647jc
Well Known Member
I’m ready to drill the main gear axles for cotter pins and really dreading it from all the horror stories I’ve read regarding misaligned holes and getting the aluminum nut threads all screwed up. I have an A series plane and I drilled the nose axle last month with the supplied steel castellated nut in place. I drilled through the castellated slot keeping the bit up against the bottom of the slot and drilled from one side and then the other, had no problems getting the nut off afterwards and the axle threads did not appear to get mangled in the vicinity of the hole. So, I’m thinking I could use the same method and steel nut on the main gear axles. The distance from the bottom of the castellated slot to the face of the steel nut appears to be the same as on the aluminum nut, I would need to be sure and keep the bit held up against the bottom or end of the castellated slot (probably with a piece of wood) but other than that it shouldn’t be any different than drilling the nose axle. This method would insure in the holes are aligned and the aluminum nut doesn’t get damaged. Any comments from others, has anyone else used a similar method?
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