H

hudgin

Well Known Member
Can any one in the DFW area recommend a good machine shop to cut the instrument panel? Thanks
 
Up North Aviation cuts excellent panels at very reasonable prices and quick turn around.

Check out web site below for details and use the contact page for any questions.
 
RV12 panel by North Aviation

Billvt said:
Up North Aviation cuts excellent panels at very reasonable prices and quick turn around.

Check out web site below for details and use the contact page for any questions.
Click to expand...

Doug, I agree with Bill M and highly recommend Up North Aviation. He took my plans and created a CAD drawing, laid out the placement for clearance, and cut the panel for a very reasonable priced. He is quick and quality of the product is excellent. In my case I had him send me a few versions in thin aluminum for testing, before cutting the final.

Painted the panel last weekend and yesterday I did final install of the avionics on the bench. Now ready to go in the RV12!


panel 061212sm.jpg

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Another vote for Up North Aviation from me. Very happy with his service and the quality of work for my panel.
 
Guys
It is still possible to actually do this job yourself! If you call yourself an airplane builder you should be able to take a right angle grinder and cut a square hole almost to a line, and then file to fit. I bet if you added up all the time it takes to drive the panel somewhere, discuss with the machine shop, post here etc etc, you could actually save time and do a nice job. I am not saying not to take it somewhere, just to give some thought to doing the job yourself with basic hand tools. It really is not that hard to make things look straight and true.
All the avionics suppliers give accurate measurements, and/or templates, that allow a high degree of accuracy. I find cutting a panel to be a very satisfying experience.
 
To cut or not to cut

I do agree with Tom that if you are building an aircraft, you certainly can build the panel.

Having said that, there are reasons why someone would choose not to do the panel.

Some builders lack time or have had enough building while others have rather complex panels with many squares, holes, odd cutouts, etc.

There are many, many pilots that have purchased used aircraft and are not builders at all but want a panel upgrade.

In any case, I offer panel work (without driving to my shop). Done via e-mail and shipper of your choice. I have done panels for folks from Maine to Florida to California and many states in between as well as Canada. Farthest panel cut and shipped to date was to Australia.

Unlimited CAD and layout work comes with each panel.

By all means, cut your panel if you have a mind to. But if you do not, check me out at my web site - See Below

Regards,
Bill
 
Tom Martin said:
Guys
It is still possible to actually do this job yourself! If you call yourself an airplane builder you should be able to take a right angle grinder and cut a square hole almost to a line, and then file to fit. I bet if you added up all the time it takes to drive the panel somewhere, discuss with the machine shop, post here etc etc, you could actually save time and do a nice job. I am not saying not to take it somewhere, just to give some thought to doing the job yourself with basic hand tools. It really is not that hard to make things look straight and true.
All the avionics suppliers give accurate measurements, and/or templates, that allow a high degree of accuracy. I find cutting a panel to be a very satisfying experience.
Click to expand...
While I won't deny you can cut the panel yourself, I would have to say you probably (YMMV) wouldn't get the repeatable precision you can get by having it CNC cut, and depending on what you're attempting to achieve, it can in fact be much, much faster to design the panel in a CAD program, email it to your chosen firm and pick it up in a few days than plot your cutouts, initial cut the holes, file it to the final size, drill the mounting screws and hope you got it right the first time than explain to missus why you need to order another panel. :D

I downloaded a CAD program for my iPad, and during a flight to Perth and a little downtime at work, laid out my panel and had it ready to email. After a quick correction due to me using the bezel dimensions for the SkyView, not the panel cutout (thanks for picking it up Bill), the DXF file was emailed, payment arranged and I had the panel waiting for me when I got home 10 days later - and it had already been there several days after a flight across the Pacific.

My initial CAD plot. Dual 10" SkyViews, Xcom, caution panel and a bunch of switches. I removed one colum of switches in the final layout.

