Project: N56BZ   -  
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Builder Name: Craig Cousins   -  
Project:   Vans - RV-14A   -   VIEW REPORTS
Total Hours:1453.5
Total Flight Time:71
Start/Last Date:Dec 23, 2019 - Oct 10, 2021
Engine:Lycoming IO390
Panel:Dynon Skyview, Garmin 175
 
Friendly URL: https://eaabuilderslog.org?s=N56BZ

Home or Last Project Picture

Oct 13, 2021     First photo flight after painting - (1 hour)       Category: Photo Flight
We wanted some in-flight pictures

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Oct 09, 2021     Unique Design - (80 hours)       Category: Paint / Decals
My wife and I worked on this design with John Stahr for about a year. We wanted something totally different and high impact.

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Sep 06, 2021     Side panels and seats final install - (20 hours)       Category: Interior Finish
Aero Classic Interior. Was quite a bit of work to install but I'm happy with the product.

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Aug 17, 2021     Carpets - (6 hours)       Category: Interior Finish
Carpets installed. Seats ready. Need to work on the side panels next.

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Apr 09, 2021     First flight - (10 hours)       Category: Photo Flight
Made some temporary seat cushions and installed quite a bit of sound deadening insulation. Waiting on the interior package to arrive in a few weeks. 8 month backlog. Photo's after the first flight. No snags, uneventful. Flew hands off.

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Apr 05, 2021     Taxi tests - (1.5 hours)       Category: Inspection
Slow taxi, med speed run and full power run to 50 knots. All good

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Apr 03, 2021     C of A time - (4 hours)       Category: Inspection
The DAR was Arnold Holmes put of Leesburg, FL. After reviewing the paperwork he proceeded with a mirror and flashlight to do a very thorough look at all critical points. Yes, he found a couple of items I needed to correct but they were small and I was able to do them while he continued his inspection. Pulled the plane out for the engine demo. All went well. It was a good experience.

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Mar 25, 2021     Getting ready for the DAR - (24 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Not sure where to put this entry. Just working on a list of all small items and a detailed inspection preparing for the DAR next month

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Mar 14, 2021     First run - (3 hours)       Category: Engine
After purging the fuel system and pre-oiling the engine, we brought it to life. Had a grounded P-lead on the left mag. Rectified that and all in the green.

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Mar 06, 2021     Static system integrity check - (1 hour) Category: Avionics
No pictures. Just a log entry. Static system tested to 6000 feet. Leakage rate 45 feet per minute. Within specifications for IFR certification
 
Feb 22, 2021     Nav and Strobe lights - (3 hours)       Category: Wings
A small issue with the wiring sorted out and the Nav and Strobe lights are alive.

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Feb 22, 2021     HS mounted - (2 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers
It's on

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Feb 15, 2021     Transport and install the wings - (12 hours)       Category: Wings
Take the completed wings to the hangar. Install the wings. Hang the ailerons and flaps. Rig the flaps to full retract using a digital level

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Jan 31, 2021     Wing close up - (20 hours)       Category: Wings
Prep the skins, pitot mast and J Channel then riveting every conceivable position you can imagine.

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Jan 10, 2021     Testing the Comms - (1 hour)       Category: Avionics
My wife giving me a hand to test the communication systems.

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Jan 10, 2021     iPad RAM mount - (2 hours)       Category: Avionics
Install the RAM mount for the iPad

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Jan 10, 2021     The cup holder - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Pop cans and water bottles fit nicely

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Jan 10, 2021     More cowl work - (20 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Close up the gaps between the cowl and the fuselage

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Jan 03, 2021     More miscellaneous - (16 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Installed the seat belts, seat backs, USB port, auxiliary audio input and finally bolted in the control sticks

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Jan 01, 2021     Miscellaneous - (60 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Almost 2 weeks of work but no pictures really. Working on all the fiberglass parts. Cowl, wheel pants, intersection fairings, etc. And finishing up a lot of small jobs.

