new member-

[fairchild]

Hello All-
My name is Tim- I live in central florida. I am about to order plans for the 4 seater bearhawk.
I am thinking of starting with the wing first (and maybe doing a VR cnc tube kit later )
I have to clean and reorganize my shop - and finnish the last project (cummins powered Ford F-350)
If I start with the wing first- I am considering what I will need for a wing spar building table-
I can make it out of square steel tubing- 1 inch or 1+1/4 or 1+1/2 or a combination-
or I can do the torsion box wood table-
What rough dimentions am I looking at for length and width-
and are there rough plans for these tables somewhere like the RV forum ???? or EAA ?

Thanks for you help ahead of time...... looking forward to getting started..... been wanting to build for 20 years..... I feel like only now I have all the skills I need accumulated !

Tim

[Bcone1381]

Here is a link to a table called "The EAA Standardized Work Table". It has a top surface of 24"x60". Building three of these and connecting them end to end seems to be the way some have gone. I am not yet to building my spars, but I will probably go that route.

http://www.eaa1000.av.org/technicl/worktabl/tablefig.htm

[DRLPatrol]

Welcome
If you want to go steel for your table, a couple of pixs of what I did are in this thread.

http://bearhawkforums.com/forum/tools-technics-and-best-practices/7475-fuselage-layout-table

Doug

[fairchild]

Hi Doug- those tables look like a million bucks ! The tubing look like it could be 2 inch ? how thick a wall did you use ?
I have a good scrap place near me but what they have in even 1+1/2 would be pretty heavy (at least .150 for 1+1/2)
I would have to shop at alro plus to get thinner-
I figured if I built 2 of them that were 5 by 9 each - each one would be about 150$ in materials (maybe 200 if I put some cross braces in like you did-)
Yours looks very sturdy !
Do you think as high as wood is now - that steel would be just a cheap ? ( and no warping on a rainy day)
also- is the frame for the "bridge" permanently welded in or bolted ? It looks welded -since you have a triangular gusset - or is there a bolted joint exactly in the center of the bridge section ? ( im thinking there has to be)

Tim

[X'N]

I would do it a little different. Get two 16' or 18' LSL's from the lumber store and a 4x8 sheet of 3/4 mdf. Rip the mdf down the middle length wise. Build yourself a 2'x16' table to build your spars and ribs on. When your ready to build your fuselage build some new legs, buy another LSL and 2 more sheets of MDF and you have your fuselage table.

[fairchild]

Sorry XN- what is an "LSL" ????? Long Straight Lumber ??????? we don't seem to have any of that here anymore !!!!!!!!!!
I swear all of the good quality lumber is going to china to build someone's palace !

[DRLPatrol]

Tim
Yes the tubing is 2" and 1.5". Maybe overkill but I wanted it heavy enough to stay in place once I got it flat and level. When I start the fuselage I may have to climb on it and it will stay in place.
The "bridge" is bolted in. 4 bolts in each gusset.
Humidity in high enough in the northwest anything made out of wood will not stay straight.

Doug

[fairchild]

yes that would be heavy- but heavy is not a bad thing. I built a wood working table out of all 2x6 lumber. with a top mad of 2x4 turned on edge like a butcher block. Everyone laughed
because I was building it sooo heavy. It was primarily for violinmaking where you do lots of planning, gouging and the like- didn't want the table to wiggle when I push on the work.
I think for the wing spar it wouldn't have to be too wide-
How did you control your warping as you welded????? Tiny tacks until it was all together ? I don't think my floor is flat enough to use the floor as a "flat" to build on......
I guess you would want it wide enough that you could roll it over without it coming off the tabletop.... 30 inches maybe ?
Tim

[Chris In Milwaukee]

LSL = Laminated Strand Lumber. They're engineered building products that usually look like OSB sheets laminated together or some similar structure. Guaranteed to be straight and super strong. They'd certainly make for a strong table support, that's for sure!

[DRLPatrol]

How did you control your warping as you welded????? Tiny tacks until it was all together ? I don't think my floor is flat enough to use the floor as a "flat" to build on......
I guess you would want it wide enough that you could roll it over without it coming off the tabletop.... 30 inches maybe ?
Tim

Tack the whole thing together including the diagonals then skip around from cluster to cluster just like you will do you airframe. I have leveling feet to make up for the floor. I will use the same table for everything so it is 48" wide.

Doug

[fairchild]

Thanks Chris and Doug- I am going to lowes in a few minuites I will as about LSL. I guessed that you would weld all around gradualy ........... Kevin Kimball mentioned that there was
a specific way you could weld in a certain pattern from back to front in a spiral pattern to all most nullify welding warp. If I get by there again I will ask his welder to explain that a little more spcificly ! he just mentioned that in passing as he was explaining something else......

Tim