You will loose a lot of months worth of time though. Now that Lone Star is back in operation I will start a new stock pile of wood. I only bother scratch building these days when there is no kit of the planes I want or if the plane is something that was never kitted.

Has anyone tried using a router table to cut out parts via a template? Seems like a reasonable method. There are up spiral and down spiral bits on the market that should help with tear out.

I've tried the router table method but had mixed results. The balsa didn't trim as clean as I thought it would. I did have great results though using a sanding drum with a bearing mounted on top, mounted in my router table set at low rpm.

Nice idea, yel914.

Did you make the sanding drum/top bearing or is it available on the market? Don't believe I seen one.

This combination would give you lots of flexability and make quick work of duplicating parts.

Flyby8, I made mine from parts in the shop. The drum is 3/4" diameter as is the bearing, but I'd prefer a larger one. A drum with 60 or 80 grit works well, finer grits tend to cut too slowly and burn. I think something like this is commercially available, maybe Woodcraft or Rockler woodworking tools. The picture shows mine chucked in the drill press, which I sometimes use in place of the router table. You need to space the template away from the balsa to be trimmed by about 1/4"

check put this "how to" on the Airfields Models web site.

http://www.airfieldmodels.com/inform...able/index.htm

Mike