Brodhead Pietenpol Association

Original Posted By: "walt evans"
Hi Guys,I have just had my first major woodworking cock up. I have been trying toglue the leading edge ply to one of the outer wing sections of a three piecewing.I started by making up the whole length from four pieces of ply scarfejointed together. I loosely attached the top of the ply to the upper spar ofthe wing and applied many wet towels along the leading edge bend line. Ithought of gluing it all at one time but decided to do the top first, letthat dry and then do the bottom.I glued the top part, let it dry and I got as far as applying the glue tothe bottom part yesterday afternoon but could not get the ply to fit aroundthe LE properly. I presume I had not bent it enough. It was becoming a realmess so I removed the ply totally from top and bottom and will have to startagain. The glue works well. I will have a lot of cleaning up to do on thewing rib leading edges!How did you guys do yours? did you glue it all as one piece? or one top andanother on the bottom? or in pieces to butt joint at the ribs?......Any tips or a blow by blow account of how you managed it would be gratefullyreceived?Many thanksPeterWonthaggi Australiahttp://www.cpc-world.com ________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: Peter W Johnson
Peter,I borrowed someone elses idea with cutting a plastic jug (either Chlorox or a whitejug from cat litter) into strips about 3/4" wide on the band saw. After glueingwith T-88 simply stapled through the strips into the ply, into the rib.Next day , the glue doesn't stick to the plastic, and mainly the plastic stopsthe staples from making a dent in the ply. When using the light staples only1/4' long, the strips could be grabbed at the end and pulled in a long stripto remove the staples.didn't scarff the joint, just cut the length to center on a rib center where necessary.walt evansNX140DL ----- Original Message -----

Original Posted By: Les Schubert

Original Posted By: "Les Schubert"
Les. I've seen this too. It seems to be a function of temperature. Itdoesn't do it if the ambient temp is over 50 F. I've heard some folks saythis is common with A-65s.I'm interested in responses here , too.I'm still waiting on some reasonable winds. All dressed up with no where togo!BC http://bconoly.tripod.com/----- Original Message -----

Original Posted By: "Peter W Johnson"
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Leading Edge PlyPeter,The 1/16" plywood goes on the Top Only. It does not go around the leading edge, and it does not go on the bottom of the wing. It does not get glued to the top of the front spar, either. The plywood overlaps the leading about 3/4",then after the adhesive is set, bevel the forward edge of the plywood, and blend it in. You could scarf splice the edges of each of the four pieces abovea rib, but I made butt joints. The only place it is glued is along the leading edge, and up each of the ribs. The aft edge of the plywood, just abovethe spar, will kind of warp up a little bit. Bevel the aft edge of the plywood slightly, and when the fabric is installed and shrunk, it pulls the aft edge ofthe plywood down very nicely. There is no need to wet the plywood, because itis a very large radius along that portion of the airfoil, and it is no problem at all to bend the plywood along the ribs. I used T88 on mine, and didnot use any nails, or staples. I used quite a few clamps, but not too much clamp pressure, so you don't squeeze all the adhesive out. I also used the black rubber bunji chords around the leading edge, and the spar, between each rib, but use temporary blocks to space the plywood up off the spar, so you don't getslack in the plywood there. Chuck G.________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
Chuck/Walt.Thanks for the reply's.I am using the Jim Wills version of the plans which call for the completeleading edge to be covered with ply. I will combine the two ideas and seehow it goes. I'll butt joint the ply pieces at the ribs. That will make iteasier to bend the smaller pieces rather than try to bend the whole length.Ain't life fun.CheersPeter.Wonthaggi, Australiahttp://www.cpc-world.com-----Original Message-----