Longeron Bends

[MarkW]

Like Miles said pretty standard stuff. The problem is that 3/4" is tough to find. I found a few places around the country that had it but the shipping is what kills you. As I was about to give up looking I found Alro Metals had it in stock. 2 miles away and $17.
There are alot of the Alro Metals locations around.
Don't ask how I know all this.
OK I will tell you. I spent too much time reading others problems. If I had just followed the directions I would have been good. I drilled the side rail in the wrong position and when I moved it to the correct position and drilled it left me with too many holes that would have weakened the piece.

[osaleh]

I followed Orndorff method, got done in less than 30 minutes. Then somehow mixed up the right and left and then proceeded to do the drilling. Ouch. Had to order another set. I actually ordered two sets because shipping was ridiculous. Second set, got done and i used the third set for spare parts. So, if you need to do it simple way, follow Orndorff method.

[NDrv8r]

should anyone need to get replacement longerons, look at your local steel supplier. Order the 6061 T6 (or T651) , 3/4x3/4 x 1/8 as previously stated. The advantage of ordering through you local steel supplier is that they have trucks coming in frequently and shipping is minimal and paid for mostly by the guys that are shipping tons of steel.

You do need to inspect it carefully though for scratches any way you ship it. I think the standard lengths are 24 ft??? Shipping an individual 24 ft long shipment by truck is going to cost an arm and a leg plus they will probably ruin it any how.

[txaviator]

I bought two extra sticks of the longeron material last week as a safety blanket, so if I messed up on my first attempt this weekend, I wouldn't be stuck until I could buy more material. Metal Supermarket in Fort Worth, $23.00 total and of course no shipping.

I used Larry's dies and the entire process was completed in about three hours. As others have said, just measure about 10-times on everything, take it very slowly, and use the templates included with your kit. I found the entire process to be extremely enjoyable! The dies made this work extremely easy and my Longerons fit perfectly, and the side skins match and fit great too!

So if anyone in DFW needs any longeron material, I'm your emergency supplier! To those about to start bending your longeron material, like others have said, it's NO big deal. And it's fun because when you're done you get to cleco on the side skins. When you have side skins you have a fuselage that actually resembles an airplane. When you have a mock airplane in your shop, you have something you can now sit in- and make airplane noises