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Drilling holes in the leading edge of a wing

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Drilling holes in the leading edge of a wing

Old 08-11-2016, 02:52 PM
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p3arljam
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Default Drilling holes in the leading edge of a wing

I have a 1/8 scale Spitfire ARF and I want to make holes in the leading edge of the wing to add machine gun ports is there any special tips on how to do this or just drill away?
Old 08-12-2016, 04:35 AM
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scale only 4 me
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only difficulty is if it has iron on covering,, drilling that it tends to tear... other than that,, start with a small bit and work your way up.
Old 08-12-2016, 05:00 AM
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Also, once you get through the covering, the flutes of the drill bit will have a tendency to tear into the wood and rip it out instead of smoothly cutting it out. (That's because most of the drill bits available to us are actually designed for the high speed cutting of steel.) Using an electric drill or Dremel will be difficult to control. If you drill it by hand, you'll have better control AND can instantly stop in case the bit suddenly tries to grab a chunk of wood.

Good Luck!

Harvey

Last edited by H5487; 08-12-2016 at 05:06 AM.
Old 08-12-2016, 06:44 AM
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You also need to know what's behind the leading edge. Perhaps it would be better to drill a hole by hand and insert a piece of brass tube
Old 08-12-2016, 07:37 AM
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When I do something like that I cut a small slot ( X) in the covering then use a drill in a handle and do it by hand . Another way to keep from ripping the wood is to take a " tube " the size you need and cut small slots in one end and use it as a drill . That's only good for softer woods but works for me . ENJOY !!! RED
Old 08-12-2016, 09:49 AM
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Red head has it right. A spiral bit rarely makes a clean hole in balsa wood. A hole saw made from a piece of tubing works so much better.

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