Need advice

[BTAZ]

Use spray adhesive and glue it directly to the board and cut it out.

I actually glued it to a piece of .062 aluminum and cut it out. The resulting aluminum piece was used as a router template to make the various MDF routing templates, form blocks, and backer blocks.

[MNBenny]

How do I transfer the the drawing from the vallum on to the MDF?

[Chris In Milwaukee]

My dads router is mounted upside down on the table. I'm just not sure what to do about the forms.

Eric's book, Chapter 1 And my KitLog site above. Lots of guidance there. You may have to use your imagination on some things as you figure out your working style. But I'm confident that you can do it. Give those references a thorough read, and feel free to come back with questions. There are lots of great resources here to help you through your project!

[Chris In Milwaukee]

That was kind of tongue-in-cheek, but they don't make a smiley for that. And it's why I made my own. If you read back through the history of our group, the conversation of "how much is your time worth" comes up at least once a year. This is one of those cases. In my case, I have plenty of time. But I don't know if I'd have been this brave and ready to take on as complex a project as a Bearhawk without the SportAir Workshops at my disposal. It gives a great hands-on approach to building.

I know you said you live a long way away, but it's definitely worth the time to go and learn these invaluable skills if you can find a way to make it work. I grew up in a residential construction family, so I had lots of opportunity to work with hand and power tools growing up. Some folks grow up in a different family dynamic and don't have ready access to that sort of stuff. SportAir helps to bridge that gap.

[MNBenny]

I don't have that kind of money. Have you seen how much it costs?

[Chris In Milwaukee]

You can always buy a spar and rib kit from AviPro

[MNBenny]

My dads router is mounted upside down on the table. I'm just not sure what to do about the forms.

[MNBenny]

I'm not sure what I'll do if I can't figure how to cut these ribs.......may have to abandon the project. For the record I have built wood ribs before the Piet aircamper. Those ribs were truss and gusset style ribs though.

[Chewie]

I just realized something. My dad does have a router. What kind of a bit do I need for it? Would I need a special table for it. Harbor Frieght wants only $50 for an electric shears.

Ben, here some chit chat on router bits fwiw:

http://bearhawkforums.com/forum/tools-technics-and-best-practices/4677-router-bit-recommendation-this-thing-eats-aluminum-like-nobodies-business

[Chris In Milwaukee]

One other thing worth noting. Most of us who are routing ribs are using a router table, where the router mounts upside down in the table top with the bit facing upward. That means the router is fully supported, and you have both hands to (very) firmly hold your routing forms and move them around the blade. This yields really good results.

You can, however, use a router from the top, but you have to be really careful. The routing form with your aluminum in between will have to be firmly attached to the tabletop while you move router around it. There's an EAA video in where Earl Luce routed out a nose rib (albeit a wooden one) with a small laminate trim router from the top. With this method, you'll only want to do one or two ribs at a time. You probably won't want to great brave (dumb) like me and do 10-12 at a time.

[Chris In Milwaukee]

My pleasure, sir. Glad to be of help!

[tbaylx]

Chris,

Thanks for taking the time to help the new builders. Those posts and on the other thread are some of the most helpful responses I've seen on any forum in a long time. Nice to see, and great pics

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Ah, I found another reference for you. Check out my KitLog site from my previous (but sold) Bearhawk project:

http://mykitlog.com/users/category.php?user=ChrisOwens&project=2472&category=0

Start at the bottom. I have pretty detailed steps on how I created my routing forms up through and including the routing/deburring of the ribs.

[Chris In Milwaukee]

No need to print them out They're in a PDF format, so you can read them on your computer, tablet, smart phone, or other electronical gizmo. But please do yourself a favor and read it! The Introduction and Chapter 1 are absolutely priceless and will get you through this tough startup phase. With a few exceptions, which I noted in the two referenced posts above, I followed Eric's lead with the creation of form boards and cutting/forming of ribs. Where my technique differed should be pretty obvious. If not, feel free to ask more questions. We've all been through it, and you can get through it, too!

[MNBenny]

I do remember buying them. But I haven't printed them out because it would cost way to much.