To deburr or to not? That is the question.

[CDBridgesRV7A]

Good Day Folks,

While I was doing some research into what tool kit I woulkd like to buy I stumbled across this article on Isham's (Plane Tools) website.

http://www.planetools.com/Deburring_Holes.htm

For those of you who have built your own RV, is this a recommended practice? "Deburring of rivet holes is over-emphasized in the homebuilt aircraft industry." Would most of you recommend to continue to deburr rivet holes or does this article have some merits.

Thanks

Cheers

Chris

[DesertFlier]

I haven't built an RV yet, but in A&P school I was taught to always deburr holes before riveting. I was told the presence of burrs creates stress concentrations which can lead to cracks around rivet holes. Plus, if there's any metal sticking up around the edge of the hole, the rivet head won't sit flat on the surface. I think the key is to only remove the burrs, and not go so far as to start countersinking the hole, which is more what they're showing in the link you provided. Even if you do eat away a bit around the hole with the deburring tool, the rivet is going to fill the void when you drive it.

[Experimental Chaos]

You?re right in that there is a lot of ?over de-burring? if you have a sharp drill bit, and use minimum pressure as you break though you could probably skip it, especially on parts that are going to get dimpled. I know some people ream the holes to final size, to minimize any burrs. Personally, I still like to run a counter sink tool in all the holes by hand. It seems to make the parts nestle together better, and when possible I like to dimple mating parts together it seems to make for a better fit.

[flion]

There is some justice to what they say. Too many times deburring actually becomes countersinking - but that's too much! But I'd still recommend deburring; using your finger won't get all the chips (and will likely slice your finger pretty good, especially if you forget that it was stainless and not aluminum you just drilled!) You can do some searches and find lots of tips for how to deburr on here. The key is: less is more. Little, if any, pressure and only a single rotation of the tool if it is a three-flute. Same with deburring edges; I usually finish my edges square with a file and then a quick, light pass with a scotch-brite wheel to break the edges. Even the wheel is risky; you have to keep the piece moving fairly quickly or the wheel will 'dig'. Practice really helps. But, overall, I'd still say that deburring slightly too much is better than not deburring at all.

[David Z]

In the instructions, Van's mentions you can just spin a drill bit with your fingers on the hole.
I use a cheap 3/8" bit with some wire tape on the end as a grip for my fingers. Some times even spinning it backwards is good enough.

[GAHco]

De-burr, as lightly as possible but just so it's noticeable.

[RV7Ron]

I completely agree with the article, deburring is overdone in homebuilts. My SportAir instructor said the same, and he was an A&P as well.