Initial Prep (Debur, Trim, Drill, and Cut)
3/3/23 - 1.5h
3/4/23 - 4.0h
All of the nose rib holes are final drilled in this step, and the remaining modifications for the rod end rib subassemblies are completed in this step. All of my nose ribs were delivered with final-sized holes, which made quick work of this step. The main task was final-drilling the 1/4" hole in the outboard rod end subassemblies. I also had to do some final-drilling for the webs of the hinge pair subassemblies. The plans were not completely clear on whether or not all four (two left flap and two right flap) hinge pair subassemblies received the same treatment. There is a note after this step that says remaining steps refer just to the left flap, but I think that note also applies to the hinge pair assemblies and I final drilled all four sets.

The primary task on this sheet, other than deburring all of the nose and main ribs, is removing the small tab at the aft end of the upper rib flange. This is done to gain access to the hole just across from the tab on the lower rib flange. The task doesn't look overly complicated, but I learned a lesson from another builder that it is very easy to accidentally trim off the lower tab with the hole while trimming off the upper tab. I planned to clamp the rib to the work bench and use a Dremel with a metal cutting disk to remove the tab. I clamped a thin piece of steel under the tab to act as a backstop to protect the bottom tab. The backstop worked great, and I managed to remove all of the upper tabs without damaging the bottom flange of the ribs. I filed each cut even with the curve in the notch, put a small radius on the end with the file, and deburred each rib.
[Hole and Edge Deburring Tools, #30 Drill, #40 Drill, 1/4" Drill, Dremel with Metal Cutting Disk]