Eagler's Nest
General Category => Builders logs => Topic started by: Isotope on November 25, 2025, 05:38:31 AM
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First rib done. I dread removing 4000 staples. Is there any other disadvantage in leaving them in besides extra weight? Rust, corrosion? I do like the peace of mind of leaving them in for extra security.
Im using Les's gusset kit and supplemental wing drawings. I thought the price was ok for having all gussets laser cut, numbered and sorted. Thanks Les!
Im not going to do an overly detailed build log but will try my best to post as much progress as possible and questions along the way.
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First off, great job!!! As far as leaving staples for extra confidence... just make a sample glue joint & see what happens when you try to tear it apart (that will build confidence, lol) - go ahead and remove them... I do understand the dread of removing them all - that's why I built my 2nd (and 3rd) jig so I could glue both sides at the same time without any staples... Anyways, looking good & if we can help in anyway - let us know... david
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Nice looking rib. Just remember they are not all made alike. Different gussets on the ribs with compression struts and ribs at each end of the ailerons. Extra 1/4x1/4 verticals on ribs 1 & 2 for wing fitting notches. Maybe Pappy will post a photo of his rib jig using clamps for pressure instead of staples.
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I have seen Pappy's jig, great idea. My next plan is to staple one side in the jig, then remove, then clamp the other side. Thats half the staples anyway.
One question i forgot to ask in first post. Leonards plans says 15/16" gap between the two verticals for the rear spar where as the supplemental plans from Les says 7/8. Do i understand the total thickness of the spar is 7/8? And which measurement should i go by? For this first rib i just split the difference so 29/32nd's lol. I assume Leonard is allowing 1/16th for the ribs to slide on easy. Whats a common practice here?
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All the XL plans I have show a thickness of 3/4" (front to rear) for the rear spar caps. When you add the 1/8" spar web you should have a total thickness of 7/8". I think the 15/16" spacing comes from the fact you might want a little "wiggle room" to slide the spar into the ribs. I made my rear spar opening a loose 7/8" so my ribs would slip over the rear spar but leave no gaps to fill with epoxy. Ignore the little gussets in the 2nd photo. They are not part of the design, just something I added.
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Maybe Pappy will post a photo of his rib jig using clamps for pressure instead of staples.
Which one were you referring to, my 1st or my 2nd & 3rd? Or were you talking about my unrevealed one? - we can't show that one yet, it's still a work in process - lol (Oh wait, I guess all of them were a work in progress... lol)
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I was thinking of the 2nd one.
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Oh dang Pappy! Is that 3d printed? How would one go about getting access to the stl file? I bet that took a while to print..
Im moving along ok with traditional method and staples for now and starting to get my own system worked out on just my second rib.
I havnt tried to wrap my head around it quite yet but im confused on Les's supplemental instructions on how many ribs to make of each. On page 41 it states total of 16 standard ribs. So i take that to make 16 of those, but on page 57 through 61 it breaks down how many of each ribs to make and on page 58 it says "8" standard ribs, not 16.. I hope this makes sense and I hope maybe Les or someone could chime in that has these drawings. I realize these supplemental drawings were made to simplify things so maybe im missing something.
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Ribs 1, 2, 3, & 5 (each wing) are alike except for the added 1/4x1/4 verticals to ribs 1 & 2 for wing fitting notches. Ribs 4, 6, 8, & 10 get smaller compression strut gussets on the root side of each rib in certain places. Ribs 7, 12, & 13 all have larger gussets behind the rear spar to allow for aileron hinge blocks. If you make 16 ribs alike you will be sanding stuff off of some of them to make things fit. If you are using Iron Designs ribs, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, & 12 all have K-blocks & K-block gussets.
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There is a picture of the simple jig and clamp plates on page 1 of my build thread. Alternately, from failing memory you can put a cord under the staples and rip them out when the glue is set. I think. :)
https://www.eaglersnest.com/forum/index.php?topic=2197.0
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Here is a photo of Chuck's hold down plates. Be sure the gussets don't slip out of place, if using T-88.
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22 more to go. I have decided im going to staple all of it. I like the control i have with the stapler.
Thanks for the explanations of the different ribs. Its all starting to come together in my mind. I like to plan as much as possible but im best when i figure it out as i go. It seems thats what building this plane is all about anyway.
