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Long Aluminum Angles that are not longerons

storkeye

Member
Friend
So, following the plans, I've reached the stage in my RV-7 tailwheel slow build of building the seat backs.

The plans have you make the F-637B & C parts from stock AA6-125x3/4x3/4 and AA6-063x3/4x3/4.

The only stock of those angles I have left is some very long angles that came with the wing kit and wrapped in a note saying DO NOT CUT! I have two 7'/8' lengths of each size.

The longerons are all done and riveted so I know it can't be the longeron angles.

Is it time to use these long angles? If it is, do I use one length up first then the other or try and use up each one evenly so I have the same amount of angle stock left on each length?

Even though I've read ahead, I'm worried I've missed something critical and that I'll need a long length of angle down the line.

Thanks,
Abe
 
Those are likely the seat pieces. I remember cutting mine from a 6 or 7' length of channel. I've mostly stopped caring about raw material like that and just use whatever length I can find. They shipped me a foot long 3"x3" aluminum L bracket, its no where in the plans but looks like its beefy enough to hold the entire engine in place. Shipping is the main cost for material that long, so if you're ok paying 30 bucks to ship a replacement piece, just go ahead and use it up.

Measure and mark all your cuts before actually cutting the pieces. I think I had like 3-4" left of each piece when I was done making all the seat braces. If you cut the wrong length from the piece you may end up a few inches short and need to order a 2-3' replacement section. I think smaller parts like the elevator up stop bracket are made from similar/same raw stock, so just try keeping the excess in a single length to give yourself options for other small parts that may arise.
 
Some of that same heavy angle gets used to make a couple of smaller longerons in the forward part of the fuselage. It does get cut up to make seatbacks also, and I think a piece for the tank attach bracket.

I suggest you check all the lengths you have, and all the parts you have to make from it. Then start by cutting out the longest piece first & making it, then the next longest piece etc. If you do it this way, and muck something up, you can often cut back a long piece to make a shorter item, but you can't go the other way. (I made this mistake with J-stringers for the fuse, but luckily I had enough spare from some extra lengths I got with the wing kit).
 
Longerons

Nothing I remember that long after longerons. Seats ate up quite a bit of angle.
I remember buying more but shorter for shipping.
There are some stiffeners in the front made from 125 but they are only a couple feet long.
 
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