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Dec 19, 2020     Dynon GPS antenna/reciever - (5 hours)       Category: Avionics
Installed and configured the Dynon integrated GPS antenna and receiver. This is the redundant GPS positions source. IFR position info coming from the Garmin 175

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Dec 19, 2020     Canopy Wiring - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Wired canopy map lighting, defrost fans and canopy lock micro switch. Also installed the sun shade

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Dec 13, 2020     CHT, EGT and spark plug wires - (8 hours)       Category: Engine
Install and route the CHT, EGT and spark plug wires. Fire up the Dynon and all engine instrumentation working

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Dec 13, 2020     Heat muffs and ducting - (6 hours)       Category: Engine
Installed the heat muffs and ducting

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Dec 06, 2020     I'm exhuasted - (10 hours)       Category: Engine
First fit of the exhaust system. Had to lift the nose and disconnect the nose gear spring arm to get the tailpipe assembly into position. This is a 3 dimensional jigsaw puzzle.

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Oct 18, 2020     More wiring - (8 hours)       Category: Instrument Panel
Worked on routing and tie-wrapping. Made up a connector to mate with the canopy. Started ELT install. You need to order 2 batteries in order to complete

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Oct 17, 2020     90% done - (12 hours)       Category: Instrument Panel
Wired all power, P-leads, tach leads, leads for canopy interconnects, master, starter and alternator switches, etc. First power up for the full electrical system. No smoke.

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Oct 11, 2020     Engine Monitors - (10 hours)       Category: Avionics
After a brief pause to recover from hernia surgery, back at it this weekend. Have MP, Fuel Pressure, Oil pressure, Oil temp, ammeter and fuel flow all connected and apparently working.

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Aug 12, 2020     Back window - (10 hours) Category: Fuselage
Fitting the back window. A lot of back and forth to get it positioned
 
 
Aug 08, 2020     Roll bar assembly - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Finally installed

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Aug 01, 2020     Full panel test - (16 hours)       Category: Avionics
Powered up the full panel to test comms, ADSB, ARINC429, Transponder, etc. All integration working except the pitch servo not showing up on the network

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Jul 27, 2020     Comm and GPS panel - (20 hours)       Category: Avionics
Now it's live

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Jul 25, 2020     Right panel - (10 hours)       Category: Avionics
Right panel wired and tested. This panel features a retract simulator and will have a large iPad mounted for ForeFlight. The AV30 will allow me to fly from the right seat without having to look across the panel at the SkyView. Panels are painted with urethane, lettered with dry transfers then two coats of satin clear coat.

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Jul 25, 2020     Base paint - (20 hours)       Category: Interior Finish
Not sure what interior finishing panels I will have so painted most of the interior with automotive urethane

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Jul 05, 2020     Brakes - (3 hours)       Category: Landing Gear
Brake lines manufactured and installed

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Jul 03, 2020     Standing on its own - (16 hours) Category: Landing Gear
Finally on its own legs
 
Jul 02, 2020     Roll bar - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Still working on it

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Jun 28, 2020     NACA vents - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
NACA vents installed. Vans says to clamp them until the silicon sets. No real way to do that. Some duct tape will hold them in place.

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Jun 28, 2020     CB panel done - (6 hours)       Category: Instrument Panel
Circuit breaker panel final wiring completed. Powered up. No smoke

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Jun 27, 2020     The joy of joysticks - (4 hours)       Category: Controls
After waiting months for back ordered parts, I was finally able to make the sticks work in unison

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Jun 27, 2020     Just more wiring - (30 hours)       Category: Instrument Panel
Hours and days spent but always hard to see the progress here. My CB panel at 99 percent complete

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Jun 25, 2020     Continued wiring. - (16 hours)       Category: Instrument Panel
Lighting controller done. Continue running wires from the CB panel to the instrument panel while I am preparing the panel.

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Jun 25, 2020     Flaps final - (8 hours)       Category: Controls
Finished with the flap controller

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Jun 24, 2020     And so it begins - (16 hours) Category: Instrument Panel
Laying out, cutting and drilling
 
 
 
Jun 21, 2020     Flap Actuation System - (10 hours)       Category: Controls
After waiting months for back ordered torque tubes, was finally able to install the flap system today.

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Jun 14, 2020     Wing tip lenses - (8 hours)       Category: Wings
Cut and fit the wingtip lenses. Readied the FlyLEDs for installation

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Jun 10, 2020     Test before install - (20 hours)       Category: Avionics
Testing everything except AP servos before actual panel install. Had an intermittent signal from the GPS due to a pin not fully set at the ARINC429. Also had to reverse 2 pins for the audio alerts from the SkyView. All good now.

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Jun 03, 2020     Fire up the Skyview - (80 hours)       Category: Avionics
Not many pictures but a lot of slow work making the avionics harnesses and installing the gear. Fired up all but the autopilot and servos to test before installation of the panel. Worked through a few issues but had all working by 8 in the evening.

