Progress on wing and videos showing what I have done

N3UW

N3UW

Patrol Scratch Builder
I wanted to thank everybody on this forum. This has been of tremendous help. I have read everything I could find on how people have been building their aircraft. I have also been scouring the web for information from other builders, including Sonex and RV builders to pick up hints and tricks. I would like to particularly thank Eric Newton for his wonderful builder manuals, Rus Erb for his excellent reference CD and Dave Bottita for his very helpful videos and facebook page. These have been of great help to me. I have put in lots of hours restoring certified aircraft and have helped on many experimentals but this by first jump into the experimental build myself.

I started working on my rib forms on September 22. I have now finished all of the necessary form blocks and routed out and deburred all of the ribs. I have also pressed the flanges on all of the lightening holes. I have finished all of the ribs for the flaps and ailerons along with their nose and pocket ribs. I have also finished half of the center and nose ribs. I only have 1/2 of the center and nose ribs and full length ribs to flange around the edge. Another day should finish those.

I am a bit of a tool nut and also like to try and find new ways to do things. I have put together a series of videos that show how I went about building my ribs. I did a few things differently. I used a rubber mat press made from a 20 ton hydraulic press to press the lightening holes and aileron and flap ribs. I used a flange straightening tool I have seen some RV builders used and I used a flow forming tool from TN Tech to bend over my ribs flanges. Please check out my videos if you are interested to see what I did. I hope some of the information may be as helpful as everyone else information has been for me.

Video 1 - What form jigs I made and how I made them

http://youtu.be/ZYAbT-JHqss

Video 2 - How I routed the rib blanks using a 1/2" and 1/4" solid carbide spiral router bit

http://youtu.be/iY6Gbf_rOkY

Video 3 - How I formed my lightening holes (center ribs shown) using a harbor freight 20 ton hydraulic press and 2 1" thick rubber sheets. The mail sheet is a piece of 1" 60A hardness polyurethane rubber from McMaster Carr

http://youtu.be/SYnX5-2m4HQ

Video 4 - How I formed all of the ribs for the aileron and flaps on the rubber pad press

http://youtu.be/EWGAIVDpDLc

Video 5 - How I formed some of the edge flanges using the MT Tech flow forming tool in my 4x rivet gun. This is probably the one tool I would not but again if I had it to do over.

http://youtu.be/jYHzPskP7fc

This board is a wonderful collection of nice, helpful and extremely knowledgeable builders. I hope to get to meet some of you guys in person. If anybody is ever in the Denver area, stop by.
 
Great work. I found #5 of particular interest. With this method, have you had any cracking of the flange? Glad to see guys posting video, if it helps one person it's worth it!
 
Excellent work John. Your work and your ingenuity are admirable. I really like the rubber press idea, what a timeand labor saver. Thanks for making these videosand sharing. I look forward to following your progress. BTW - The FAA inspection on my Patrol is scheduled for this coming Thursday. If everything works out, I will be posting some first flight reports shortly thereafter.
 
Good luck on the FAA inspection. it looks like you have done a wonderful job on your Patrol. I look forward to reading your first flight reports. From your workmanship, I am sure the inspection will go through easily.
Enewton57 said:
Excellent work John. Your work and your ingenuity are admirable. I really like the rubber press idea, what a timeand labor saver. Thanks for making these videosand sharing. I look forward to following your progress. BTW - The FAA inspection on my Patrol is scheduled for this coming Thursday. If everything works out, I will be posting some first flight reports shortly thereafter.
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Dave, thanks. I had no cracking with the tool but I am not sure it was any easier than the hammer.
Enewton57 said:
Excellent work John. Your work and your ingenuity are admirable. I really like the rubber press idea, what a timeand labor saver. Thanks for making these videosand sharing. I look forward to following your progress. BTW - The FAA inspection on my Patrol is scheduled for this coming Thursday. If everything works out, I will be posting some first flight reports shortly thereafter.
Click to expand...
 
Nice set of videos John. One safety reminder to add, is hearing protection, especially in a small shop. A good set of hearing protectors is going to make things go much easier on you and will help to minimize hearing damage. Routers and rivet guns are some of the most prolific detriments to your hearing in the shop.

As an aside, at work, we are now required to wear both ear plugs and headsets during main engine and IPP runs. They are in the process of providing us some very high power active noise cancelling headsets to all of us flightline people to combat the increase in hearing problems as our workforce ages. Eyes and ears.....protect them.......
 
Nice job John, thanks for taking the time to make the videos. You're a true homebuilder.
Dave
 
Thanks John for posting your videos, they are very helpful. I plan on building some of the tools you are using on my build. I have a set of Patrol plans on order for Christmas.
Good luck.
Swaid
 
John, great video's. Just spent some time watching your YouTube video's even though I'm almost done with all my ribs. Great stuff, loved the rubber flanging for the lightening holes!
 
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