What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Buller Longeron Die Question

R

rv12iS-builder

Well Known Member
Friend
Do the Buller longeron dies that work for the RV-7 work for the RV-12, or do we need a special set of dies for the 12?

Thanks!
 
A vise, dead-blow hammer and a crescent wrench does wonders with longeron forming.
 
Last edited:
Same dies

The dies for the -7 and the -12 are the same dies.

Maybe I needed a Bigger Vise and a Bigger Hammer but I found that the dies made the job quite a bit easier. I stilled needed the Vise, Hammer and Crescent wrench for final shaping.
 
I'm the one selling them - they do work on the RV-12 and make the job of forming the bend a lot easier.
 
I used the longeron die and, while it is not miraculous, it helped a lot compared to the brute method of using a hammer and a vise (although you still need them with the die!). You can see what I said at the time on my builder's blog (that was WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2011 on the blog).
 
I bought and used the dies. Not having beat a set of longerons into existence I cant say if it was much easier. Measure often. The dies are capable of making your longerons into a circle.
 
I used the dies. It was the easiest part of doing the longerons.

The beating the angle open on the end wasn't. I actually just used a pipe and vice to do that.

Bob
 
Die recommendation

+1 for Larry's longeron dies.
I did the bends using the dies in a 4" vise. I was astonished how easy one can (over) bend that L-profile with very little force.
It requires to constantly checking against the template, but you get a consistent bend over the intended length when you advance the longeron by 1" each time.
I completed the bend in 3..4 passes.
I can not say how the whacky hammer method would have worked out, but I can say that I am glad to have used the dies for it. It made the longeron process quite easy. (Opening the angle was another story)

Now I have two nicely bend longerons laying on my table and I am glad to have left this task behind me. :D
 
magiccarpet said:
I can not say how the whacky hammer method would have worked out, but I can say that I am glad to have used the dies for it.
Click to expand...

The wacky hammer method actually works quite well as proven by the 9000+ RV's that have been completed and flown....
Up until only recently, if you were building an RV that required curved longeron angles (pretty much all of them until the RV-14), it was the only way.
 
Borrow Your Longeron Dies?

Does anyone have the RV-12 Longeron dies I could borrow/rent? I'll return them in good condition quickly, within 5 - 10 days or so, cover your shipping, and include a little extra $ as a way of saying "thanks!"

Appreciate it.
 
Kevin,

I'm in KCCR - you can drive down or perhaps I could fly to KSAC (was there on Monday). Send me a PM and let me know if you need them.
 
Vans longerons are designed to weed out the sissies

All it took for me was a set of dies, an eight inch chinese vise, a four pond sledge, a 12 inch crescent wrench and a ten ton hydraulic press. Piece o cake!
...and an unnecessarily difficult step in an otherwise fine kit design.
Universally hated, this critical and difficult step should have become factory-formed long ago. Seems to be part of the smug cultural attitude exhibited in other areas - like failure-prone nose struts, and main gear shimmy on tail draggers. I'm fairly new to the community, so maybe I just don't get it about this stuff....or maybe I'm just a sissy!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top