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May 24, 2020     Electrical routing and layout - (8 hours)       Category: Avionics
Finally got the main harness routed so that it won't interfere with my circuit breaker panel. Mounted the audio panel, GPS, Comm transceivers, transponder and EMS

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May 18, 2020     Control sticks - (4 hours)       Category: Controls
Ray Allen grips installed. Ordered the micro Molex connectors to complete

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May 17, 2020     Inspection Time - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
My AME and his son stop by to inspect the progress. Masks on of course. They asked lots of questions and looked at just about everything. All good.

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May 10, 2020     GPS antenna - (4 hours)       Category: Avionics
Initial mount and coax run. Still needs to be buttoned up

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May 09, 2020     Baggage floor, side panels, flap motor mount - (22 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Completed the baggage floor, side panels and flap motor mount

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May 01, 2020     Electrical Harness - (10 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Laying in the electrical harness. Routing to the control sticks is really tough. The connectors have to go through sideways with the wires bent as flat as you can get them. Then there is no room for your hands.

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Apr 26, 2020     It's finally one piece after a hard day of riveting - (16 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Front and back of fuselage finally riveted. My wife did the inside work.

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Apr 18, 2020     Joining the sections - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Mating the pieces together and installing the bulkheads

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Apr 15, 2020     Canopy frame - (35 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I found out where the 51% comes in. This thing is a lot of work. but it came out with no twist and just a bit of minor filing on the leading edge to ensure that it closes without interference (Vans shows you where this may be an issue).

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Apr 05, 2020     Finished - (16 hours)       Category: Fuel System
Completed the fuel system from the fuse sides to the firewall. Pressure tested at 50 psi. All good

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Apr 04, 2020     Almost done inside the fuselage - (10 hours)       Category: Fuel System
Just the left wing line to fabricate then finish clamping the lines in the brackets

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Mar 31, 2020     Inventory and first tasks - (16 hours)       Category: Fuselage
The fuselage and finish kit arrive. Did inventory and sorted the hardware. First tasks were some nut plates and the installation of the landing gear dead fittings after cutting the gear openings

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Mar 22, 2020     Tip fairings - (12 hours)       Category: Empennage
Sanding, shaping,sanding, more sanding, dust, dust, dust. Almost ready to close in the HS and VS tip fairings. Tail cone now relaxing in the living room.

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Mar 15, 2020     Trail fit, HS and VS - (4 hours)       Category: Empennage
Install the HS and complete the match drilling. Test fit the VS

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Mar 15, 2020     Elevator installation - (6 hours)       Category: Empennage
Fitting the elevators onto the HS. Most time spent working the interference out of the rounded leading edges. Rod bearings went in ok to spec. The bushing used to keep the drill centered while drilling the control arms to attach to the center bearing does not accommodate a #30 bit. A smaller one was required

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Mar 12, 2020     Tail come close out - (12 hours)       Category: Empennage
Almost ready to have my wife sit inside and buck the rivets for the tail cone close out

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Mar 08, 2020     Top skins - (4 hours)       Category: Empennage
And so it begins

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Mar 08, 2020     Test fit and match drill the vertical stabilizer - (18 hours)       Category: Empennage
Rear deck completed with some help. VS installed for match drilling. My inspection crew drops over. 2 builders and the A&P I work with maintaining my RV8

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Mar 05, 2020     Rear Fuselage Wiring Harness - (5 hours) Category: Empennage
 
Mar 05, 2020     Rear Fuselage Wiring Harness - (5 hours)       Category: Empennage
Vans asks you to run the wiring harness in the trough of the J-channel. Unfortunately, there is not enough clearance between the channel and the bulkhead. The phone wire to the ELT had to be run on the underside (not a problem). The clearance on the top side is tight enough that I feel it needed some protection from the sharp edge of the J channel and the bulkhead.

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Feb 23, 2020     Finally the empannage       Category: Empennage
Fitting the bulkheads, stringers, longerons and skins. Cleco heaven

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Feb 23, 2020     Left Elevator - (20 hours)       Category: Empennage
After a month of waiting on one part due to a mix up, the left elevator is finally done. Just need to install the trim motor (very small job)

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Feb 16, 2020     Bottom skin and large bulkheads - (8 hours)       Category: Empennage
Finally starting on the empennage. Building the first part up side down was fun. Turned it over and supported the bulkheads temporarily with tape so that I could inspect the rivets.

