bulkhead templates

[Marty]

I've been looking and taking notes on how all of you have tackled differant problems. Cutting the bulkheads, dust you have talked about using a template and a router to cut out your foam, you used a pattern router and a small formica trimmer, neat idea. on another web site i saw that a member glassed sheets of foam and then cut them out with a cnc machine. Neater idea if you have a cnc machine and the paterns handy.

what about combinine the two ideas? cut your foam larger than your pattern and then use a router and pattern to cut the bulkheads?

what am i missing? would you glass both sides or only one in fear of delamanitation of the glass and foam? will the glass just destory a bit?

marty

[John Slade]

Dust is going to say that's a great idea, so I'll contradict him first

99% of LongEz's and Cozy's were built with much simpler methods. Build the bulkheads just as it says in the plans, knife trim when partially cured (or warm with a heat gun to soften the edge after cure) and sand the edge with a sanding block after cure. Total effort - 10 minutes.

There's really little to be gained (and much time to be lost) by reinventing the wheel and coming up with wonderful new ways to make the bulkheads perfect. Cut the foam with a knife, micro, glass, move on to the next one. You'll be done with chapter 4 in a couple of days, then move on to chapter 5.......

[rui]

The Fien tool also works great for cutting out the bulkheads. You will use it often during the build so it is well worth the cost.

[Dust]

My method works faster.

cut foam oversized

do layups on both sides

fast trim with saber saw to 1/8 to 3/16

trim with templet and flush cut router

i have done it both ways

you have not

heh heh heh

[John Slade]

I did trim with a saber saw - once. Lots of delamination resulted. Never again.

[Dust]

agree

[rui]

Originally Posted by Dust

My method works faster.

cut foam oversized

do layups on both sides

fast trim with saber saw to 1/8 to 3/16

trim with templet and flush cut router

i have done it both ways

you have not

heh heh heh

You missed the first step: make template

While I haven't used your method (and don't plan to since I've long since finished my bulkheads) I think that making the template will take more time than is saved by its use for a single bulkhead. If you are doing two or more planes then I agree that it will save you some time, but the Fein tool is so quick and does such a good job cutting that its not worth doing the temaplate.

[Dust]

Templet making is easier and faster than working with glass covered foam. 1/4 inch luan cuts easy, sands smooth easy and you can use drills in a drill press to make very nice radiused inside corners and a disk sander to make very nice radiused outside corners.

Forming the ribs and then adjusting them for the fuel tanks works great and is very easy.

cutting out the windows and ending up with holes that were near perfect was simple

The ng30's were identical and made very quickly

Left and right of all pieces is IDENTICAL and become easier to work with.

I have done it both ways, i was not happy with the results and then switched. Some are making a "big deal" about making a templet, it, quite simply, is easier than working with the glass covered foam. a ten dollar sheet of ply goes a looooooooong way and works easy.

shortly the wide boys will be doing it, cmon down, up, over and see and do it.

Our landing gear covers came out so close to each other, we HAD to mark them to make sure we put them back on the correct plane.

[mplafleur]

Plus, why does everybody need to make their own templates and jigs? There's plenty to pass around.

[rui]

OK I haven't thought about strake bulkheads (I'm only on Chapter's 8 and 9). I can see where this technique would be useful there. Thanks!

As far as sharing.... I guess, if you have lots of builders in the immediate area this would work. I can't see shipping the things being cost effective.

I guess my point its that the plans method is good enough for the main fuse bulkheads. You are going to be sanding the templates a little to make them fit right in either case. Each of them is unique and its really not that hard. You can use the same trick of glassing oversize and then tracing the pattern onto the part and then cutting with the Fein. Most cuts are straight so if you are really anal you can use a straight edge to guide the cut. I also fail to see how using a drum sander on wood is any easier than on the fiberglass part. In my experience sanding a fiberglass panel on edge has been real easy (too easy sometimes ).

[Dust]

Originally Posted by rui

I guess my point its that the plans method is good enough for the main fuse bulkheads. ..... if you are really anal ).

I am just really anal, they call me mr jig, heh heh heh

[MarbleTurtle]

For those of us going wide... its easy to make the width adjustment (in my case 6") as part of the template. I made all my bulkheads in a day, that included cutting and remeasuring and spray adhesiving (?) the wiggly pieces.

The band saw that the Girrrrrls recommend quickly and smoothly makes the curved cuts just outside the lines... sanding block easily shaves the remaining down to a half-line!

I haven't got to the glassing and cutting with the router yet... but since everyone was complaining about the time it takes to make the templates, I thought I'd chime in and say Quit yer whinning!

I have no reason to doubt Dust's claim about how easy the rest of the process works! Oh, and I do plan on building 2 planes.

[Steve parkins]

i got 1/2 my ch 4 done when i started to cut temps,and i'm still mad i was not told at the start... mt you shoud try one plans way...then cut a temp and rut out the next bulk and time it, but more important, just stand back and look at it......no sanding at all,all edge's r clean and straight,and the left side is the same as the right, i'v mic'ed and measured and traced but if i cut it inhalf and then look at ,it's ok but not the same. home bace has cheep masonite for 699. i still have the same piece, i spray 3m glue on it smear it and stick on the M page or the plans page(nc2's nc7's) and cut on a small table top band saw,and if i go slow no sanding,than double back tape it on to a chunck of 2024 t3 and get ruter ,,,,,,FIRE<<<<<< ok so it dont work for aluminum but for dry glass and foam it is slick.....

in the most part if you use flox up to a 1/4 inch it won't mater and the plane will be on the marks, but i just like the look of the edge's as i build.

[MarbleTurtle]

mt you shoud try one plans way...

No need when I have you fine folks to tell me how much better this way is.

in the most part if you use flox up to a 1/4 inch it won't mater and the plane will be on the marks, but i just like the look of the edge's as i build.

It's called pride in your quality of work.

[rui]

The only place I had to add extra flox was in the seatback bulkhead. All the others were spot on.