Elevator Bend

[Brambo]

I'm at the point in building the elevators that calls for the trailing edges to be bent. Section 5G in Van's instructions state that final radius will be supplied in the drawings, but I can?t find them anywhere. Anyone know where this info can be found? Also, any tips or traps to avoid? It seems fairly straight forward, but since I've never done it before maybe there's more to it than meets the eye.

Brambo
RV-7 empennage

[bullojm1]

Brambo-

The bend diameter is not in the diagrams or manual. I believe that it is supposed to be 1/8" (DIAMETER not radius) - mine is. Check with Vans to be sure.

One bit of advice. When you put your skin in the bender, butt the trailing edge right against the hinges. If you don't, the stiffeners ends will hit the skins and slightly distort the skins. Don't worry about squishing the TE down to nothing - the TE bends pretty good with its pre-bent radius. Also, bend until the leading edge skins are about as far apart as the spar. That will give you a sweet trailing edge!

Here is my builders log entry for the elevator TE:
http://rvplane.com/?categoryid=2&dayid=99

Good Luck.

[mlwynn]

Someone suggested to me using a 1/8th dowel, putting it right at the end of the bend--sort of bending around it to get the correct radius. Worked well for me.

Regards,

Michael Wynn
RV 8 Wings

[davidkarlsberg]

I just did this last week. Make sure your wood planks closes flat. Bend until the skin is as far apart as the spar is wide. Then make sure there is no buldging in the skin. I couldent get mine bent all the way to the spar (i was about 1/2 inch off) but they turned out fine.

[Mustang]

Yes, using the dowel ensures uniformity in your crease. I used something smaller in the elevators and got slightly better results. I had varying thicknesses of music wire which worked well.

Cheers,Pete