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Working Surface Height Fuselage

J

JohnF

Well Known Member
To get ready for fuselage work when it comes, what seems to be the consensus about the best height for the working surface? Don't want to work on step ladder or do too much stooping...

Your thoughts and thank you.

JohnF
 
? ? ? ? ?

Hard not to do one or the other. I would not guess which is best. I am taller, and I had mine on a 26" high table, but still had to get on a short ladder at times. Other times, you have to be under it for riveting.

John Bender
 
Working height

We're leaving our fuselage on the floor until we get the interior painted and all the other good stuff in the finish kit.
Meade and George
#16:)
 
Built my fuselage on a standard worktable, 34" high, 36" wide, 8' long. Worked well to this point. Built the wings on the table. Built the tailcone on sawhorses, and a banquet table. With regard to the fuselage, will install the fuel system, attach the tailcone, then interior paint. Then complete the forward fuselage. For better access I moved the fuselage to a couple of HF sawhorses that I cut down. They are 24" high (could still have been 4" lower). This will give me better access. They are too low for what I have completed up till now. Would have been uncomfortable. Will put pictures of the new arrangement in my blog later this evening.
 
I used the 34" tables for most work, then lowered onto 24" saw horses for the rest & interior paint, but 20" would be better. I'm 6'1".
 
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Work Bench heights - your opinions please

OK - I haven't built the work bench yet and am probably going to make it 8' by either 3' or 4' wide based upon the recommendations of my mentors who have built an RV-8.

This thread has caused me to wonder if I should make the height of the work bench top 'changeable' say from 1' thru 3' from the floor for instance. I can do that as I will no use nails or bolts, only screws in the construction.

Your thoughts please. Thanks in advance.
 
Just a personal opinion. 3 feet is just about perfect. 4 feet wide would be a waste of space. With regard to a changable height. Don't think that would be necessary. I am just about finished with the fuselage and this is the first time where I find a shorter height is more desirable. It is now sitting on shorty sawhorses which gives me access to the bottom. In fact, I am seriously considering getting rid of the 8 foot bench or more likely cutting it in half to 4 feet. A smaller bench for the cowl, canopy and engine work. Comments?
 
MartySantic said:
Just a personal opinion. 3 feet is just about perfect. 4 feet wide would be a waste of space. With regard to a changable height. Don't think that would be necessary. I am just about finished with the fuselage and this is the first time where I find a shorter height is more desirable. It is now sitting on shorty sawhorses which gives me access to the bottom. In fact, I am seriously considering getting rid of the 8 foot bench or more likely cutting it in half to 4 feet. A smaller bench for the cowl, canopy and engine work. Comments?
Click to expand...

i did mine like Jim...finished the tailcone when I got it...attached it to the fuselage and moved on. Once the fuselage frame would support it, I put it on sawhorses...slid the table with tailcone on in right up to the back...hooked em up and went from there. there is too much to do under the fuselage to keep it on a table...the plumbing for sure. I put the last tailcone rib on an adjustable sawhorse and completed the whole thing climbing in and out in my socks from a small ladder.
 
Check out Rudi Greyling's bench

I used the plans that Rudi has on his web site. It is in the RV-7, tips and trick section. Minor differences in height and width are pretty much a personal preference. I'm 6' tall so I wanted a slightly taller bench. 4' is just too wide, I went with 3'. The best part of Rudi's design is the storage. It is nice to have things right at my finger tips. If I need a lower height as I progress through the fuselage I will use the crate from the tail kit. I am adding some internal ribs made out of left over wood from the wing crate. It makes a passable torsion box, and it's free! I can vary the height in 8" increments using concrete blocks.
 
Like you guys I figured 4' was too wide. On the other hand the wing width is a major consideration, so I designed a bench 8' long, 42" wide and 30" high with the wings in mind. The top is 3/4 particle board. There is a lower level shelf to store parts and tools. The materials cost about $150 but that includes some heavy duty castors so I can roll it against the garage wall and get my wifes car in out of the weather whenever the part I am working on allows. The bench has a 2x4 upright at each corner and everything is screwed together with 2 1/2" deck screws so it can easily be made lower when I get to the fuselage. But it sounds like the fuse will need to be on some sort of stands so there is access to the bottom. I have already had to make a couple of 38" high stands to start the tailcone, the bench is no good for this, but when the tailcone is turned over I guess it can go on the bench for completion. It looks like there is no one solution to the working surface issue, but I enjoy working out the different options to make the build as enjoyable as possible.
Here is a picture. Tony
493310091_ZadEo-L.jpg
 
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Mark Henderson said:
I used the plans that Rudi has on his web site. It is in the RV-7, tips and trick section. Minor differences in height and width are pretty much a personal preference. I'm 6' tall so I wanted a slightly taller bench. 4' is just too wide, I went with 3'. The best part of Rudi's design is the storage. It is nice to have things right at my finger tips. If I need a lower height as I progress through the fuselage I will use the crate from the tail kit. I am adding some internal ribs made out of left over wood from the wing crate. It makes a passable torsion box, and it's free! I can vary the height in 8" increments using concrete blocks.
Click to expand...

I love my tables, here is the direct link to bypass all the other stuff..
http://www.rudigreyling.com/rv_tip_tables.html

But I found once the fusalge is riged enough to move off the table, then knee height saw horses does a good job.
fuse_35.jpg


I guess once the side skins are on then you might want it even lower, so another set of 1/2 knee height saw horses so you can reach over the side skins.

Regards
Rudi
 
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Ya, I have built hundreds of R/C planes, and i think this 12 in many ways is more pleasurable. It is by far more complete and better thought out.
 
Tony's garage & table

Tony - thanks for the picture - I had a much heavier table in mind but after looking at yours, don't think it needs to be really heavy. Thanks again, I think I'll copy yours!!! As for the garage, no one has garage that clean - must be a staged photo - can't be real. Regards, Ed:cool:
 
Isometric of table

Thanks for the garage complement. There is a small workshop adjacent where all the clutter is. I drew a 3D of the table that shows the frame layout. I didn't bother to dimension it, you can make it any size you need. Mine is 8'X42"X30" high including the castors. I did not show the castors either, you may not want them. The frame is all 2x4 except the top long runners which are 2X6. I added another cross piece of 2X6 midway to better support the top. So far it has worked great. It is very sturdy. I sit on the edge of it to do deburring and there is plenty of room to store skins on the lower shelf.
493307097_7Fo3Y-L.jpg
 
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Fuselage work stands

When I built my 7A, I used low saw horses to support the fuselage.

I got a Northern Tool ad in the mail yesterday and they have Folding Aluminum Platforms on sale for $30. They are 19.6" H x 27.5 L x 11.75 W. The length dimension would be used across the width of the fuselage & the width would go fore/aft.

I was thinking these might be better then saw horses. Any comments from the peanut gallery :)
 
I'm using a table that's 12'x4' for general work (wings/flaperons, etc). For the Fuse I used saw horses as recommended in the plans for the upside down stuff in the beginning.

Now that its coming together I have it placed on the finish kit crate. The 2x4's on the top form a natural cradle.

Bob
 
cnpeters said:
Rotisserie style, baby. And saves the back.
my.php
[/URL] By cnpeters[/IMG]
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Yup....that's the ticket! Love the ease of getting at "everything". I should have put wheels on mine. I'm about to paint the fuse (will sure make it easier); then on goes the landing gear....so I can finially sit in'er.
 
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