4 more of these and i will set my mind on figuring out the compression ribs and aileron gussets etc,,
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Is that an optical illusion or is that rib closest to us under cambered? As long as you think before you glue, you should have some beautiful ribs. The compression rib gussets are just a few of the regular gussets with a little of the top cut off. If you lay a compression rib against one of the ribs you already made, you can see how much to trim before you glue & staple. I don't think I had to trim any of the upper gussets, just the lower ones on ribs #4, 6, 8, & 10.
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8 standard ribs complete. Starting on the 4 root ribs for wing brackets.
I made the gap on the verticals 3" from bottom of cap strip, i could not find any specific dimensions for this so i guessed by the plans. I hope that is enough space for plywood doubler, maybe someone could chime in on this befor i make the other 3.. see pic. How i did this was made a standard rib in jig but omitted diagonals L and N, then flipped rib over to scab on the over lap 1/4 x 1/4 then cut out the other 1/4 x 1/4 for the gap. Then installed diagonals L and N then the gussets. Hope that makes sense..
Im using titebond 3 for ribs but plan on going over these modified areas with t88 later and ofcorse t88 for spars and rest of wing.
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Like Leonard says in the plans "Its a very good thing to include your family members in the building process". My son volunteered to pull staples. He has pulled about 1000 staples so far. Only two ribs left to go and all 26 will be complete.
I am trying to figure out the rest of the wood i need to complete the wings so i can place an order asap. One concern i have is some of the spar cap strips required such as the 3/4 x 1" and 3/4 x 5/8" on aircraft spruce only come in 12' lengths while as others come in 13'. The plans call out 154" (12.8') on the spars. Assuming i will need 13' pieces for this. I would not think splicing the spars would be a very good idea unless maybe the scarf joint is within a foot from the wing tip?
Also i have a materials list for the xl i downloaded some years ago and for two cap strips it calls for two 5/8 x 5/16" x 154" pieces. "See pic" I can not figure out what this would be used for in the plans..
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The 5/16" x 5/8" strips are for the nose rib stringer. Nose ribs are notched for this, and the stringer is epoxied into the slot. I bought 14-foot lengths of spruce for my spars from ACS. You need to call them to get the longer lengths. It is OK to splice the spars as long as you do it correctly, and I recommend you do it at about 2-feet from the outer end.
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test
Hmmm. I copied and pasted the verbiage from AC 4313 on splicing spars, and this site gave me a 403 forbidden.
At any rate, you can splice anywhere except at the root, strut, or interplane locations. Minimum of 1 to 10 scarf. Google it and all will be explained. :)
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You guys are awesome! I did not see the note for the 5/8 x 5/16 nose rib stringer on the full size nose rib pattern. I am using les's rib pattern. I will decide on whether scarfing or getting ahold of ACS for full length cap strips. The AC 4313 was very helpful Pappy. I will consult that source for other info.
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I just placed an order for about $1500 worth of spruce and plywood from ACS, some in 13' lengths. Shipping price is to be determined and charged at time of shipping. I know it is going to be high but what kind of high are we talking about. How many hundreds..? I live in south east Missouri and its coming from GA, so not to far. Im kinda nervous lol
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Oh dang Pappy! Is that 3d printed? How would one go about getting access to the stl file? I bet that took a while to print..
Im moving along ok with traditional method and staples for now and starting to get my own system worked out on just my second rib...
I just realized, I never replied... Yes It's 3d Printed - based on my plywood/router design... It's a work in progress for sure - I've been busy on other 'holiday' gifts & other 3d prints for my LE, but will hopefully get back to it soon... And yes, 7 or 8 different print jobs if I remember correctly... So basically a week's worth of prints... Of course, That includes templates for nose rib, all gussets, 'k-block' or not, single place or DE, etc... Anyways, I just wanted to tell you - yours is LOOKING GOOD!!! If I can help let me know... Oh & P.S. are you ready to mortgage your house to pay for that shipping.... lol
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Mortgage my house!? What are we talking here will it be under $1000?? Ill cancle the order and drive there in a uhaul if its thats much or more!
*EDIT*. Ok i just received a freight quote from acs. I can breathe now. Could be better but not as bad as i thought it would be.. $270
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What is a good size table to build the wing on? I read 24" wide to 4' wide. I prefer smaller as i have the luxury of building in my den but dont want to take up to much space.
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I made mine 36" wide, but 30" is wide enough. I wanted to be sure both spars would fit on the table as I slid the ribs over the rear spar.
