Mar 10, 2024     Fuselage rotisserie - (1.0 hour)       Category: Workshop

In other news, a few weeks ago I picked up an engine stand from my co-worker Phillip in Houston that he had once used as a fuselage rotisserie for his RV-8 taildragger. Since his aircraft could be supported by the tail wheel he only needed one stand and support the other end on a table. However, I would need a second one to support it on both ends, so I bought up another nearly identical engine stand from Harbor Freight, though seemingly a newer revision that now includes a longer handle, a grease fitting, and a snap-ring to hold the shaft in place.

Phillip had also mentioned that his engine stand had been intentionally mis-assembled to remove most of the shaft angle. I compared the new and the old engine stands and replicated his modification into the new one, which involved omitting the extra wheel tube, flipping the horizontal support tube upside-down, and drilling a hole in that tube to directly accept a single caster wheel. Although I'm still far from actually needing to use it, I have it ready for when I do.

  Mar 05, 2024     Finishing kit delivery - (3.0 hours)       Category: Workshop

Due to the uncertainty of the laser-cut parts and the bankruptcy reorganization of Vans, I had decided to put all work on pause until the dust had settled. Things seem to be stabilizing and this past Tuesday I received my finishing kit delivered directly to my hangar at the airport.

I had ordered this kit in Jan 2023 and the original delivery date then was projected to be in March 2024, so I actually got received it on time despite all of the business chaos. I did end up having to accept a price increase due to the bankruptcy settlement, and the wheels/brakes ended up getting separated into a new subkit that you have to now pay extra for. (I already have that Grove wheel/brake subkit and the firewall forward subkit ordered and they will apparently be coming together in a couple more months.)

In any case, I opted to have this kit delivered to my hangar since I knew it contained some very large pieces, such as the fiberglass engine cowling halves and the large plexiglass canopy windows. Since I planned to do the final assembly of these large pieces at the hangar, rather than my small garage it would be easier to directly ship there and avoid having to transport them again later in my car.

The kit also contained all of the replacements for the laser-cut parts (from my previously received wings, empennage, and fuselage kits) that I had requested on the Vans portal website. I had opted to request all of the "red" parts (those recommended for replacement), but none of the laser-cut parts that were deemed by Vans to be less important or structurally insignificant. I also did not order any of the "gold" parts (those adjacent to parts that might be damaged during replacement), since I hadn't damaged anything yet. I've been informed I'll be able to order those "gold" parts in the future at no cost (including shipping) should I need them.

I've started the inventory process of all of these parts, though it will take a few more nights for me to finish that process up. I've also been recycling all of the packing paper and cardboard, as well as dismantling the wooden shipping crate. I'll also need to see if I can get rid of the growing number of wooden shipping pallets that have been accumulating at the hangar.

  Jul 29, 2023     Mounting TV in workshop - (2.0 hours)       Category: Workshop

This was just a minor improvement to my workshop, but I spent a couple of hours mounting a wall-mount bracket in the corner of my workshop so that I could hang an old TV that used to be in another room. I also had to install a new wall power outlet behind the TV to keep the power cords hidden and out of sight. This TV should keep me entertained a little more while I'm working on the plane build. I could even watch some of the other RV youtube build videos while I'm working.

  May 06, 2023     Building another worktable - (4.0 hours)       Category: Workshop

I convinced Yang, one of my non-aviation friends, that he needed a bench for his garage and that we should build a pair of EAA Standard Worktables together so that he could have one and I could take the other to my hangar. So we spent Saturday assembling two from the plans, one for him and the other for me. After finishing mine, we moved it to my hangar so I'll have space to work when I eventually move my build there.

  Dec 02, 2022     New workshop table - (2.0 hours)       Category: Workshop

I decided that I needed to replace the plastic folding picnic table with something a little more substantial. So, I ended up getting another of these adjustable height Husky tables from Home Depot, but I picked one that had two drawers in it so that I could put some of my tools in it. Although I have toolboxes elsewhere in the garage, I usually keep a small number of tools close by that are relevant to whatever tasks I am currently doing.

Additionally, the adjustable height of these two Husky tables will let me assemble larger parts (like the other wing spar or the upcoming empennage) spanning across the tables and still be able to raise/lower them together for easier access to my workpiece.

My two EAA standard worktables are now both against the wall and one will be used for reading my build plans now.

