Tip: Countersinking with a ?Step?

Ironflight · #1 10-19-2009, 08:22 PM

One of the great joys of teaching is to see a student come up with a clever idea, all on their own!

The other day, Louise was busy dimpling and countersinking the lower outboard wing skins on the -3B project, and I was piddling around with other little tasks in the shop. Occasionally, she?d ask a question on technique, and we?d walk through the thought process towards an answer. When it came to where the skin overlapped the spar, I pointed out that the spar was too thick to dimple, so she?d have to countersink it ? but then I asked her to consider how she was going to use a standard countersink cage to do that with the ?step? from the already-installed skin so close to her line of rivets. I showed her a picture of a modified countersink cage intended for the job, pointing out that we didn?t have one, and that she should be able to get by without it - then walked away to let her ponder the problem.

Shortly, I heard the sound of the countersink drill doing its repetitive task, so I wandered over to see what she had come up with. Sure enough, she had built herself a tool! A scrap of wing skin with a ?U?-shaped cut-out gave the countersink cage a flat surface on which to rest!

I?m sure she isn?t the first one to figure out this little trick, but I don?t remember seeing it documented anywhere here before, so here it is for the archives!

I love having a student who can take the basic techniques and extend them to solve problems on their own!

Paul

AlexPeterson · #2 10-19-2009, 08:39 PM

Great tip, but I can hear that chuck and drill stop creaking all the way in Minnesota!

Ironflight · #3 10-19-2009, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexPeterson

Great tip, but I can hear that chuck and drill stop creaking all the way in Minnesota!

Oh, the internals work allright - but keeping the rust off the outside in this steam bath is darn near impossible!

niblettda · #4 10-20-2009, 05:14 AM

I agree with that rust. Here in FL the moment you take your eye off anything steel it rusts. I swear on a quiet night I can hear the rust form on all my tools.

pierre smith · #5 10-20-2009, 05:17 AM

...is evident from as far as Georgia

Congratulations,

rv7boy · #6 10-21-2009, 10:20 AM

Wow, Paul, do you realize how fortunate you are? What a Woman!

Phil · #7 10-21-2009, 12:03 PM

Agreed on the rust in Houston!

I have been thinking of buying a new toolbox for the garage and building a dehumidifier to circulate air through it.

All of my bucking bars are rusting away.... I've recently moved to Tungsten and at least it doesn't rust. (Or hasn't yet)

mcencula · #8 03-20-2010, 06:51 AM

If y'all haven't heard of this already, you've got to check out Boeshield. I bought a combo pack at a woodworking show. The rust free did an awesome job of removing rust from my tool tables (although it smells bad) and one application of T-9 has banished the rust from my saw tables ever since.

Available at Sears