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Question about ideal location of DRDT-2?

jdog0411

Member
Hey all,

I'm getting my shop (garage) setup in preparation of the arrival of my RV-14A empennage kit, and have a question. I've got a 10 foot long work bench that I will be using for the majority of the build, and have my bench grinder, drill press and bench sander on separate benches out of the way. I have a DRDT-2 dimpler, and am wondering what's the best location for it. Should I have it somewhere separate as well (build a table for it), or should I have it on the main bench? If on the main bench, should it be all the way over on the side or in the middle? I suppose I'll have some lengthy skins eventually that will need to be dimpled, so didn't know how much space on either side I should allow.

Also, I wasn't going to bolt it down so it could be moved around if necessary, but may if the force on the handle pull is such that it would lift off the table or move the frame around while dimpling. What's the best way to do it?

Thanks!

Parker, CO
RV-14A (will be) Under Construction
Empennage Kit on order 09/30/19

Getting shop prepared and will be beginning Van's practice control surface kit soon.

New builder, but soaking up as much as I can from the great people on this forum!
 
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I used the "hit with a hammer" type dimpler, and I placed it in the middle of my bench only when I needed it. Seemed to work-out just fine.
 
Put mine on a stand alone bench...preferably mobile (on wheels). Once it was mounted, I built up around it with leftover crating (thanks Vans!) and put some inexpensive (cheap) carpeting on that. The only thing I didn't take into account was to leave the front open (angled back) in order to allow stock to be below the dimpler.

And yes...secure it to the workbench. It might be advisable to secure it in a way it can easily be unsecured and moved if needed.

Lots of pics but will have to email me for them....would be happy to share!
 
I would recommend just clamping it to your 10 foot bench when you use it. The length of that bench will come in handy when you need to dimple the large wing skins, but you'll definitely want to be able to use the entire bench when you aren't dimpling things. You could put it on another bench but your 10 foot bench will work just fine, and the DRDT2 will take up less space in the corner on the floor when you aren't using it if it isn't on its own table.

The force it takes to pull the handle will depend on the amount of preload you set before you start dimpling. I use a little more preload than what the instructions recommended so I've had the DRDT2 shift slightly when I've forgotten to clamp it down.
 
I've used mine (just a little) atop the bench, and built a piece to support the work on the sides. That piece has two cutouts, 1/3 of the way in, rather than one in the middle. This gives much better support when you get to the end of the piece to be dimpled.
 
I like a C-frame and hammer, so I feel that the best place for the DRDT-2 is someone else's shop.

However, either one, DRDT-2 or C-frame, is going to need to have room for the full length of the sheet on both sides. My C-frame is removable and only on the shop table while in use.

I can do a few inches in on every side with a pneumatic squeezer, and the sheet can usually be turned end for end, so using those tricks, you can probably make do with just a sheet-sized space.

Dave
 
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Thanks for the suggestions! I like the idea of clamping it down when in use, that will make it easy to get it out of the way when I'm not using it. I may eventually build a stand alone bench/platform for it, but there's plenty of time for that.

Thanks again.
 
I built a kind of a work surface with a hole in it so the dimple dies are level with the surface. Surface is carpeted. If you just sit it on the table the sheet of metal will be kind of draped over the dies and will not work as well. I hope this makes sense. I do not have it mounted to my table.
 
I just use a c-clamp on one of the back tabs of the DRDT. Most of the motion is the backend that rises up when you pull the handle. When you make your workbench, just make sure your top surface overhangs any structure by a few inches so you can clamp stuff to it.

It's easy to move from one end of the table to the other or to the middle so that when you are dimpling large sheets (which I was doing tonight) most of the material will be on one of your carpeted tabletops.
 
Dimpling bench

I'm in the C-frame camp too, but my bench design is probably common. It was quick to set up and take down.
Two EAA benches side by side. Dimpling platform is 4'x4'x4" clamped to the benches. C-frame sits so the die is about 12" from the front and level to the male die. I could slide any skin in and work to over 1/2 way then rotate to left/right etc. Never had to use a squeezer. Long skins required a tripod with a bucket on top to support the dangling end.
 
I can’t post pictures right now so don’t know if my text from phone drawing will make sense. My table has a sheet of plywood (line 1). Over that is another sheet with 16” x 16” notches cut out (line 2). Over that is another sheet with 14” x 14” notches (line 3). The cutouts are screwed together just as they are removed and the c frame (and other tools) are fastened to them. These tools then slide in and out of the table and are secured in by the lips of the plywood overlap. I made blanks to fill in when I don’t have tools on the table and all my primary tools are interchangeable at any cutout on the table.

Not sure if this makes sense but I will try to post photos when I get back home this weekend.

Ignore the dots. I had to use them to make the text line up correctly.

..........C Frame
..........________
3 ——-[............]———
2 —-[__________]——
1 ——————————-
 
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I can?t post pictures right now so don?t know if my text from phone drawing will make sense. My table has a sheet of plywood (line 1). Over that is another sheet with 16? x 16? notches cut out (line 2). Over that is another sheet with 14? x 14? notches (line 3). The cutouts are screwed together just as they are removed and the c frame (and other tools) are fastened to them. These tools then slide in and out of the table and are secured in by the lips of the plywood overlap. I made blanks to fill in when I don?t have tools on the table and all my primary tools are interchangeable at any cutout on the table.

Not sure if this makes sense but I will try to post photos when I get back home this weekend.

Ignore the dots. I had to use them to make the text line up correctly.

..........C Frame
..........________
3 ??-[............]???
2 ?-[__________]??
1 ??????????-

This sounds like a great idea, I?d love to see pics when you get the chance.
 
You guys are making it too hard.

I rest the C-frame on a table. I've got four pieces of wood, cut the right thickness so that when I lay a piece of 1/4" white-faced sheet on them, it's a "table" as high as the male die in the C-frame.

That's it.

Yeah, I used a table saw to trim the four pieces of wood, so if you don't have one, find a helpful neighbor. It just takes minutes. The white-faced sheets are 2' x 4' and came from a big-bog building supply store.

Two minutes to set up or put away, and leaves a clean table behind.

Dave
 
I think my setup was similar to Dave's. I temporarily bolted or clamped the DRDT-2 to my long workbench, then had two temporary stands on either side to support the material at the height of the dimple dies. My stands were made from two 2x6's stood on end topped with a piece of plywood covered in old carpet. They were about 18"x18" square. The two supports and the DRDT-2 fit on a shelf under the bench when not in use. You could probably just use appropriately sized cardboard boxes for the side supports.
 
By the way, the DRDT2 comes with plans to build a table around it out of plywood. It has worked well enough for me so far, and whenever I am working with a part much larger than the table I have my wife help support the part while I dimple it. I've also stacked parts bins up to the level of the table to help support skins at times.
 
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