CAD template by KRviator, on Flickr

What I got. A very quick test fit shows everything fits perfectly. One of these days I'll get a photo with everything installed...:rolleyes:

RV-9A panel by KRviator, on Flickr
 
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Panel cutter in DFW

I had Smokie's Machine in Lavon TX cut mine. The owner Smokie Stover has CNC equipment, so he can do the cutouts with great accuracy. He does need a detail drawing to work with. A computer drawing (AutoCad, Cadkey, Solidworks, etc), but a good hand drawing will work, too. Smokie has also made back seat rudder pedals, tailwheel steering links, and oxygen bottle mounts from my drawings. His phone number is 972-516-8980
 
I have the same outlook as Tom. I have made a couple of panels for other airplanes....all by hand, using a saw, file, sanders, drill bits, etc. It wasn't fast (even had to throw one out when a router got away from me), but I got alot of satisfaction out of it. Before filling all the holes that I had cut out, you could tell neither one was CNC cut. But, after all the goodies were installed, you couldn't tell the difference.
 
I too did my own. To be honest, if you know where to look, you can tell it wasn't CNC cut. But I built the plane for my own enjoyment and satisfaction, and the panel, being pretty much "off plans", was one of the most satisfying experiences for me, personally. Of course your mileage may vary.

Bob
 
Great Service from Up North

Just finished the CNC panel process with Up North. Thought the service was great and the panel looks excellent and everything fits.

Did a half dozen or so paper iterations then approved a full-sized paper template. The panel was completed and in my hands a week from then including transit. Relatively simple all glass panel but still 43 holes or cut outs.

Other readers have mentioned DIY. I do not have the shop facilities to easily do the job. That particularly applies to supporting the panel for cutting and filing. Also felt my chances of not making a goof that I would see every flight was mininal.

Bill has templates for all the popular instruments so for example you just have to say Skyview and the location. Another advantage is he checks for interferences and clearances. In the end the layout is your's but he is of great assistance.

Dick Sunderland
 
Tom Martin said:
Guys
It is still possible to actually do this job yourself! If you call yourself an airplane builder you should be able to take a right angle grinder and cut a square hole almost to a line, and then file to fit. . . . .
Click to expand...

Worked for me.
 
I can not cut a straight line or row of holes if my life depended on it. When sitting there looking at my workmanship on a long cross country it would drive me nuts. I found a machine shop here in town just down the road. They did an excellent job on the first panel and get to do it again cause my drawing was a half inch off for the radios. (Grrrr!) Another reason I don't want to cut the panel.
 
cnc panels

Of course you can cut your own panel! This is the way we did it before the Panel Pro was available and there are some really nice looking home made panels out there. If time is not an issue, and you are willing to accept imperfections, have at it.

Remember though you (and your passengers) look at the panel every time you fly. Someone that is inexperienced with panel layout will draw each cutout individually (assuming they have access to CAD). I can't tell you the number of times I have seen panels drawn by people that know CAD, but not neccesarily Instrument panels that have mounting holes wrong or unsymetrical, or the cutouts way oversized leaving ugly gaps.


Shops that have the Panel Pro panel cutter have a drawing library with the cutouts that are proven correct, they also make sure your edge to edge distance is acceptable because the drawings include the bezel (case) of the instruments. Before you ask, the Drawing Library is only available if you buy a Panel Pro.

Bill Morelli's panels come out nice because he not only works with your sketch and make recomendations based on experience and a desire to help, he has the tools to do the job using the Panel Pro.

I used the Panel Pro to help fabricate my RV7A in a year and a half. I made a bunch of parts in addition to the panel with the Panel Pro. Take the canopy latch for instance. The punched part from Vans had a gazillion little punch marks that had to be filed smooth. In addition the part was warped from the punching process. I digitized and cut my own using the Panel Pro. The result is a perfectly flat part with very minimal burr.

Let me say this again. Everyones goal is a bit different. If yours includes hand forming every part possible using your own hands and a rock have at it.

If you want to spend your time putting the pieces together and making an airplane you can be proud of, buy your own Panel Pro or give Bill Morelli a call.
http://www.bullerent.com
 
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Cutting panel

Measure, square and scribe a line with a metal scribe, (very fine accurate line) drill some starter holes and a metal blade on a jig saw works great. Finish with a file. Step bit and fly hole cutter for the round holes. Not very expensive to replace if you mess it up. Last time I checked.
 
To cut a perfectly straight line, I cheat. I under cut, then clamp a steel ruler to the panel. I use a jewler's file to file down to the ruler for a perfectly straight line.
 
I used Up North Aviation and couldn't be happier. My panel looks fantastic and it only took me 10 minutes to cary it to Fed Ex, across the street from my office. :eek:
I"ve built enough panels in my past carreer to know I don't want to build anymore of them.
 
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