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Mine was 4'x 12'... I knew it was temp for the build, so I screwed the 4' wafer wood over the 30 or 36" Formica tables I had... That way I didn't destroy the Formica tops on the benches... 12 foot was really too short, but I was able to make due... Glad you & ACS can still be friends... lol
:)
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I predicted pulling staples to be way harder than it was. Once i figured out a method it went very fast. I used this staple puller from amazon and some bent tip needle nose, see pic.
Half pound of staples. All ribs together befor sanded weigh 6.5 pounds, does that sound about right? That is less than my biggest rc plane lol my old Hobby Lobby Telesport "not the craft store hobby lobby" anyone remember them?
Anyway. Now my focus goes to building a table while i wait on the rest of the wood and sanding the ribs. Anything else i should do to the ribs at this point?
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Mortgage my house!? What are we talking here will it be under $1000?? Ill cancle the order and drive there in a uhaul if its thats much or more!
*EDIT*. Ok i just received a freight quote from acs. I can breathe now. Could be better but not as bad as i thought it would be.. $270
Normally, they are exorbitant. That is merely high. I had an engine shipped from California for less.. :)
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Oh yeah, I remember... Always thought about getting one of those - was always partial to the ugly stix (obviously after seeing my LEXL, lol)... Looking good!
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After a deep dive and finding not much info leaning to either a 1" or 1 1/8" shaft i just took a toss up and ordered the bsv23 386447-0090-G1 engine with 1" shaft like in the plans. My initial thought was the bigger 1 1/8" shaft would be better but it seems alot of people are using the 1" with no problems.
I also found a drive bushing off ebay for $70. And waiting on a brochure from ace to get a redrive on order.
Now i just hope the rest of my spruce and plywood ship and get here befor my Christmas break.
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The Briggs arrived quick! Built a test stand, removed all the dead weigh and also removed all of the stator magnets "one pound worth" along with the armature. I am not interested in charging and a stand alone lithium battery for starting is all I'll need. Possibly a lipo as i am very familiar with them from my r/c hobby. At least now i will have something to do while i wait on the wood for the rest of the wing.
ACE Aviation and Alaina at Culver Props seem kind of slow to respond. But im trying to be patient it is that time of year.
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Built a table while waiting on the rest of my wood for the wings, wood should arrive this week. Table is 13' long, 35" tall and 30" wide, very solid. It will also make a great work bench in the garage when i am finished. Also while tinkering with the engine putting a couple hours on it just doing heat cycles with no load i have been dealing with and researching a redive option, see my post in the briggs conversion thread about that. I have plenty of time to decide on a redrive. Pappy thanks for the Hoverhawk link. I emailed them and they have reached out to me already so that is another option. The engine runs very good but i do not want to run it anymore without a load. I was advised that the rings will not seat good without a load and that makes enough sense to me. I have also received Les's nose and aileron rib jigs, wing and strut attachment fittings and welded drag brace brackets. Thanks Les! Will save just a little time and i am happy to support your store. I plan on ordering more prefabbed material from his store as i progress. Ill repost when i get the wood in and get some wing built up as my schedule allows.
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Nice looking worktable. Looks very solid and strong. I built mine out of the same I-beam stuff. As to your battery selection for the Briggs. Being an RC'r from as far back as single channel escapement controls, I would not recommend a Li-po battery. You & I both know how prone to fires they can be. Go with LiFePO4. I made a battery pack from 32700 cells that is really working well on my engine test stand. I even charge it with an old FMA Cellpro charger through balance wires. Super stable voltage and plenty of power. If you don't have much amperage draw in your electrical system, a 4-cell setup should be ideal.
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I agree with you. I have been flying lipos in rc's for 20 years and have never had a fire but if its going to happen its going to happen while "im" airborne with one.. Im comfortable with the lipo on the test stand but for flight i have this one saved in my wish list, check out the link. LifeP04 weights 1 pound and has a voltage display, 250 CCA, 2.5 AH.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPHZWQ1J/?coliid=I1MAG0BZYH60JT&colid=3H7BN9GIFME1H&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it_im&th=1
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Looks like a good choice if you only need 2.5 Ah capacity. I'm running an electronic ignition and several low-current instruments on my 1/2 VW, so I needed a little higher capacity.
