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MIKE
HOWE'S RV7 CONSTRUCTION WINGS (Phase 2) Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Back to directory
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March 1, 2002 Finally got most of the parts prepped, have a few remaining questions, but want to get going on riveting the skeleton. I clecoed it together and also you can see I clecoed the aileron gap fairing and the flap brace bracket. Now you can see how all the holes will line up and I did rivet a couple shut , so had to drill them out.
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Getting ready to rivet |
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March 1, 2002 Drill the holes attaching ribs to the spars to full size. most of the ribs simply fit to the spar with out modification. However two ribs just outboard of the tie down require two new rivet holes. (one near the top and the other near the bottom). Drill these using the spar as a guide. I am taking each rib out after I drill and deburring it before riveting. Why put an artistic version on the page? I was just screwing around showing someone how to use the artistic filters in Adobe Photo shop and used this picture and thought it looks kind of neat. Here is another one can you guess what it is?
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Drilling holes that attach ribs to full size |
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March 1, 2002 Rivet the main ribs to the front and rear spar, EXCEPT the W-712 rib, which is riveted to the rear spar, but not the main spar. Place manufactured head of rivet on rib flange. This took me awhile to figure out all the angles to get at the heads, finally used the long offset (the one with a curve in it) and it works pretty well, although you need to be a contortionist and left and right handed, but you will figure it out after screwing up a few rivets.
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| Riveting main ribs |
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March 1, 2002 Shop head side of the W-711 rib rivet to the main spar. |
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W-711 riveted |
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March 2, 2002 Should have prepped nose ribs with the rest of the main ribs, now will have to go back and do that. Next time probably would be easier to do all the ribs at once. The die grinder with a 3M wheel seems to wear a little grove in it and tracks around the edge and smoothes them quite well |
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Deburring nose ribs |
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March 2, 2002 I don't know why this did not occur to me before, but I have always been trying to get lights on the jig to move around where they were needed. They is nothing more frustrating than not being able to see because of poor light. I had made the end of the wing attach bracket a little long (by accident) and it makes a perfect place to use the clamps on this type of lights and you can pull them around and get the light where you need it. It swivels so you can position if on either side of the post, so it shines on either side of the wing. I put one at both ends of the jig and now have plenty of light. |
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Better Lighting arrangement |
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March 2, 2002 Here is a close-up of how it mounts on the bracket. It makes the light easy to move into any position around the jig. If you look close you can see the one at the other end mounted the same way. I now have plenty of light on the jig. |
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| Mount Close-up |
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March 2, 2002 I clecoed the W-703 skin on to see how it fit and I had the ribs attached in the right location.. I continued to be amazed at how accurate this prepunched holes are. It must have been much harder when you had to drill your own skin to ribs. Much of the things are now easier but much of the literature and even the video still gives instruction on how to do it before the ribs were punched to match the skins. I am considering how I might change the assembly sequence. The holes in the skin serve as a template and pull everything together like on the empennage , so I don't know why the holes couldn't be enlarged to rivet size and deburred and the skins all dimpled, all while it is on the work table rather than put up into the jig, which was necessary before to get all the drilling and leveling correct. It seems the prepunched holes now do that. It looks like the work could be done on the table and then the wing put into the jig just for the final riveting. Need to think about it if anyone has done this step I would appreciate input on how you did it with the newer wing kits. |
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Test fit skin |
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March 3, 2002 Working my way riveting the rear spar. I tried squeezing but could only get a few, so back to the bucking bar and the offset rivet set which seems to work fairly well. You need to become an accomplished riveter and it seems like I am able to do things better the more practice I have, but dealing with some of these hard to see or get at rivets is hard, and I am sure there are many more to come down the road. If I start to get in trouble I just walk away and come back later and try to do it again when I am more rested. By positioning the wing where both the air hoses would reach it is like the lighting, the more you work in a shop you kind of figure out placement of tools and things. To have both air hoses keeps me from changing the drill to the rivet gun which I have to use both quite a bit when I am riveting. Little thing but you discover little shortcuts as you go, always a learning process. |
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Riveting the Back spar |
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March 3, 2002 I am trying a different way of riveting the ribs, one at a time and working toward the end. I can get in the space between the rear spar and the table and get in a good position on the rivets on the main spar, which I was having trouble doing when all the ribs were clecoed in and the other ribs kind of got in the road. This way I can get right up over the rib you are working on in a good position. |
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New position |
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March 3, 2002 Now that I have got to it, on of the instructions in the manual makes sense. When you reach the first rib inboard of the tie down the W-706B/D spar flange bars start and you you need to tape the bar to prevent damage from the bucking bar on the top and bottom rivets. |
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Put masking tape on the W-706B/D flange bars |
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March 5, 2002 Dropped by the Airport to see how the new hanger I am trying to buy is doing. Looks like they are about finished and I hope I can get a look inside this weekend
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| New Hanger? |
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