handglider

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Okay, let's build the fixture jig.

Material list (Lowes has all this stuff):

1 Sheet of 3/4" x 4 x 8' MDF flooring board, strip it down to a 2' wide width.

about 4 - 3/8 x 4 x 36 pine craft wood planks

24 x 24" piece of 1/2 particle board

5 min epoxy

72" straight edge

sharpie marker

handglider

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Start with the cutting stations.

Cut the 4" wide craft wood into 3 1/2" square using a table saw. Make sure you cuts are square and true. I trimmed a diagonal across one corner, about 2" in on both sides.

Using a round edge bit in my little table router, I bevel the inside edges of the station arms to prevent gouging the balsa fuse side.

handglider

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Mark a centerline down the 2' wide MDF board. Using a triangle or carpenters square, mark perpendicular lines at all former positions. Use the plans for reference for the former positions. Also mark perpendicular lines at the wing tube and stab tubes.

At the firewall you need to angle your line with a protractor for the 3° of right thrust.

handglider

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Cut a piece of particle board the size of the cross section of f9 with the fuse sides, using the stab tube fuse doubler as a guide, cut that angle into a supporting piece of particle board. This is where the table saw really helps.


Assemble this at the tail post position as per these pictures.

handglider

My Feedback: (23)

Place the taped together fuse crutch along the center line against the tail block. Place a small strip of the craft wood infront of the firewall to hold the fuse in position. Tack that small piece of wood in place capturing the fuse in position.

Mix up a small batch of 5 min epoxy. Start at one end of the fuse and glue the stations to the base, one station at a time ( both arms of the station ) hold the stations in place with the center guide of that former in alignment with the center line as it cures. Be neat with the epoxy as not to get any on the fuse side. work alternately gluing one set of stations from the front and rear of the fuse until you have all the stations in place always keeping the laser cut center guides of the formers aligned to the center line of the base board.

Just take your time and glue the pairs of station arms in place along the fuse. Once you get started its really easy.

handglider

My Feedback: (23)

Once completely cured, remove that front block in front of the firewall then pull the fuse from the jig. Add clear tape along the edges of the stations and along the base of the board. This will help prevent the fuse from being glued to the jig. I guess if you are a messy gluer you could even wax the tape.

handglider

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We are done building the fixture jig. It's about a 2 hour project and you are set to build VF3 fuses perfectly consistently for life. If you hire me to do your building this will be the method I will use, and rest assured you will have perfectly matched fuses.

To assemble the fuse you need to install all formers, the front flooring between f2 and the firewall and the landing gear block at the same time when it goes into the jig. Trial fit all these parts and assemble the fuse dry.

You will use CA for the balsa formers and slow setting epoxy for the firewall, the front lower flooring, the landing gear block, f2 and the tail former f9. I use West Systems with a little chopped fiberglass, it acts like rebar and gives more surface area for the epoxy to grip on.

Apply epoxy to the firewall, the front lower flooring, the landing gear block, f2 and the tail former f9, just hold the fuse together and side it into the jig from the front. I also apply epoxy to the mating fuse areas.

At the rear of the fuse strap the tail into the tail block of the jig with 2" wide masking tape as you can see here. insert the wing and stab tubes and check alignment.

Take your time and make sure you have tight seems, no gaps and enough epoxy in those areas. Once satisfied with alignment tack glue the balsa formers in place with thin CA.

After an overnight cure for the epoxy. Side the fuse out of the front of the jig, I then go back over the balsa formers with thin CA and then medium CA.

That's it yer done with the basic fuse build.

handglider

My Feedback: (23)

And here it is, a perfect VF3 fuselage and really nice at 9.8 oz. Almost light enough to make this an electric build, it will be interesting to see how light Mike's electric build is at this point. I do have a heavier firewall and I think Mike is drilling out the landing gear block for lightness. I bet he's around 8 oz +- at this point. You can build and hit this weight no problem, just use the right amount of glues, wiping away all access, no drips or runs. Keeping it clean is the trick here.

The goal is to have the finished and completed fuse with paint to be around 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 lbs. So I seem to be right on track so far.

This is less than 5 hours of work to this point.

Next I will be installing the upper half formers, a few more doublers, the rest of the flooring, the deps system, the rear fuse bracing, the fin floor, the lower canopy deck stringers and sheeting, the firewall bracing former, the front firewall stringers and sheeting, and the turtle deck and belly cores that I just finished.

