Tom Emery's building class???

[AndyRV7]

I took a look around at my build class options last year and kind of figured Tom's class seemed to be the "best" all things considered. I almost got things worked out in November but in the end ended up too rushed and decided to hold off until Spring. But I have a few questions for you guys.

It turns out his build class (aileron or toolbox type class) wasn't getting enough students so Tom switched to a 3-day full-emp one-on-one style class. Apparently, he will prime all the parts for you before you arrive and then you spend 3 intensive days building the emp. I was hoping to get some opinions from you guys about this so I can have an educated final discussion with him and maybe order my tail.

First, does anyone have any real experience with Tom? I get the sense that he is good at what he does, but haven't had any real conversations with anyone to back that up.

Also, I've been studying the preview plans a lot the last few weeks, and I just can't imagine building the entire tail in three days. I'm sure someone with his experience could do it, but if he has to teach and I have to learn during that time, it seems like a pretty tall order.

Lastly, I want to be able to have a better discussion with Tom on the metal prep part of the build. That is, the deburring and whatnot. It didn't sound like he wasn't going to be doing that part of it before priming, and I am not sure how I would be able to do all of it afterward (especially in 3 days with a build going on). So do you guys have any opinions about what I might want to watch out for here? Or what questions I might want to ask of Tom while I am making my final decision about going to his class?

Obviously, the thought of a complete tail in 3 days is quite a carrot to dangle in front of someone. But even if that is possible, I would much rather come away with less finished construction and a great education than to cut corners on the prep and finish the tail.

Thanks as always for the feedback!!

Andy

[fehdxl]

Andy,

I took Tom's weekend class in 2005 where we worked on the airfoil kit (not-prepunched back then) and thought is was very good. Tom definitely knows his stuff.

As far a deburring after priming... that's sort of what I do. I do the edge deburring first, then prime, then matchdrill, deburr, dimple, rivet. However Tom has it worked out, I'm sure you'll learn what you need to. Once you've smoothed out one or two edges, the learning is somewhat over and the rest is just repetition.

As far as the speed... the learning curve is quite steep at first. Just not having to study the instructions trying to make sense of everything will save a bunch of time. I'd suspect the ratio of work time to idle time is very high.

In the end, I say go for it! The money you save not botching parts will probably pay for Tom's class. The only draw back that I can see is that you need to fork out the cash for the tail kit and the wing kit at the same time since you'll be ready for the wings in a fraction of the time of most.

Best,

-Jim
40603, fuselage ordered

[KirkGrovesRV8]

Andy I will PM you, I spent a year with Tom he helped me finish my 8... He is a excellent person and builder.

[DBone]

A friend and I built a 7A tail with Tom a few years back (I think our picture is still up on his web page). We worked all day Thursday, all day Friday, and we were done by lunch on Saturday. We hung out a little and ate a wonderful dinner in the hangar cooked by his wife. He's a good guy and expert metal worker.

You will learn all you need to learn about metal and how to work with it, so I wouldn't worry about that. One thing that caught me off guard when I started my build was I had to adjust to reading the directions and drawings. The whole time we were there, we didn't look at one drawing. So my advice would be if you've never looked at a drawing in your life, try to work that in a little so you're not starting from zero when you start the next phase.

If you'd like to talk off-line, just PM me.

[Geo]

I ordered my tail kit in may 2007; in June my 14 YR son, myself and Tom got together and in 2 1/2 days built the entire tail, after he had primed all the parts. I had never worked with rivets before, but in those 3 days Tom taught me how to properly put parts together. My RV7-A is almost finished now, and I could not be any happier I chose to start my project with his help. For me it was a great confidence builder.
Feel free to call me if you want more info, but I would highly recommend him.

[gbrasch]

Tom is the best, he was my instructor back in '02 at a workshop held at Spruce when he was still on the west coast....

[AndyRV7]

OK, I feel a lot better. I'm not as much afraid of reading the plans (just another new thing to figure out), as I am about working with the metal. I'm not unhandy, but like someone said, I am looking for the confidence builder.

I think I am going to call Tom back and set this up. I'm sure I will feel a lot better too after actually starting the project (instead of just planning it)!

Thanks for the answers.

[tomcostanza]

Sounds like you have all the info you need. I just wanted to add my voice to the praise for Tom's class. I spent a weekend with him in '06 and it was the best money I spent on the project.

[gpiney]

Andy,

If you want to get some free metal-working education, I'll show you how to debur and finish edges. Maybe I'll show you how to use a DRDT-2 and how to machine countersink. After working 700-1000 holes, I'll graduate you. I'm just a short ride down the Shore.

[AndyRV7]

Originally Posted by gpiney

Andy,

If you want to get some free metal-working education, I'll show you how to debur and finish edges. Maybe I'll show you how to use a DRDT-2 and how to machine countersink. After working 700-1000 holes, I'll graduate you. I'm just a short ride down the Shore.

Haha. Sounds like a good way to get all my mistakes out of the way!! What I could really use is some build space!!