  Aug 09, 2022     Vans Lightbox Kit - (3.0 hours)       Category: Workshop

Although not part of the plane, I ordered the Vans Aircraft lightbox kit back at the beginning of January and finally received it yesterday. I had intended to put together this LED sign as a practice kit before I started working on real airplane parts, but shipping delays caused things to arrive out of sequence. In any case, I spent a few hours putting this together so I would have something nice to decorate my workspace.

This kit actually doesn't provide as full guidance about how to do the assembly, at least compared to regular airplane build instructions. You're instead encouraged to personalize it and choose what type of rivet style (flush, universal, or blind) to use for the assembly and have to make your own decisions about what to dimple, countersink, or nothing. I ended up using solid universal rivets for most of the body, blind rivets for the front face, and leaving it unpainted.

  May 22, 2022     Woodworking building DRDT2 table - (4 hours)       Category: Workshop

Today work was mostly woodworking tasks, since I wanted to get rid of the delivery pallet and the remains of the larger wing kit crate because next week was my city's bulk garbage collection. I used the plans supplied with the DRDT2 dimpler to construct its support table using the plywood from the top of the crate. I didn't cover it with carpeting yet, but some leftover cardboard seems to work well enough for now.

I also took some time to sand down the wing cradles that I had already cut from the top of the crate. I also cut the 2x2 clamping blocks that I'll need to later attach to those cradles.

With that done, I pulled the old crate and pallet to the curb and I'm now able to park one of my cars in the garage again...

  Apr 26, 2022     Finished casters on second worktable - (1 hour)       Category: Workshop

I ended up having the use an orbital sander to take a little bit off of two of the legs to get things to sit precisely flat.

I also installed some replacement window shades in the workshop to limit the heat that'll being coming in during the summer.

My workshop is in the area that would normally be a formal dining room, but I've never actually needed more than the breakfast table area that is adjacent to the kitchen. Some friends have suggested plastic sheeting to curtain off the workshop from the rest of the house, and possibly HEPA air filtration to keep the dust down. I'll have to see how much of an issue that actually becomes once I get started, but I'll definitely be doing messy things (like painting and sanding fiberglass) outside or in the garage.

Although I ordered both the empennage and wing kits in January 2022, the wing kit is scheduled to be the first one arriving. Crating for the wings is currently scheduled for May 2 2022 - May 6 2022, with shipping to be done after that....

  Apr 25, 2022     Finished assembly of second worktable - (2.3 hours)       Category: Workshop

The second table was finished up, but there was a little bit of wobble when I put the table back upright on the floor. I didn't have time to actually install the caster wheels in this session, but I set out the parts to prepare to install them the next day.

  Apr 24, 2022     Started assembly of second worktable - (1.5 hours)       Category: Workshop

The assembly of the second worktable is going faster now that I know how things were intended to go together.

  Apr 22, 2022     Finished first worktable - (3 hours)       Category: Workshop

Finished assembling worktable 1. I also mounted some retractable caster wheels that I had ordered from Amazon. These allow the table to sit completely on the floor when the wheels aren't necessary, keeping it rigid and stable for normal use.

  Apr 21, 2022     Started assembling workbench 1 - (3 hours)       Category: Workshop

Finished cutting all of the wood for the two workbenches. Started assembling the first workbench, using glue and screws.

  Apr 20, 2022     Continued cutting wood for workbenches - (2 hours) Category: Workshop

More cutting of wood... (no pictures taken)

  Apr 16, 2022     Started cutting wood for workbenches - (2 hours)       Category: Workshop

Purchased the wood for the EAA standard workbench and got it transported home. Home Depot seemed to have slightly better pricing than Lowe's this time, Although I had them cut the plywood for me, I opted to cut all of the 2x4's myself at home. I started making some of the first cuts using my new bandsaw and a jigsaw. I know a chopsaw or tablesaw would definitely have been more appropriate, but I just wanted to use tools I had already.

  Jan 23, 2022     Got a wing cart - (4 hours)       Category: Workshop

A colleague and fellow builder alerted me to a posting on vansairforce of someone nearby getting rid of their RV-14 wing cart because they had progressed past the stage of needing it anymore. It was only about 1.5 hours' drive away at Brenham airport, a location I've flown to many times before but never driven to that airport before. After reaching out to that builder, I planned the meeting to pick it up, which ended up needing a bit of disassembly in order to fit in my Jeep Liberty SUV. Before heading back, I had lunch at the airport diner (which had just recently reopened under new ownership).

Once I got back home, I reassembled it using the existing screw holes and just a few new screws to replace some of the stripped ones. I noticed that the caster wheels also needed a bit of lubrication, so I added some oil too. One of my cats has already found it to be a nice place to rest, at least while the cart is still empty.