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  #11  
Old 04-10-2014, 08:49 PM
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FresnoR FresnoR is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Fresno, CA
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Using an electric drill and rattle cans? You can easily get away with a two gallon pancake compressor. A rivet gun will work just fine with it.

Maybe when you get your new place go for the super compressor with plumbing throughout the house. It's not required though.
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  #12  
Old 04-21-2014, 11:25 AM
Devious Rhesus Devious Rhesus is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Houston
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FresnoR View Post
Using an electric drill and rattle cans? You can easily get away with a two gallon pancake compressor. A rivet gun will work just fine with it.

Maybe when you get your new place go for the super compressor with plumbing throughout the house. It's not required though.
That's good to hear! I've got a little five gallon and a nice cordless drill, so it's nice to hear that I need not replace those yet.

I've read all of the building book, and nothing seems hard per se. Seems like the key is just going slow and making sure it's perfect!

I've joined EAA, but don't see any builder workshops anytime soon. There is a Van's fly-in over in Port Aransas in a couple of weeks, so I'll certainly be attending that to make some connections! I'd love to come lend a hand on someone's build.

A question though: I see most people starting with wings. Why is that?
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  #13  
Old 04-21-2014, 11:36 AM
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DaleB DaleB is offline
 
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Location: Omaha, NE (KMLE)
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Originally Posted by Devious Rhesus View Post
A question though: I see most people starting with wings. Why is that?
Pretty much everyone starts with the tail, UNLESS they buy a partially completed kit like I did. Most of the empennage work was done when I picked mine up, so I only worked on the tail for a few weeks before moving on to the wings. There are quite a few tails and tail/wing combinations out there that come up for sale. I think it really doesn't sink in for a lot of guys until they're building the wings that it's going to take too much time, effort and/or money to finish.
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  #14  
Old 04-21-2014, 11:40 AM
kjlpdx kjlpdx is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: lake oswego, OR
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I built a slo-bld -6A and most of a prepunch -8. being a carpenter I used my nail gun compressor which handled everything. eventually I bought a 220VAC big compressor when I moved to a new house, but it didn't make much difference. I also found my wife's ?" plug in Makita drill worked very well for it's small size, light weight, and it's high speed. the cord wasn't that big a deal, easier than having an air hose attached. buy a cheapo bench top band saw and sander from HF if space is a premium. they speed up fabrication a lot. oh, and a grinder for the scotchbrite wheel. built the -8 only using a 4x4 bench. bigger just means more junk in the way and further to walk around it.
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  #15  
Old 04-21-2014, 12:14 PM
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rmartingt rmartingt is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Savannah, GA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Devious Rhesus View Post
A question though: I see most people starting with wings. Why is that?
If I'm remembering right, the wings were the first kit released for the -14, so that's what a lot of people started with.
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  #16  
Old 04-21-2014, 12:26 PM
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Latintan Latintan is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Orlando, Florida
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The only tool you need is .. money
Just kidding. I bought the wing kit and have a 20 gal 2 stage 110 compressor. My hangar does not have 220 V service. I have a rivet gun (3x) and a hydro-pneumatic c-squeeze riveter plus a few other basic sheetmetal tools. I have learned through friends that learning how to rivet and learning how to take rivets out without damaging anything are the most valuable things I have to learn. To say the least, I have been working on this skill-set for a while and still do not have the confidence to touch the wings. Surround yourself with others that have experience. This is perhaps the best tool I have found! Best of luck.
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  #17  
Old 04-21-2014, 04:00 PM
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wirejock wirejock is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Estes Park, CO
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The only tool you need is .. money
Just kidding. I have learned through friends that learning how to rivet and learning how to take rivets out without damaging anything are the most valuable things I have to learn. Surround yourself with others that have experience. This is perhaps the best tool I have found! Best of luck.
That's some of the best advise anyone can take.
I drill rivets all the time. Wish I could learn not to make mistakes!
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Donated 12/03/2019, plus a little extra.
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HS SB, empennage, tanks, wings, fuse, working finishing kit
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I cannot be, nor will I be, held responsible if you try to do the same things I do and it does not work and/or causes you loss, injury, or even death in the process.
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