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First confusion on the spares. In the plans he says to lay out the cap strips and place all uprights in where the ribs go. The is the 3/4x1/4" correct? But on the drawing it points at one and says 3/4x1/2 all butt joints on spar web..? See attached pic. I dont understand that. Next question. Last sentence in that same paragraph "Use blocks and wedges as glue dries. Now you can install the solid wood pieces". What is the "solid wood pieces"?
And one more. He mentions useing a 1x2" board for straight edge but then says it should be thinner than spar cap.. arnt the spar caps 3/4 thick?
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He means 3/4x1/4 at all rib locations unless there is a web butt joint at one, or more, of them. If you have a web butt joint at a rib location, he is saying use a 1/2x3/4 at that location to strengthen the butt joint. I used scarf joints on all my plywood webs and did not worry about their locations. The solid wood pieces are the strut mounting blocks and the blocks at the root end for the wing fittings. Use whatever you want for a straightedge. I used 2"x12"x5/8" thick blocks on my build table.
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I'm getting old and could not see the attachment. Can you make it more visible while I go get my glasses? On the outer taper, I went down to 1/2" instead of 1/4" near the ends.
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I made my wing ribs first, not my spars. The height of the front spar really depends on your wing rib dimension at the front vertical. I am using the Iron Designs rib drawing and the standard plans nose ribs. I made the 1/4x3/4 vertical spar spacers so my front spar was 1/16" less tall as my wing rib front vertical. This was to allow for the 1/32" nose plywood that wrapped around the upper & lower spar caps. I wanted the ply to match the height of my wing rib. My spars are the same height at the root & tip although the 1/4x3/4 verticals were a little longer (cut to fit) near the tip because of the inside spar cap taper. My rear spar is 5-1/4" tall, same as plans dimension.
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No i used Les's supplemental plans and gusset kit. I have precut gussets for compression ribs etc.
I dont know if u understood my question about the dimensions of the two end upright i have circled in the attachment. Here it is again. I do not see any call out for these wider pieces in the plans. Sorry for the confusion. You are great help!
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I hope I understand your question. The wide piece you have circled is just a spacer I stuck in the spar temporarily. It is not glued in. A 1/4"x3/4" piece goes on either side of the spacer. All four spars have two, 1/4"x3/4" spruce uprights cut to fit between the spar caps at the tip end, per plans. There is no dimension for the length of these pieces shown on any plans because their length depends on how, or if, you taper the spar caps.
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That answers the tip end. Now how about the root? See attached. Is it just solid 3/4 filler all the way to the root or is there more uprights at the root like the tip? Watching Leonard's wing build video it looks like he has a upright in the root next to the solid And its not a full solid piece like in the plans it is a brace like the strut brace? Maybe im just over complicating it and this is what they mean by "up for interpretation" "See the area i have highlighted in red". And what does he mean by "main rib spacing 1 1/2" all"?
Boy i thought i studied these plans enough but more jumps out at me when i start putting wood together.
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Solid 3/4" thick filler blocks. There are no 1/4" pieces in the root end. I believe Leonard means there is 1-1/2" spacing between the two ribs at the root end of the wings. That should be 1" between the two root ribs giving a 1-1/2" outside dimension. In the last photo I did not use the metal bracket for diagonal #1. I went with triangular wood & ply bracing to make room for my fuel tank.
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You should be confused! The wing video does not apply to the XL. It is of a Legal Eagle Ultralight wing being built. There is no wing video I have ever seen by Leonard about the XL. I think that video has confused more XL builders than any other. There are many, many differences between the LEU & XL wings. If you want to see some XL videos, look up ADCO Aviation on YouTube. David does a very nice job of showing phases of XL construction. He also states very clearly where he deviated from the plans. ADCO has a build log just below yours. He has a link to the video playlist in that log. Hope this helps!
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Welp first major issue with my material. Or material list i used. It called for 5"wide solid for the root and my gap between cap strips is 5 3/8~. This 5x3/4x36 is all i have. I believe i have enough to fill the gap at the bottom side, where it attaches to lower cap strip "short side". If that would even be acceptable adding a 3/8" piece in to fill the gap. Either that or im stuck until i get a wider piece from ac spruce.
PS. Actually i have enough to scab onto the top spar cap for one spar maybe both. That would be better for more surface area. If i dont have enough that way for both spars i can do one while waiting on ac spruce.
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I think that would be acceptable.. after all it is a filler block.
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I agree with Chuck. After all, it is covered on both sides with 1/8" plywood.
