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Skyhawk148

Member
Can any of you experienced builders help me with a decision. I am thinking about a build of a RV14 or RV10. Since I am at my work location during the week and 75 miles away at my home on weekends, is there a recommended split between kits to optimize my time? I do not want to loose time by only building at one location. My primary shop would be the weekend home and my secondary would during the week. Any recommendation on which kits to work on simutaniously? Or is this a bad idea?
 
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Theoretically you could do so but you'll likely need to buy multiple sets of equipment and tools to do so. There are two options. First, cart parts back and forth that need deburring, fabrication, etc and focus on large structures at a single location but that's going to get old really fast. Second, you could double up your large equipment (expensive), cart your small tools back and forth, and work on the empennage at one location and the wings at another provided you have the space. You don't need to bring all of the substructures together until later in the build.
 
Deburr

To keep the number of duplicate tools down, I would just have a stack of parts at the workweek shop, and just deburr there. As your parts are deburred bring them home to be ready to assemble. You could also scuff (if you are priming) there. That limits the number of tools you need to a small amount. If you get too far ahead on deburring, you could also bring cleco's and a couple drill bits, and do the first assembly, match drilling, and hole deburring there as well. Then bring home to prime (if priming), final assemble and rivet. That way you are mainly transporting small pieces, and you don't need duplicate air compressors, rivet guns etc. The majority of the skins at least for the tail will fit in a car well. At least 50%, probably more like 80% of your time is spent on the deburring and match drilling, but it requires very few tools.
 
I think John has the best approach of working on different parts of the project at different locations would be the easiest to facilitate. However, there will most likely require additional tools, like an air compressor that would need to be purchased.

I wish you luck. I have only 12 miles between the garage where I started the build and my hangar. There have been days where I had to make the trip multiple times due to something I forgot. Even though it's only 12 miles making that trip daily after work gets old very fast. Especially during the winter months.

bob
 
Kind of what the others have said. Even though I completed the subassemblies in my home walkout basement shop and final assembly at the hangar 45 miles/ 1 hour away, I needed multiple sets of tools and a 2nd air compressor. It was cheaper to buy the tool I needed (but was at the opposite location) than travel the 90 mile round trip to get the one tool I already had.
 
The elephant in the room regarding "building time" is the many, many hours spent researching, reading instructions, mentally building parts before using your hands, and ordering things like avionics, FWF stuff, interiors...you name it. While I frequently tell people that my build logs (accurately) show 1024 hours to get my RV-8 flying, this doesn't account for the thousand or so "thinking" hours spent on the project. Just something not consider during the week when away from the shop.

Of course, the suggestions in the above posts are also quite valid - nothing like deburring a stack of wing ribs while watching TV....;)

Paul
 
I work in Hong Kong and am building in UK on days off/leave. During the earlier build stages I would take ribs, stiffeners and other small parts and prep them them in my flat.

I had a drill with a scotchbrite wheel, some scotchbrite pads, tin-snips, hacksaw, a set of model files etc - just enough to get by. It was a bit monotonous but I got a lot done - as a bonus, it kept me out of the pub in my spare time :eek:

And, as someone else mentioned, a lot of reading, thinking and research.
 
Portable shop an option

What kind of transportation do you have? Pickup, small trailer?
I have a pickup and have no problem transporting the essential workshop items on wheels. My compressor has wheels; my large tool box from Harbor freight has wheels. I use also a portable EAA workbench which i set up on a pair of good quality saw horses. I use a set of tailgate ramps also from Harbor Freight to get the heavy items in the truck. Breakdown and set up is only minutes. If you don?t have a truck, a small trailer would work fine. Ryobi bench top band saw and a bench top grinding wheel for the 3m deburing/polishing wheel are also part of the deal. I built my empennage in another location and moved the tools easily.
 
Empennage in a jig at home, wings in a jig at work...that sounds pretty heavenly to me. Yes, you will need a second compressor and some tools but if you are considering building an airplane, believe me that money spent will not stand out in your mind when you are done. Could have a tool box with the expensive hand tools in it if you wanted to save some tool money (squeezer, drills, etc)
 
I really like the idea of doing deburring, etc at one location, and assembly another. Don't forget, though, that there are large and small jobs within each kit. On the wings, you have the wings, and the flaps and ailerons. These can be transported easily, even when finished. You might save these smaller jobs until later in the process, just so you could have them to work on at whatever location seems the most appropriate, or at both if you still feel like working both places. On our high school build project, we saved the flaperons (RV-12) until there was a time when we had more people than could work on the fuselage at one time. Small assemblies could be you buffer also, so I wouldn't do them first.

Bob
 
Thanks

A lot of great ideas and experience. I am ready to pull the trigger as soon as I decide on RV14 or 10. I like the quick build option of the 10 yet I like the size of the 14.
Sent my donation and will be buggin every one soon.
 
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