Elevator advice

[wirejock]

Hello again. My elevator stiffeners are attached to the skins. I will be bending the trailing edge today and starting the interior assembly.
What tricks did everyone use to build straight?
Did you build a jig? What did it look like?
Did you clamp to a table top? How?

Next question...
How do you bend the tabs on the left elevator and trim tab?
I have a bending brake but can't figure how to get it to work on the parts.

 

[Don Patrick]

No jig

Hi Larry,

The elevator for the 7 and 8 are pretty much the same.

Here is the link for the tab bending that I used as per the instructions in the manual.

http://www.mykitlog.com/users/display_log.php?user=Don Patrick&project=820&category=8621&log=108092&row=8

The bending of the trailing edge...build a brake out of two pieces of 2X6.

Make sure it isn't bowed.

http://www.mykitlog.com/users/display_log.php?user=Don Patrick&project=820&category=8621&log=104956&row=25

Good luck!

 

[David Paule]

For the trim tab side flanges, I used a Malco S3 seam bender. Amazon has them. So easy.

Dave

 

[wirejock]

More questions

Thanks Dave. My break is similar to yours and worked fine. It takes quite a bit of mojo!
Trailing edge is good.

I am still not sure how to make sure it is built straight. I can cleco one side to my sacrificial particle board building surface and rivet the other side. The other option is building some sort of jig.
Any ideas appreciated.

On the elevator counterweight...
Remove the extra lead shown in the plans or wait till it's mounted and relieve enough to balance minus a bit for paint?