DR-1 (Sands): Builders Group

[Fokker210]

I got my set of Axial transfers from Achim a while back.

[US95Damiani]

Glad to help Gentlemen

[Fokker210]

OK Guys.....Big day today (for me anyway) as I have finally finished my spars! My spar jig has been passed on to another builder here in GA so I now have the needed room to begin construction of my fuselage jig.

Would love to see some of you post pics of your fuse tables and maybe provide some insight for this section of the build.......OK, I also actually want to learn from any mistakes you guys might have made along the way Was there anything you would have done differently or maybe you found a better way to skin a cat ? Tips, tricks, hints, etc.? Please post away !

Thanks Gents !

[Dogtail2]

Congrats on finishing your spars Andy!

Here's my fuselage table before starting the fuse. I used a 1" thick high quality ply top. I made it heavy so it would move when I was leaning on it, and used MDF blocks to hold the tubes. MDF doesnt catch fire as easily as wood.





Dont forget to place all the tube collars in the correct locations before tack welding the tubes together.

Dont put in the optional crossbars in the lower forward section of the fuselage. I did, but they are coming out, to be replaced with wires and turnbuckles. The crossbars restrict access to the rear of the engine, especially if using a Lycoming.

[NostalgAire]

On my jig table, I cut holes in the table top at every joint to help keep the wood from burning while tacking the tubing.

For the table top I used 3/4" plywood. The table frame is made from 2" square steel tubing. After the sides are tacked together, the table top frame drops down low, and vertical supports are bolted in place. The fuselage sides are clamped to the vertical supports and then the cross members and diagonals are all tacked in place, then final welded.

Yes, this is overkill for one airframe, but then I currently have two airframes in the works.

Scott

[Der Grüne Flieger]

Originally Posted by Fokker210

OK Guys.....Big day today (for me anyway) as I have finally finished my spars! My spar jig has been passed on to another builder here in GA so I now have the needed room to begin construction of my fuselage jig.

Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread a bit, but would you mind to post a picture of your spar table? (Or anyone else's for that matter!) I would like to get an idea of how you did it and maybe pick up a few pointers for what Jeff and I are going to do on his wings.

Thanks,
Phil

[Fokker210]

First of all, many thanks Dogtail2 and NostalgAire for the responses !

Der Grüne Flieger, these are some pics of my spar table. I deviated from the Sands plans in that I used aluminum angle sides instead of the wood called for in the plans. I had heard some horror stories about trying to get the wood sides absolutely straight - the aluminum angles really solved this for me as they were straight as an arrow and super square.

Anyway, on with the photos.....

[Jim Bruton]

DR-1 (Sands): Builders Group through post640.html

Congrats on finishing the spars Andy!

Jim

[Jim Bruton]

Hello All.

Ed has been away for a little while so Metal Man (Ernie Ferucci) & Charlie Nappe rode in to the rescue! They welded up some small but important pieces for me- photos shown here.

Regarding the rear strut that connects the back of the fuselage to the underside of the horiz stab, I decided to go with a more authentic look, and I like it a lot- I have not yet set the turnbuckle heads into position, so will likely turn them in a little more...

The cable guide behind the seat (@ Station 90) I am messing with now, to get the angles of the control cables right. As soon as I get those set, I can reference where the slits on the horiz stab occur and begin the covering process there. The elevator will come next and then the rudder.

As you can see, I am not using the typical DR-1 quadrant- I went with Vet's D-VII. It should work well with the Lycoming I am using for now, and it looks great- especially with the zebrawood I've been saving for 20 years (for the right project)- and there's enough for the control handles. =-)

The control column is coming along nicely also. There will be more welding to be done soon and Ernie & Charlie will probably return around the end of July to do that- including those tabs around the cowl ring- so stay tuned for more photos at that time.

Also, I discovered something this past week- since my motif will be white and black (with all the exposed metal being black), I played with mixing some of the Poly Stits black paint with the green epoxy primer- I was looking for as hard a coat of paint as the primer itself and I found it! I can't remember how much % of each I used, but the finish, though brushed on, is as smooth as glass and rock hard- I love it! I'll be re-painting my landing gear with this also.

Within the week, I plan to pick up my ailerons and will post photos of them as soon as I can, and Ernie is also making my gas tank. He is the one who made our seats... really great work.

More as it develops!

Jim

[Fokker210]

It's all looking great Jim !!