Tip: Rivet Spacing on Tubes

[alpinelakespilot2000]

Tape is a good idea. In lieu of the rivet fan, just measure the length of the tape, divide by the number of rivets you need. Pretty simple (and cheap!).

[cytoxin]

Originally Posted by Low Pass

Maybe I'm missing something, but couldn't you just wrap a piece of paper around the tube. Mark the point where the paper meets its end. Remove the paper, fold in half (one end against the previous mark). Repeat until you have 8 folds. Rewrap the paper around the tube and transfer marks from the folds to the tube. Now you have 8 equally spaced marks.

Did this building model rockets back in the day, and probably did it on my plane.

i watched on myth busters that a piece of paper can only be folded in half seven times. not that it takes 8 folds to get 8 marks, just gee whiz.
@#$% those exponents

[C-J]

One other way of doing it is C= pi x the diameter divided by the number of rivets. For example: 1.5" dia tube x 3.141592 = 4.712388 circumference divided by 8 = .5890 spacing. Put this on a piece of tape and put it on the tube. Ok, so I'm a nurd, but I really did it this way and a worked for me. ;-) Carl

[Experimental Chaos]

I posted awhile back I posted an easy ways to do 6 holes using a 6 sided nut and a square in a V block in a drill press. It?s a simple a simple machinist trick; you just use the nut and square to index it 6 times. I?m getting ready to do the 8 hole push rod, and will use a square piece of metal with a hole in it trapped between 2 nuts, and use the square to locate 4 of the holes and use the 45◦ feature of my tri-square to locate the other 4 holes. I like to offset every other hole about 3/32 so as to not form a ?dotted line? around the end of the tube.

[noelf]

Similar in concept to the McD-D tape solution. Use a rubber band. Just snugly and lightly wrap the band around the tube and mark a line for the start / end point. Remove the rubber band, cut it opposite and away from the marks. Now, between the marks, mark spacing at equal intervals, for 4, or 5, or 6, or 8, or whatever the number of rivets are called for. All of the periodic rivet locations just need to be located between the previously marked start / finish lines. The last task is to stretch the now cut rubber band until the first and last rivet marks line up, and all the others rivet mark locations will be equally spaced.

[Flying Scotsman]

Hmmmm...I just use a strip of paper, measure it at the overlap point and divide by n, then mark it with either calipers set to the correct length or a steel rule laid along it (although I like the rivet fan method...have to try that next time).

How accurate are you all trying to get this spacing, anyway? I figure anything within 1/64" has to be "good enough"

[Rivethead]

Here's the way a draftsman would do it. Shorthand.

[DaX]

Originally Posted by C-J

One other way of doing it is C= pi x the diameter divided by the number of rivets. For example: 1.5" dia tube x 3.141592 = 4.712388 circumference divided by 8 = .5890 spacing. Put this on a piece of tape and put it on the tube. Ok, so I'm a nurd, but I really did it this way and a worked for me. ;-) Carl

Come on guys, this is the EASIEST way! C = <pi>*d !!