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First spar will be ready for plywood tomorrow. I have worked with alot of epoxy but never t-88. This stuff is great. Long working time and it dosnt run when your turning parts around to apply on multiple surfaces. And cleans up easy enough. Splicing the root filler block was easy and i feel comfortable with it thanks to the input. You guys are more than awesome.
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Looking good!
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How critical is the 29° angle for the strut brace? :-\ Mine came out at about 30~31°. I bought an angle finder for the rest and plan on getting them right on 29°.
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Shouldn't be a problem. You can still mount the fittings at 29°
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Ok befor i go and make two left wings i want to clarify that if i were standing behind the airplane and this was the right front wing spar the plywood would go on the front correct? And on the back of the rear spar? Also the strut braces and solid root piece will have double 1/8" ply over them in the front where it calls out in the plans? See attached. Also is there a grain direction i need to worry about with the ply?
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I am learning lots from your posts/pictures/questions. One of these days it there will be nothing left to do on the airframe and I'll have to start on the wings. Keep posting.
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Front wing spars get plywood web on front face and rear spars get plywood web on rear face. I'm not sure I understand your question about doublers but my left wing photo shows how I did mine. I ran the grain direction of the outer ply layers spanwise.
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Again prolly thinking to much into it but next question lol. Page 34 on the spar section is shows 9, 3" holes driller in the 3 most outboard section's of the spar. Then on page A it shows 12 holes drilled all the way up next to the strut bace section? What is common conciseness here? It makes since on page 34 him wanting to stay away from drilling holes near a stress point like the spar attachment. I suspect this would be a few ounces saved though if they were drilled out all the way up too it like on the overall view on page A.
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In your post showing Page 35, I just remembered a "gotcha". The strut fitting dimensions for the front spar are correct, but the rear spar is showing the same distance below the spar cap for the hole that the strut bolt goes through. In my opinion this is a mistake. The rear spar cap is 1/4" from the bottom fabric of the wing while the front spar cap is even with the fabric. I think you should add 1/4" to the 5/8" shown for the rear spar bolt hole. This will place the bolt hole for the strut attach 5/8" below the fabric.
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Nice catch but.. I ordered Les's prefabbed mounting bracket kit with holes already drilled.. i dont believe there drilled to this specific dimension. Is this a known error and crucial to fix?
Question i have. The way i installed the 1/2" uprights for web splicing i just put them where ever a 4' piece of ply would land. In that case a couple of them ended up right where a lighting hole would be so i am short 2 lighting holes. Could i drill the 2 holes in the next section over closer to the strut bracket? but dont want compromise this area. What do you think, see attached for where i didnt drill a hole with an "x" and where im proposing to drill a hole with the red circle.
PS: what kind of weight penalty did you add for adding those gussets to the uprights? Did u add them to all uprights? See attached.
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I don't guess the 5/8" below the front & rear spar caps is critical for structure. My only issue was the rear strut was very close to the fabric compared to the front one, so I adjusted the mounting holes to compensate. I have no idea if that is a known error but did not want my rear strut pushed up against the fabric. I put lightening holes where you have the red circles. I put the little 0.8mm ply gussets on all my spars. Added about 8 ounces. The reason for those gussets was some of the vertical upright joints broke when I dropped one of the spars on my concrete floor before I had any ply webbing on it. I figured a gusset on one side and the 3mm ply web on the other made those joints super strong. If I build another XL, I will leave them off. I'm helping a buddy build an XL and we are not using those gussets (photo). It did require sawing notches in the front of the ribs. Turned out it was a one bandsaw width cut.
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Little update. Almost finished with second front spar minus the strut and wing attach doublers.
The way i did the web splices is where ever a 4' ply stopped is where i put a 3/4x1/2" upright regardless of where the 3/4x1/4's were. This added 3 extra uprights of which were 3/4x1/2. That is how i interpreted the plans. Another thing this did was prevent me from drilling 2 of the 18 lighting holes where it showed on the plans. I also didnt not want to put a hole to close to a web splice. So for this i drilled the extra 2 holes in the next section closer to the strut brace. See pics. I also added 4 more 1.5" lighting holes on the most outboard section. After researching some Minimax and Airbike spars they dont even have a web on the most outer section. 4x1.5" holes is equal to 1x 3" hole in weight.
