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Rotisserie

JFrantz

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Has anyone ever used a rotisserie for building a RV10? I haven't been able to find any info for the 10 but found lots of 14's
 
See update in post below:

Yes, but like you, I couldn’t find much information out there for a RV10 rotisserie. Lots of post for RV14 but not much for RV10. I used the standard engine stands, one I already had, the other I bought at Harbor Freight. They don’t come at 90 degrees so you need to cut them apart and weld them back at 90. (See pics) I chose to extend my width, just thought it would be harder to accidentally turn it over. I added rear casters so I could freely move it around the shop. The T-handles screw down to the floor to add stability and keep it from rolling around. Whatever height you choose for the firewall pivot point will need to be matched in the rear. I used doubled up plywood to extend the rear pivot point. I also added a 2x4 at the rear that hits the ground at 90 degrees, makes it super stable. The pool noodles, driveway markers poles, and hanging ribbons are there so I don’t walk into it or trip… It took a couple days to build, BUT man is it worth it! Makes building it so much easier! 20241208_124508.jpg20241209_152500.jpg20241210_091318.jpg20241211_121135.jpg20241211_131545.jpg20241211_131558.jpg20241211_131604.jpg20250107_131059.jpg20250107_131830.jpg
 
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Thank you very much! I appreciate the pictures. I also bought HF engine stands but got a little leary when I couldn't find anyone else that did the same thing. I have one stand like yours for the tail and one that has the crank for the firewall. I will post pictures when I have something together.

Thanks again
 
Has anyone ever used a rotisserie for building a RV10? I haven't been able to find any info for the 10 but found lots of 14's
Yes. I am using one. I bought it from a friend that previously used it on a 14.
I made a few mods, and added a structural connection between the two engine stands. It is really nice to work with.
One tip - don't bother installing your steps until after you are done with the rotisserie.
Thanks,
Chris
 

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Doesn’t look like you have the fuselage
centered in the fixture. I added a piece of tubing to raise the vertical leg on the rotator. This allows me to put the fuselage totally upside down, very useful for installing interior components like harnesses. This is on an RV-14 but I sure it would work for the 10 as well. Wish I would have used one when we built our 10.
 
Thanks for the pictures, the more ideas the better. I'm trying to figure out what route I want to take to accomplish this myself.
 
Update on my Rotisserie: See prior post above.

When the cabin top is installed, the center of gravity changes. It will flip the rear engine stand over! Note, I only use the rear stand to lock the plane in position, I have not experimented locking the front stand, I'm not sure if it's wide enough or not. I temporarily solved the issue by extending the width of the rear stand with an 8Ft 2x4. I will swap the 2x4 for 2x2 square metal tubing. FYI20250112_160415.jpg20250112_160424.jpg
 
Yes. I am using one. I bought it from a friend that previously used it on a 14.
I made a few mods, and added a structural connection between the two engine stands. It is really nice to work with.
One tip - don't bother installing your steps until after you are done with the rotisserie.
Thanks,
Chris
Thanks Chris, for the response and picture.

Can you show the connection at the firewall? I think I'm going to follow the plans on drilling out the engine mount bolt holes first. I'm not sure that the bolt size to clear the pilot holes provided are enough to support the weight although the vertical stab mounting holes aren't a lot either??

I'm probably worrying to much and just need to get it done!

Any ideas anyone wants to share would be much appreciated.
 
Fwiw......I finally got a chance to complete my rotisserie. As usual, unsupervised time in the hanger lead to a little scope creep and overkill or just plain unnecessary results (referring to the rotating engine stand on the tail which turns out wasn't necessary). Oh well, for the most part I'm happy with it and it works good.
 

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