DR-1 (Sands): Builders Group

[Fritz Kempf]

For you guys having a hard time finding wheels; you should contact Roger Freeman in TX. I bought mine from him and I'm very happy with them. As far as historically correct goes, I would have to say there better than anything I have seen out there. They come smooth (no sanding of tread required), bronze bushed and painted to the right color. What more could you ask for?

This links you to a picture of my wheels:

http://vintageaviation.net/edsflugzeugwerke4.htm

This is Rogers site:

http://www.vintageaviation.org/

He doesn't advertise the wheels on his site (though he should, I know I have gotten enough emails about them) so don't look. You need to contact him directly.

Ps. my site is badly out of date and needs to be updated so most of the other info is not correct. Oh, and I guess I'm the only one that started with the Steel first.... Can you say Wood Butcher???? :P

[Jim Bruton]

Welcome Ed!

'bout time you joined in and posted a message! Yes everyone, the wheels Ed mentions ARE as perfect a set as i can imagine- if he had told me they were authentic, i would have believed him.

and Yes! it seems that most folks here began with the ribs- i don't know if it is because wood offers an easier learning curve or more people just happen to have wood working experience/gear, but it certainly allows a builder to get their feet wet and in the midst of knee-deep sawdust, contemplate the magnitude of the task..... like welding up a fuselage wouldn't! or how about the zillion metal gussets for the bracing- i am really looking forward to that!

Ed and i will be working together here and there to help each other- with his permission, i'll post some photos, which will also help update his site.

everyone welcome Ed!

[Fokker210]

A middle wing looking for a spar !

[Fokker210]

In the above pic you can see a print of 152/17, the scheme I have decided on. Kudos to Jim Bruton - one hell of a nice guy !! Thanks for providing some inspiration to my shop !

Fritz - I had bookmarked your web page some time ago and have been eager to see updates ! Glad to see you here - keep us all abreast of your progress !

[Jim Bruton]

Fokker 210, Now we need a photo of you standing between the 2 wings, about where the cockpit would be, holding an upright broomstick handle- ready for takeoff! I'll bet you could almost taste the finished product when you laid all the ribs out the full middle wing span- i laid out my paltry 10 ribs a few feet the other day- keeps the excitement going!

Your poster looks perfectly at home in your shop!

[Fritz Kempf]

Fokker 210 What plans are you using to build you Spandaus, and where can you get them?

[Fokker210]

Fritz,
I am building the tripe from Sands plans and he includes a sheet on constructing the Spandaus but they do lack quite a bit of detail - don't get me wrong, they are good as far as constructing a basic replica goes but I want to try for as much detail as I can stand.

A couple of years ago, I acquired a set of Ray Holling's full size Spandau drawings from the San Diego Aerospace Museum. I believe he drew these in the early 70's. They are packed with detail down to all markings and proofmarks but are not necessarily construction drawings but more schematic. You could probably build a working gun from these but the Gov't. would probably frown on that ! They tend to be pretty picky about who they let fly armed aircraft ! I think you can even see these drawings on the wall over my work bench in a couple of the photos I have posted here. If I remember correctly, the three sheet set cost about $ 45.00. They are approximately 1.5' X 5'. A call to the museum archival department would be a step in the right direction if you wanted to get a set ( they are pretty interesting to look at ). Sorry but I don't remember exactly who I spoke with - do remember them being very friendly though !

Around this same time a couple of years ago, I was in Arizona and made it a point to stop at the Champlin Museum. The curators were kind enough to actually remove an LMG 08/15 from display and allow me to photograph it from every conceivable angle. They were extra helpful and I still thank them !

To sum it up, I suppose I am trying to construct the guns using all of these sources. Sands has some good construction points, the Holling's drawings are dripping with detail and my photos allow me to see the real thing. I don't know how mine will turn out but hopefully they will look the part !

[Jim Bruton]

I like the idea of having a set that shoots blanks (how many times will you ever a man say that?). lol!

[Rex]

A couple of more places to find the hard to find materials.

McMaster.com has the shock cord for the landing gear. The aircraft supply houses do not carry the 3/4" that we need for the gear.

4130 is becoming hard to find. www.shapirosupply.com may be able to help and the prices are reasonable.

[joegertler]

For 4130 (and also some alum.) I believe Dillsburg has been one of the best suppliers (especially for small lots of numerous sizes) for many years.
Extremely helpful, fast and excellent pricing and shipping. Seems like no order is too small and he has almost any size sheet or tubing you could need. I have no connection to him, other than as a satified customer who knows many other satisfied customers...
The Dillsburg Aeroplane Works
Charles T. Vogelsong
114 Sawmill Road, Dillsburg, Pa 17019
Tel: 717/384-5865 Fax: 717/432-4589

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