May 01, 2008     Homemade gauge tool for mounting the tail       Category: Tools

Just a tip for those getting ready to mount their tail:

When mounting the horizontal stabilizer, there's a critical measurement that must be made before drilling the holes for the attach bolts. It's impossible to fit a ruler in in the small space in front of the spar, and even if you could, you probably wouldn't be able to read it.

I made this gauge from a scrap piece of a stiffener in order to transfer the required 15/32" dimension to the lower spar cap.

  Sep 20, 2007     Axle wrench - (0.2 hour)       Category: Tools

I took some time to build Van's cool little axle-nut wrench. It went together in about five minutes, not including polishing it. It should come in handy someday.

  Sep 13, 2007     Washer tool - (.5 hour)       Category: Tools

I attached the right aileron to the right wing, with the help of a tool I bought at Oshkosh -- Avery's cool little washer tool. I don't remember exactly how I used to insert washers into tight places before I had this thing. Good tools make me forget all my past suffering.

  May 02, 2007     Rivet containers       Category: Tools

I bought these handy plastic/rubber containers from a popular big-box store. They're called ViewTainers.

They're very handy for storing and dispensing rivets, because you can carry them anywhere with almost no risk of spilling rivets all over the floor, or into the deep recesses of your airplane. It's easy to squeeze the top open to tap out a few at a time.

They come in multiple colors. I use the blue ones for AN426 flush rivets, and the red ones for AN470 universal rivets.

  May 02, 2007     Drills and hoses       Category: Tools

One of the most-used and most important tools you'll need when building an RV is a pneumatic drill.
Here are some tips regarding drills and drilling accessories:

1. Buy Sioux drills. Don't mess around with any other brand. These are simply the lightest, best ones available, and are a pleasure to use. Avery Tool sells them.

2. Buy TWO of them. Put a #40 bit in one, and a #30 in the other. Leave 'em that way. I made labels for mine (see first two photos) that identify which is which. Sounds silly, but you WILL grab the wrong one someday.

3. Buy lightweight air hoses and fittings (see first and third photos). The clear ones pictured here were from Avery Tool, and they're so light, you scarcely notice them. Add a swivel connector to the drill (first photo) and you'll be able to use it in lots of tight spots that other drills can't reach.

4. Set up a manifold with several air lines running to different parts of your shop (see third photo). That way, you won't have to drag air lines all over the place when you want to move from the fuselage to the workbench and back.

  May 02, 2007     Cool pneumatic tools; Gear tower access holes       Category: Tools

I'm a huge sucker for great tools. After a recent, unexpected cash windfall, I decided to buy a couple of items I thought I'd never need or care about.

First was a Taylor pneumatic shear. After using it to cut out a pair access covers for my gear towers, I fell hopelessly in love with it. As you can see in the first photo, they will cut a perfect, 1/4" wide strip of metal, with absolutely no burrs, edge deformation, or physical effort. The second photo below shows two different methods of cutting the access holes between two pre-punched lightening holes. The dramatic difference is what you can't see. The top cut took over five minutes with a noisy Dremel tool and a cutoff wheel, and it threw aluminum dust and chips everywhere. The bottom cut took me six seconds, with no mess. It's so easy to cut metal with shears, it makes you want to cut up a bunch of scrap, just for fun.

The other tool I bought was a pneumatic cleco tool. I almost felt guilty using it the first time, but after inserting the twenty clecoes in the access cover in about 30 seconds with nothing but a small pressure from my index finger, all of my reservations disappeared. This thing will really come in handy on large forests of clecoes, like on the wing skins, where repetitive strain injuries are most likely.

Yeah, you can call me a tool nerd. I don't mind.

  Jan 30, 2002     Dimpling table construction       Category: Tools

(1.8 hours) Built a dimpling table. The dimpling platform rests on my small work table and is built from 2x4s and 3/4" pressboard. I made sure the tabletop is level with the dimple die. (The plywood top was thicker than I thought, so I could not carpet the table top as I'd planned. Instead, I sanded the tabletop and its edges . This should be OK, since the skins have a protective plastic coating.)