What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Building the wing jig

S

Stormer

Member
My partner and I are just about ready to build the wing jig. Anybody out there have any tips? Should we use 2x4s nailed together or 4x4s? We are thinking of building 2 jigs side by side, to make the build go faster. Pictures of your wing jig would be great.
Thanks in advance.
Steve and Glen RV6A 1997 wing kit, prepunched!
 
My $.02 worth:

4X4s will probably result is less "movement", and that's what you are after. Precision is not critical as you will level the spars themselves, but you don't want the jig to shift during wing construction.
I strongly recommend that you do 2 jigs and build the wings concurrently. It will go much faster.
 
Build one like this....with 2 poles...not just one in the center..

Otherwise you will be crawling on the floor to roll under the wings and to get to the inside...and this will especially annoying when you have done this several times and still yet always seem to forget a tool that you needed..ask me why I know.

051022_001.jpg
 
Stormer said:
My partner and I are just about ready to build the wing jig. Anybody out there have any tips? Should we use 2x4s nailed together or 4x4s? We are thinking of building 2 jigs side by side, to make the build go faster. Pictures of your wing jig would be great.
Thanks in advance.
Steve and Glen RV6A 1997 wing kit, prepunched!
Click to expand...

I do not know if this is the case with you or not, but in my shop, I was not able to nail/glue the base of the jig to the floor.

Therefore, I stole an idea that I saw on a builder website where he used 2X6's and Jackposts to build a jig that is very sturdy, yet completely removable. This is the method that I use, and it does work quite well.

So, if the floor fixing is an issue for you too, then you may want to try this approach as well.
 
I went with the two 2x4 route and screwed them together. Just make sure you find straight ones and put the back-to-back as described on the wing jig section of my web site.
 
cnpeters said:
Used steel uprights attached to a wood mobile base so I could move around. Support arms attached to steel uprights. Was very solid, mobile. Did one wing at a time to save garage space - no regrets.
See bottom pic here (I can send more pics if needed. These were also re-cycled for my fuselage rotisserie):
http://www.mykitlog.com/users/displ...s&project=214&category=2175&log=26736&row=107
Click to expand...

This is great for the RV7/8/9/10 fully prepunched wings, where the "jig" is really just a work rack to allow access to both sides simultaneously, the alignment being determined by the parts themselves. The -4 and -6 wing construction method relies on the uprights being rigid relative to each other to absolutely assure there is no twist in the spar before drilling skins to ribs.
 
Out of necessity, I built a mobile wing jig for my -8 wings. It's on casters and is forkliftable because my workspace tends only to be available evenings and weekends. Works well so far, except that I feel that mobile jigs are a recipe for inadvertent damage if others get the need to move things...

3117_74189407803_540947803_1806550_2930024_n.jpg


The jig is 100x100x3 RHS (4"x4"x1/8") from memory. Also, whilst I intended (and am) building both wings simultaneously, I have put them too close together to allow good build access to each wing when they're both on the jig. For some operations, I need to remove the wing I'm not working on for access - another inadvertent damage risk. I did drill/ream all the rear spar holes with it sat at 5' AGL on a forklift though, so that was kind of handy! :)
 
Last edited:
The rack was made to be adjustable with turn buckles on the upper arms, which were leveled with a SmartLevel to take out any twist. Then clamps were used on the the bottom spar and arms after everything was plumbed. I didn't want to trust the pre-drilled holes, so hence going through all this before drilling. Also, to hold the mobile rack in place, caster cups glued to floor were used, so nothing could slide around once in place. I wouldn't be afraid of this type of jig if one needed mobility and did not have a pre-drilled kit, but a fixed steel structure would be best, like Rudy's and many others.

longranger said:
This is great for the RV7/8/9/10 fully prepunched wings, where the "jig" is really just a work rack to allow access to both sides simultaneously, the alignment being determined by the parts themselves. The -4 and -6 wing construction method relies on the uprights being rigid relative to each other to absolutely assure there is no twist in the spar before drilling skins to ribs.
Click to expand...
 
you can use "Bondo" to glue it to a concrete floor. Just blob a generous amount to the post/floor joint.

