Original Posted By: "Catdesign"
Yeah, sure, I'd love to move the hands of the clock back to when I was 9 or 10 years old and our family friend Wally took us out to the old Laredo AFB Auxiliary Field (later to be Laredo Airport) and gave me my first airplane ride ever, in a Luscombe. I sat in his lap and I'll never, ever forget the feeling and the impressions I had as I watched the brown grass disappear beneath the wheels, as I looked out the side windows. I don't remember what we saw, or flew over, or what maneuvers we did- but I'll never forget the feeling of watching the ground melt away beneath the tires of that shiny airplane as Wally manipulated the controls and we took to the air. And I've never lost that feeling, that same feeling I get whenever I fly a J-3 or a Super Cub, or anything with an open cockpit. You hang your head over to the side and watch the ground melt away under the fat little tires...This is why I want to fly Pietenpols, and why you do, too...Oscar ZunigaSan Antonio, TXmailto: taildrags(at)hotmail.comwebsite at http://www.flysquirrel.net________________________________________________________________________________
Pietenpol-List: first rides
RE: Pietenpol-List: Making Metal Fittings
Original Posted By: "Phillips, Jack"
All this discussion about CAD has prompted me to speak up and relate my experiencewith making fitting per the drawings. I drew up all the fittings using TurboCAD.I like TurboCAD and will likely upgrade to their 3D version when theprice comes down.I knew from Mike Cuy's posts on this list that many of the fittings need to bea bit longer. On some fittings I think this is due to not allowing for the bendallowance when they were drawn. On others, I just don't know why. So whendrawing each fitting I included the bend allowance (even put in bend lines) asshown in "Making Fittings" by Tony Bingelis ( The Sport Plane Builder Bookfrom the EAA [catch that reference Mike?]). It worked well to glue on the printed fitting templates and cut them out. Aftercutting, grinding then sanding you end up with a fitting that is very closeto the drawing. The crosshair in the bolt hole is very helpful in placing a dimpleexactly where the plans show the center of the hole. But there is the problem,not all the fittings I've made seem to fit my fuselage and tail like Ithink they should. Fortunately, a much wiser builder then I told me not to makethe fitting until I need them, just for this reason. I think the problem liesin the way the plans were drawn and the inaccuracies of building. Now, Iam not saying the plans are wrong. All I am saying is that in places the fittingcould fit the location better.So here is what I now do. I make a template using cardboard, paper, light aluminumor whatever is handy, right on the completed structural element. I makemy template large enough to layout the holes where the plans say to do it. ThenI adjust the center of these holes to the best spot on the structure. Usuallythis is to the centerline of the wood member or away from a glue joint. Ithen adjust the outside dimension of the fitting to maintain the setback awayfrom the edge. Holes hanging out in space I located per the drawing but a bitfarther away (ie longer tabs, as Mike suggests). I mostly follow the plansbut the CAD drawings were, for me, a waste of time. The thing about fittingsis you need to look at what they are supposed to do and make them fit your planenot the plans. If I can, I do all the bending before drilling any holes. As for holes, leavethem undersize clamp them in place and drill the matching holes on the wood member.Then I do the final trimming down to the correct shape and size. On doubledup fittings (you know where there is one on the inside and one on the outside)only drill holes on one then clamp both on the fuselage drill an undersizehole all the way through the other fitting. Then enlarge the hole to the propersize and then finish to the shape and size.That's the way I see it. Now I haven't made that many fittings yet so this mightbe my problem and more experienced builders may not encounter this. I'm newto metal work but I'm finding the learning curve to be fun. My wood constructionis as close as I can come but trust me I know it's not perfect.Oh, one more thing, because I feel that this advice, to not build the fittingsfirst, has saved me a bunch of money, I have chosen to not give out the CAD filesbecause I would feel terrible if someone used them to make the fittings andthey did not fit.Sorry about the long postChris TracySacramento, Ca________________________________________________________________________________Subject: RE: Pietenpol-List: Making Metal FittingsDate: Wed, 8 Feb 2006 07:15:29 -0500
All this discussion about CAD has prompted me to speak up and relate my experiencewith making fitting per the drawings. I drew up all the fittings using TurboCAD.I like TurboCAD and will likely upgrade to their 3D version when theprice comes down.I knew from Mike Cuy's posts on this list that many of the fittings need to bea bit longer. On some fittings I think this is due to not allowing for the bendallowance when they were drawn. On others, I just don't know why. So whendrawing each fitting I included the bend allowance (even put in bend lines) asshown in "Making Fittings" by Tony Bingelis ( The Sport Plane Builder Bookfrom the EAA [catch that reference Mike?]). It worked well to glue on the printed fitting templates and cut them out. Aftercutting, grinding then sanding you end up with a fitting that is very closeto the drawing. The crosshair in the bolt hole is very helpful in placing a dimpleexactly where the plans show the center of the hole. But there is the problem,not all the fittings I've made seem to fit my fuselage and tail like Ithink they should. Fortunately, a much wiser builder then I told me not to makethe fitting until I need them, just for this reason. I think the problem liesin the way the plans were drawn and the inaccuracies of building. Now, Iam not saying the plans are wrong. All I am saying is that in places the fittingcould fit the location better.So here is what I now do. I make a template using cardboard, paper, light aluminumor whatever is handy, right on the completed structural element. I makemy template large enough to layout the holes where the plans say to do it. ThenI adjust the center of these holes to the best spot on the structure. Usuallythis is to the centerline of the wood member or away from a glue joint. Ithen adjust the outside dimension of the fitting to maintain the setback awayfrom the edge. Holes hanging out in space I located per the drawing but a bitfarther away (ie longer tabs, as Mike suggests). I mostly follow the plansbut the CAD drawings were, for me, a waste of time. The thing about fittingsis you need to look at what they are supposed to do and make them fit your planenot the plans. If I can, I do all the bending before drilling any holes. As for holes, leavethem undersize clamp them in place and drill the matching holes on the wood member.Then I do the final trimming down to the correct shape and size. On doubledup fittings (you know where there is one on the inside and one on the outside)only drill holes on one then clamp both on the fuselage drill an undersizehole all the way through the other fitting. Then enlarge the hole to the propersize and then finish to the shape and size.That's the way I see it. Now I haven't made that many fittings yet so this mightbe my problem and more experienced builders may not encounter this. I'm newto metal work but I'm finding the learning curve to be fun. My wood constructionis as close as I can come but trust me I know it's not perfect.Oh, one more thing, because I feel that this advice, to not build the fittingsfirst, has saved me a bunch of money, I have chosen to not give out the CAD filesbecause I would feel terrible if someone used them to make the fittings andthey did not fit.Sorry about the long postChris TracySacramento, Ca________________________________________________________________________________Subject: RE: Pietenpol-List: Making Metal FittingsDate: Wed, 8 Feb 2006 07:15:29 -0500