actual numbers of clecos needed ?

[fairchild]

i was just browsing through the plans (or maybe Newtons site- cant remember---) somewhere there was an estimate for # of clecos needed-- (for wings)
it was something like 200 and 300 of #3 abd #4
Are those realistic numbers ? From past riveting jobs- it does seem like its nice to have a cleco to fill every open hole--- instead of every 2-nd or 3-rd or 4-th.....
I think I have about 100 of each--- if I need more- now is the time to order more ! :-)
Tim

[Bcone1381]

100 is not enough.

[rv8bldr]

It sounds trite, but you cannot have enough clecoes. I would say you need at least 200-300 silver (#40), although 100 copper (#30) might get you by.

As I drill a wing skin on, I ensure I always have a clecoe in the hole nearest the drill bit. Always. But as I move along drilling I will leave a clecoe in every other hole.

That being said, at critical intersections of rivet lines, I will sometimes leave a clecoe in every hole just so stuff doesn't move around.

I haven't counted my clecoes, but I had a largish paint can full of silver ones building my RV-8 and it was barely enough. The Bearhawk wing is much bigger, so now I have almost 2 cans of silver clecoes.

As usual, YMMV, etc

Mark

[BTAZ]

Somewhat depends on whether you want to skin both wings at the same time.

If you do, expect close to 1000 of the skin rivet size(silvers for the LSA, don't know about the others). Each rib location has at least 50 holes, a cleco in every other is 25, times nominally 20 rib locations is 500/wing.(You can more formally calculate it out.) and that's ignoring the skin to spar holes and the overlap seams.

Probably half that number of copper and black and perhaps 15 of the 3/16 gold for the wing spar build..

I also purchased somewhere around 50 side grip clecos(mainly off Ebay over time) as they are handy to have.

I never really saw used "standard" clecos on Ebay for less than quantity buys of new.

I decided early on that it was worth it to trade some of the "scratch built part savings" into tooling to make tasks easier and more efficient.
.
Assembling and skinning both wings at once probably cost an extra $500 in clecos but saved at least two months of build time.

Building all the spars at once probably added another $200 in clecos but saved a month worth of build time

[fairchild]

OK--- thanks thats what I was wanting to know--- sounds like the estimate I quoted will be the bare minimum --- maybe plenty untill
I get to skinning. I remember in the past when building or repairing a sheet metal part-- i want to cleco EVERY open hole.
Have to get started on the second building table so i will have 4 by 18 worth of table. I guess I wont need it till I get the ribs done though. Unless I do the spar first.

Is it easier to make the spars first and fit the ribs to it or make ribs first and fit C channels to match ribs ? That may dictate if I have to build the 2-nd table now.
Cant wait to get started. Got some wood tonight to build a small router table for the big router to go under.

Tim