1014 Flanges

[Aiki_Aviator]

1014 Flanges. Do I need new ones??

Hi all, I need some expert help please.

I began today on page 1 and it has taken me all of the first page, first item to screw up.

Basically I have cut too close on the first pass and have left nothing to grind away at. The funny thing is that I already know this can be a problem and stuffed it up anyhow.

Now I believe it is a problem as the instructions say take away 9/16th from edge and the actual taken away is approx 10-11/16ths and still need a clean up. Also the line is just not straight, so really there is more to loose if it is actually stright.

Am I being silly? How much tollerance is in this sort of construction????

Should I order new parts??

 

[rleffler]

Hi all, I need some expert help please. I began today on page 1 and it has taken me all of the first page, first item to screw up.

I may not be an expert, but I would consider myself an average builder that's made it through to the finish kit. Do get too anxious about this, you will make plenty of mistakes during the build. Some you'll have to order new parts and others you'll just "build on" which is probably what you'll get if you call Van's on this one.

Basically I have cut too close on the first pass and have left nothing to grind away at. The funny thing is that I already know this can be a problem and stuffed it up anyhow.

Now I believe it is a problem as the instructions say take away 9/16th from edge and the actual taken away is approx 10-11/16ths and still need a clean up. Also the line is just not straight, so really there is more to loose if it is actually stright.

Am I being silly? How much tollerance is in this sort of construction????

Should I order new parts??

Not knowing how you made this cut, it's hard to advise on how to get a more straight cut and to approriate dimensions. Again, you'll have plenty of these in the build, so you may want to practice on the tool you're using to cut straighter and accuarate dimensions. Most of the time it's cosmetic, but with the $$$ we're investing you'll want it to look good too.

I suspect that everything is ok, since this part is just a doubler, so being off 1/16 on the angle that isn't being riveted is probably not a big deal. If all the rivets in this piece have acceptable material around them and aren't close to an edge, I would say build on. However, if any rivet doesn't have acceptable material (i.e. too close to an edge), then I would order a new part.

 

[sstellarv10]

I agree with Bob on this, the mistake is not in an area where a 1/16" is critical, so I would say build on and don't lose any sleep over it.

 

[Wayne Gillispie]

Goodmorning...time to get building

I have had my coffee and ready to go.

Smooth out your cut edge as necessary. Check your rivet edge distance near the middle hinge. The ones that go into the web. Should be 1/4" from rivet center to edge of angle(minimum). If not like Bob said just check with Van's.

Set up your bandsaw guides and blade tension per mfr instructions. Use 1/4"-3/8" wide blade with 15-24 tpi. Keep the guide lowered as much as possible to prevent blade deflections...then just practice on some hardware store aluminum pieces. Use fine tip sharpie and mark an "X" on the side that will get thrown out on every single cut during the build. Then cut on the "X" side of the line leaving the line to smooth everything out. Watch your fingers.

 

[Ron B.]

I would sand out those rough edges before riveting.

 

[Aiki_Aviator]

Thanks Guys

Hi All,

Thanks for the feedback, it all makes sense. The cutting error came about as the item is bowed from the factory and this made the cutting a little harder to manage. Based on this I decided to use this part as a training part for cutting, shaping and deburing manufacturing bowed items.

Although I was happy to "build-on" based on the feedback, I got new parts anyhow and used the old items as training material.

Again, thanks to all for thier feedback.

 

[flion]

Ah, yes, the curved parts. I wish I'd seen this when you posted. Many of the parts come with a curve due to the forming/stamping processes. All should be straightened before marking and cutting. Of course, it's difficult to get these particular doubles straight since you don't want to flute them. What I did was clamp them to a flat workbench, aligning the edge of one flange with the edge of the bench so the part was straight along both flanges. Then I marked it for cutting and trimmed to my mark rather than depending on the tool guides to make a straight cut. Once clamped into the spar, drilled, and clecoed, the doubler remained straight. However, I still straightened the part by hand as much as I could to relieve internal stresses before final assembly and riveting.

 

[Phil]

Ah, yes, the curved parts. I wish I'd seen this when you posted. Many of the parts come with a curve due to the forming/stamping processes. All should be straightened before marking and cutting. Of course, it's difficult to get these particular doubles straight since you don't want to flute them. What I did was clamp them to a flat workbench, aligning the edge of one flange with the edge of the bench so the part was straight along both flanges. Then I marked it for cutting and trimmed to my mark rather than depending on the tool guides to make a straight cut. Once clamped into the spar, drilled, and clecoed, the doubler remained straight. However, I still straightened the part by hand as much as I could to relieve internal stresses before final assembly and riveting.

Ditto.

- Clamp it to something straight.
- Draw your line.
- Cut close to the line visually.
- Then use a file or sand to reach the line.

It's not a critical cut at all. You'll learn a few tricks here and there to help prevent this from happening.

Just a word of caution. It's really easy to over-think every step and every detail when it comes to building an airplane.

Just because the first step has a rookie gotcha doesn't mean you should expect every step to be the same. It's easier just to build the **** thing.

It's okay to think about what what you're doing and what you're being asked to do within each step, but don't fall into the "over-thinking trap" and you'll make good progress.

These things aren't supposed to be difficult to build and I think many new builders feel like they aren't doing it right unless they're being challenged by every step or creating challenges by making modifications that really aren't that necessary.

I'm one of the guilty ones and have been on the project for 3.5 years. Now I'm wrapping up the finish kit and have the a different perspective on building an airplane in hindsight. My advice is not to make things any tougher on yourself than is absolutely necessary.

 

[Aiki_Aviator]

Learning and thinking

Great!! The description of clamping it down was the way I completed in the end. I did not try and 'straighten' it on fear of creating some sort of kink, however, the bow although reasonable, was over the entire length. Hopefully not to much internal stress.

For future, should they be straightened?? Is this an important part??

That over thinking will get me, my natural tendancy...

I will have to practice taking it easy....

Anyhow, thanks all again for the helpful information.

 

[flion]

As Phil said, don't overthink this too much. Those doublers are thin material and it doesn't take much force to pull them in place; I just left the center clamped on the flat surface when I marked it and pulled the ends up with my fingers (not so much I'd kink it). When I removed the clamps, it still had about 1/8" bow in the center. A part like the VS-1008 generally has a severe bow and takes a lot to pull it flat; it can distort the completed part so it was more worthwhile to carefully flatten. But, again, you have to balance acceptable versus perfection - when I was done there was still a slight bow but clecos easily pulled it flat. Here's my quick rule of thumb: if clecos easily pull the parts together and the clecoed parts are in good alignment, nothing more needs to be done. Conversely, if one part pulls another out of alignment or clecos won't bring the parts together, then the parts must be reworked to fit. In general, it is better if parts will align without needing clecos to pull them together but there's no need to be a monk about it.