more work less pictures

Although I haven't been in the shop as much as I like the past couple of weeks, I continue to get there when I can.  It's hard to be inside when the sun is shining so much outside (which means more stuff to do around the house), but the shop sure is nice and cool when it's too hot to be outside!

The wing root repair/rebuild is now complete, just need to clean up all the Sharpie marker notes:

Progress also continues on cutting some of the smaller template parts that I need for my 750 STOL build.  These are wing parts (strut attachment brackets):

Yesterday, I finally completed the wing tank rear channel.  Ron decided he wanted to return the fuel tank size to factory specs, so this necessitated moving the channel rearward and cutting down the original shorter to fit inside the tapering wing chord.  This is the location where it should be according to the plans, the previous builder had half of this space for his wing tanks.  Maybe that's why he purportedly ran out of fuel?

​I don't have many pictures of the process, but here is the completed item riveted in place:

With this done, we'll be moving on to the wing tip extension that Ron wants done.  While we plan that out, I started tracing out the templates in preparation of cutting out the plywood forming blocks required for my 750.  It starts with a piece of plywood which Ron purchased for me as part of another project he is working on.  We had discussed the need for only half a 4 x 8 sheet as some of the forms that I need Ron has already made and interchangeable with the 701.  So I grabbed a half sheet from the woodshop:

Each form template gets traced out twice to make out each half of the forming blocks:

As you may recall from previous posts, it took a fair amount of time working in CAD and with Adobe Acrobat to print full size templates onto card stock.  Some part templates are fairly large and don't fit on a single piece of 11 x 17 inch cardstock, making it necessary to break the template into 2 or more pieces.  For the most part, it's long pieces like wing ribs that are the issue, like this wing root rib form template which is shown here taped together:

It's also helpful to pin larger templates down to ensure an accurate trace:

Just as I was pondering whether all my templates would fit on this piece of plywood and how to make that happen while trying to avoid placing cut lines on places with wood knots, Ron arrived back in the shop.  He quietly asked how I was making out and I explained my dilemmas.  Ron quietly grinned and told me the piece of wood I was using was actually scrap flooring from the other non-airplane project he was working on.  My piece was still up in the woodworking shed.

Guess it's a good thing I didn't trace everything out yet and I haven't thrown out the templates, otherwise it would be back to the drawing board.  Hehe... drawing "board"... I kill me.

Back in a few days.... :)