I hardens alot faster than the liquid nails method.

Don't get overly excited about the "jig". Those were the old days before prepunched parts.

Its just a work rack.
 
caryr said:
you can use "Bondo" to glue it to a concrete floor. Just blob a generous amount to the post/floor joint.

I hardens alot faster than the liquid nails method.
Click to expand...

With help from a Varieze builder, I used bondo to secure my 4x4 empennage jig posts to the basesment floor, and it worked very well. That was with wife#1, and when that came to an end I had to vacate quickly, so it wasn't practical to remove the jig. I can't say for sure how easy/difficult it would have been to chip out the bondo.;)

caryr said:
Don't get overly excited about the "jig". Those were the old days before prepunched parts.

Its just a work rack.
Click to expand...
The original poster is building a 6A, which IIRC, has prepunched skins, but not ribs, necessitating the wing frame to be square, true, and rigid before drilling the skins to the spars/ribs.
 
My wing stand was a little different than most I have seen. I needed to be able to open my garage door while building my wings, so I used one long 4 x 4 from floor to ceiling, and one short one braced to the nearest wall and the longer 4 x 4. I used liquid nails to hold the 4 x 4's to the floor. Worked great and easily scraped off when I dismantled the jig. Very simple. Very strong. Would do it again exactly the same way.

Bruce's easy wing stand
 
Bruce, that is a great, simple stand you made.
i'm at that point too and don't like the idea of supports at the bottom.
 
swixtt said:
Bruce, that is a great, simple stand you made.
i'm at that point too and don't like the idea of supports at the bottom.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Pete! I'm glad it's useful to another builder. It's so much easier to walk around the jig when you don't have supports at the bottom. You'll walk around the stand a thousand times or more. Good luck on your wings! It's a great feeling to get them going.
 
2 wing jigs distance apart

We would like to build 2 wing jigs so we can build both wings at the same time. We have about 9.5 feet by 14.5 feet of free space in our garage. Is this big enough for 2 wing jigs? Does it matter how the wings are oriented to to each other?(ie. both wing roots at the same end or opposite?) Do we really need 5 feet between the jigs?
 
Wood for wing jigs

I just have to jump in here and share some of my 24 years of wood frame construction experience with you metal airplane building types.

Don't use 4x4s for anything you expect to remain straight!

Use two kiln dried 2x4s glued and screwed together instead.

Here's why. If you look at the end grain of almost all of the 4x4s you will find at your typical home improvement and aircraft parts warehouse store you will find a series of concentric rings. That's the center of the tree. Now lets think about this. That is really just a sapling surrounded by some more uncured wood. How much character and strength did you have when you were just a sapling? How about when you were surrounded by your uncured friends? Trust me a 4x4 is going to twist and warp pretty badly as it drys out.

Get some kiln dried 2x4s and clamp, glue and screw them together such that whatever grain and existing warp or bend they have is opposite to each other so they "fight" each other in their tendancy to warp further.

Evan better than that is to get some salvaged old wood from someones renovation project. It will be evan dryer than the kiln dried stuff and as far as warping and twisting is concerned "it's already done what it's gonna do"
 
BSwayze said:
My wing stand was a little different than most I have seen. I needed to be able to open my garage door while building my wings, so I used one long 4 x 4 from floor to ceiling, and one short one braced to the nearest wall and the longer 4 x 4. I used liquid nails to hold the 4 x 4's to the floor. Worked great and easily scraped off when I dismantled the jig. Very simple. Very strong. Would do it again exactly the same way.

Bruce's easy wing stand
Click to expand...

Wow - that was genius! I wish I had read this about 2 weeks ago....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top