Stay tuned at this point things start happening fast and the plane really grows big.

Also thanks all for checking out this build thread, it's amazing that I have almost 1000 hits in 48 hours of starting this.

grcourtney

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Cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gary

MHester

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So when you gonna build one Gary?

-Mike

grcourtney

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as soon as we get a mould? and go comp!!! termites bad in north al.

gary

MHester

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maybe......but MAN that's a lot of work!

-M

grcourtney

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like working through mount everest of foam isn't!!!!!!!


gary

handglider

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Gary what ya worried about - splinters You could build about a dozen of these in the time it would take to make the plug. You could always build it with that new Yella Contest Balsa ... hahaha

MikeRuth

No posts in 4 days, did somebody get sick? Hope not.

I miss my build thread fix!!!

Mike R

handglider

My Feedback: (23)

Hey Mike R,

I am really glad you guys are following this thread and sorry about messing up your daily dose of VF-3 building

I am swinging by Mike's tonight to pick up the cowl, chin and canopy. I've been in a little bit of a holding pattern waiting on the composites for the next parts of the build. Mike has been busy putting kits together and he has a little bit of a back log with kit's going out, since this is my #2 VF3 I am in line with the rest of everybody that's ordered a kit.

I did have a few days off for a family thing too.

But I am lining up the next steps so stay tuned, I promise to be back. I am anxious to get this bird painted myself !!!

Dean

MHester

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The good news is I have about a week, and I'm completely cought up! woohoo!

-Mike

Mastertech

My Feedback: (31)

Time to get started on VF4x2, you know, the bipe version of the black magic.

MHester

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Actually it's a bipe version of the Shinden....but sort of a cross between the Shinden and Black Magic as far as construction. There will be probably a couple different versions of it. One for full tilt builders, and one tamed down for mortals. It's not going to be a piece of cake, but doable.

Don't even ask about the time frame though. It's done whenever it's done, that means built, tested, trimmed, modified if necessary, and rebuilt. I know I will have one myself for next year, and there MAY be a couple others flying by next season. If everything goes smoothly we should have it ready by next spring, but no promises.

I will have a 110 sized VF3 by this fall. I'm working up the prototypes this month and should have it tested and kitted by October. I MIGHT even ARF this one, and possibly a 2 meter as well.

The Shinden is sort of on the backburner at Bryan's request. I'm going to keep plugging at it and try to get it ready by this fall, but it has been redesigned and updated so it's not really the same plane as the composite version. When it's ready, it'll be a real weapon, even more lethal than the current Shinden.

Then there's secret project X for next season.....LOL sorry no details on that one but if you've heard rumors, they may have some merit.

-Mike

handglider

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I really want to build that bipe next, knowing Mike it will be freaking AWESOME !!!!! Yea I want the full tilt boogie bipe version

Anyhow, just got the word from Mike that my composites are ready to be picked up tonight. So I should have the next chapter of build posts ready soon.


get ready to rock on dudes, some of you all might be getting kits soon,

just build it baby !!!

MHester

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No might, most are en route now. Some of the electrics are not shipped because of the new foam (and new firewalls), and the basic kits should ship by the weekend.

So, by next week, everything will be out the door. YEAH then I can build some planes again!

-Mike

handglider

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Hello All,

I had a busy week at work and I have family visiting, so not much done this week on the plane. I did pick up the cowl, chin and canopy weds night and there are really nice, Melissa did a great job on the composites. I have the turtle deck and belly core sheeted and ready. My work plan this weekend is to get the fuse basically built. So I will be taking lots of pictures and notes for the build thread. I also picked up a set of sheeted wings and stabs from Mike, I should be able to get most of the work done on the cores as well this weekend.

The other VF-3 build - I am finishing everything this weekend for fiberglass. That's my #1 plane and my primary build.

handglider

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This is my #3 Black magic project, I am doing a retro fit electric conversion on my V2.2 build that I started a year ago. It's all in perfect DCC white base and wet sanded. I hope to get a couple colors on it this weekend too. I've got a motor coming. I had it all on the scales the other night and numbers say it should be at around 10 1/2 lbs with 3700's, with a big motor.

handglider

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as a little sidebar....


We visited the USS Yorktown navel museum last week. Here is a link to a small gallery.

http://www.dragonfirecustoms.com/yorktown/

handglider

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I am thinking of starting another thread on painting my #1 VF3. Here is a sneek peak of the thread. This is the job I did on the "Evil Red B...."