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Feb 01, 2020     Right elevator done - (8 hours)       Category: Empennage
Finally closed the trailing edge and rolled the leading edge. The 4 degree offset dies from Aircraft Tool Supply worked like a charm on the double flush rivets

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Jan 28, 2020     Parts invade the living room - (4 hours) Category: Empennage
Right elevator in the warmth for the adhesive to set after installation of the foam ribs. Moved furniture to make room where it won't get stepped on.
 
Jan 28, 2020     Parts invade the living room - (4 hours)       Category: Empennage
Right elevator in the warmth for the adhesive to set after installation of the foam ribs. Moved furniture to make room where it won't get stepped on.

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Jan 26, 2020     See Empennage Category: Tail Feathers
The entire back end is in the Empennage section
 
Jan 26, 2020     Right elevator almost there - (10 hours)       Category: Empennage
Pretty much closed up. Trailing edge bonding to the bottom TE using the 3M tape. Next glue in the foam ribs then rivet the trailing edge. A firm straight edge is absolutely necessary for this part of the assembly. A 4 foot level match drilled works great.

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Jan 25, 2020     Right Elevator - (10 hours)       Category: Empennage
If I have one complaint about the build so far, it's the jumping back and forth between the left and right elevator on every Page in this section. Would prefer to work on one at a time which is what I eventually did.

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Jan 21, 2020     Trim tab hinge - (2 hours)       Category: Empennage
Trim tab hinge installed on elevator and trim tab Z spar. Perfectly straight.

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Jan 18, 2020     HS done - (12 hours)       Category: Empennage
Final assembly and riveting completed today

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Jan 10, 2020     HS cleco heaven - (6 hours)       Category: Empennage
Getting ready to rivet and some help from my wife

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Jan 07, 2020     The frame finally gets installed into the skins - (4 hours)       Category: Empennage
It all lines up. Now I can cleco it to death

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Jan 06, 2020     HS ready for assembly - (20 hours) Category: Empennage
All skins dimpled. Frame built. Getting ready to start riveting the nose ribs into the skins.
 
Jan 06, 2020     HS ready for assembly - (20 hours) Category: Empennage
All skins dimpled. Frame built. Getting ready to start riveting the nose rubs into the skins.
 
Jan 06, 2020     HS ready for assembly - (20 hours)       Category: Empennage
All skins dimpled. Frame built to insertion stage. Getting ready to start riveting the nose ribs into the skins.

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Jan 02, 2020     Horizontal Stabilizer Main Spar - (4 hours)       Category: Empennage
This may not look like much but getting the HS main spar, spar caps, stringers and doublers ready is at least 4 hours of work. I lost count of the number of match drill holes. Lots of deburring needed.

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Jan 01, 2020     A bit of help from my youngest daughter - (3 hours)       Category: Empennage
Preparing the HS spar. Installing the doubler and brackets

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Jan 01, 2020     Happy New Year - (6 hours)       Category: Empennage
Rudder done this morning. Nice way to start 2020

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Dec 31, 2019     Rudder almost done - (10 hours)       Category: Empennage
Rolling of leading edge done. Just need to pop the rivets then on to the HS

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Dec 28, 2019     Quality inspectors - (4 hours)       Category: Empennage
Friends (A&P plus RV8 builder) giving me a hand to do the rudder internal riveting of the stiffeners. It's definitely at least a two person job.

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Dec 26, 2019     Stab final assembly - (12 hours)       Category: Empennage
Done until it's time to do the fiberglass work

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Dec 25, 2019     Dimple, dimple, it's kind of simple - (10 hours)       Category: Empennage
Final prep of rudder and VS skins. Everything primed where it counts and ready for final assembly

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Dec 24, 2019     Rudder trial fit - (10 hours)       Category: Empennage
Lots of clecos still to install the final drill the skins

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Dec 17, 2019     Recycle that wood - (3 hours)       Category: Workshop
If you carefully open the crate, you can turn it upside-down, install the cover as workbench surface and now you have a light duty assembly table. You could spend some time and beef it up as well. Mine is sitting on 2-four foot folding tables.

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Dec 16, 2019     Box is here - (6 hours)       Category: Workshop
Unpacking and inventory. Some hardware missing from the hardware bag. Vans informed

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