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pilot28906

Well Known Member
Do most of you build the leading edge wind cradle per the plans? Why the 2 x 4 on the bottom; seems it would make in unstable. Is the wing crate sides bid enough or do most use plywood or particle board?

Thanks,
 
shipping crate

I cut up the shipping crate that the wings came in and built the wing cradle out of that. It was ugly, but there were plenty of materials, and the only thing I had to buy was a box of screws and some casters so I could roll it around. I'll try to remember to look for some pictures...

Paul
 
My solution...

Here's what I ended up using..
http://adap.com/rv7/images/P1080002.jpg. The verticals held one wing panel at a time and I had the capability to level it with bolts at the corners. When done, the verticals can be removed.

Stand in action:
http://adap.com/rv7/images/P2280041.JPG

When I finished with the wings, I added these to each end, which slip into the legs at each end of the beam (note the cutout, which slips over the beam)
http://adap.com/rv7/images/P3120032.JPG

But while I was working, they doubled as storage stand:
http://adap.com/rv7/images/P7240004.JPG

When ready for storage, put the wing cradle in the roll-around stand and you're good for mobile storage!
 
How about the Tank Cradel?

Thanks guys for the info and links I will need them down the road a bit. I have the wing hung on the jig but need to build the simple leading edge/wing tank form cradle and was just wondering if the plans were the best way to go.

Thanks,
 
I'm at about the same stage as you are, and was thinking the same thing. The plans cradle just doesn't look very stable with that 2x4 along the bottom of it. Maybe if you clamped it to a bench or something. I was going to copy the one I saw on Brad Oliver's website; www.rv7factory.com. I've enjoyed following his progress over the past few years. His appears to to be made out of some sort of particle board and has a full bottom to it. Hope this helps.

Brad
 
qiutong said:
I was going to copy the one I saw on Brad Oliver's website; www.rv7factory.com. I've enjoyed following his progress over the past few years. His appears to to be made out of some sort of particle board and has a full bottom to it. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
I'm flattered, and while my flat bottom design was certainly stable, the bottom prevented access to the front most rivets top and bottom. IIRC, I had to slide the tank out of the cradle a few inches to access those rivets. So perhaps that explains Van's use of a 2x4. Good luck.
 
RV7Factory said:
I'm flattered, and while my flat bottom design was certainly stable, the bottom prevented access to the front most rivets top and bottom. IIRC, I had to slide the tank out of the cradle a few inches to access those rivets. So perhaps that explains Van's use of a 2x4. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks Brad,

I wondered if that might be a problem. I hadn't recalled you complaining about it.....until now! Given the leading edge rivet access problem, was the added stability worth it, or would you go with Van's design, or some other idea, if you had to do it again? I had also considered extending the 2x4 in van's design so that it could be easily clamped or screwed to a table top. Wadda ya think?

Brad
 
Cradle

I agree the one with a bottom looks much more stable. I would be interested in hearing from anyone that did it per the plans.

Is that pipe insulation on the wood part?

Thanks again, this site is great.
 
qiutong said:
Given the leading edge rivet access problem, was the added stability worth it, or would you go with Van's design, or some other idea, if you had to do it again? I had also considered extending the 2x4 in van's design so that it could be easily clamped or screwed to a table top. Wadda ya think?
Click to expand...
I don't recall any issues with my design, so it must not have caused too much of an issue. I think extending the 2x4 would work too. Would I do it again? I guess, but I'd probably make the base a bit narrower.

pilot28906 said:
Is that pipe insulation on the wood part?
Click to expand...
On mine, yes. The cutouts just needed to be widened a bit to compensate for the insulation.
 
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