I also added a 1/8" ply doubler to the scarf joint i made in the upper cap strip within 2' of the outboard end. Im sure it would be fine but this gives me some extra comfort as that was my first time scarfing a spar of a full scale aircraft that i will be piloting :D
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Also to add to the above post i added 1/8 ply doublers 1/2" wide to the web butt joints on front surface for extra piece of mind. Just the first two butt joints not the outboard one 10" from spar tip.
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Looks like everything is working out just fine.
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What is a good method for putting the 10* bevel on the front spar after it is built? I have a table saw and hand planer. Willing to buy a tool to make it as easy as possible what ever that may be.
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I cut the bevel on my table saw before I assembled the front spars, but I did make a couple of wedges that I glued to the bottom of my router to trim the angle on the spar web. That same setup should work just fine to trim the spar cap. An easier way might be just run the spar through your table saw with the blade set to the proper angle.
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8* or 10*? My plans say 10. After doing a little research i wonder how well a table saw would work? Man i would hate taking my pretty spar through a saw.. :-\ But i would try it with some help
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Plans say 10°. I made a mock nose rib/spar/wing rib to determine my angle since I was using the Iron Designs wing rib size. I cut my spar caps from a 14-foot-long plank, then cut the 8° angle on my upper front caps. I used the fence on my table saw to hold the wood in alignment while I ran it through the saw. I had rollers to support the wood on both ends.
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Many ways to skin that cat... I just sanded after assembly... no fuss, didn't have to fight the saw... but either way works... keep on plugging along...
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Yes, as Pappy says, sanding is an option as well as using a hand plane and shaving the angle to the 8° or 10° mark. I just used my table saw because I had it already set up to cut my spar caps out of my 14-foot-long planks.
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Just made my first big mistake.. While epoxying and stapling the web to the second spar i realized that i installed the strut brace in the wrong section. I installed it in the 5th bay instead of the 6th bay from the root like i did on the first spar. Sadly right after i epoxied and stapled the web on top of it. I decided to let it cure and cut, dig grind it out. Whats a good method? I have an angle grinder with tiger paws. I thought maybe a router set to depth but i would have to buy one. I need one anyway. Whats yalls input. And give me a kick in the a$$ for not paying attention to this detail. Its easy to get confused when u flip the spars around to build a opposite one.
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I not only put some of my strut blocks in the wrong bay, but backwards! I used a Forstner bit to drill a lot of holes in the bad blocks and a chisel to chop out the rest of the block.
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yep easy to do... good news, you're not the only one to do it and it'll all be covered up in the end... Glad you caught it now & not after final assembly... I like your router idea, just take it gentle & don't get into the plywood... I had to chisel & finally sand the plywood doublers on the ends, so I feel your pain...
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By mistake i did not build my front spar .8mm shorter than the rib to allow for the ply sheet. Not to worried about this as in Les's supplemental wing plans he states that this can be remedied easy by sanding it into a "ramp" or fill putty. After all .8mm is a very small offset. Opinions?
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Or you could wrap the nose ply over a small portion of each wing rib to reinforce the rib to spar joint. That is what Pappy Adkins did. Check it out in his build log and videos.
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Few questions about the 2 1/2" ply strips that go over the strut braces and wing mounting filler block. See pics. On the 2 1/2" strut brace ply does it go on both sides. On plans it says ply on both sides but does that mean double ply on one side (2 1/2" ply ontop of the web)? Also where it butts up against the rib does it stop there? If not the rib would have to me modified for the ply to continue. I assume that would be stronger. And then on wing brace U shape ply does it go on both sides as well or just the side opposite of the web?
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Ok desregard the above "for now" I think i have made a mistake on the rear spar strut blocks. See pic. Looks like they go inboard more inline with the front spar block where X is equal distance from the upright in my pic. If so looks like im cutting out more blocks... and good thing i have more 3/4x2" stock.
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The main thing about those strut mounting blocks is the 77" dimension from the root end of the wing. If your strut fittings have the strut mounting hole at 77", I would leave the blocks alone. Those small U-shaped ply doublers under the wing fittings go on both sides according to pages 33 & 35. Page 33 shows them on web side & 35 shows them on the other. The issue is with the 1-1/8" dimension shown between wing fittings. It is actually 1-1/4". Chuck & I both used the small doublers on both sides of the wings and 1-1/4" between fittings.
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Thats the problem. Those mounting holes are not going to be anywhere near 77" from root with the blocks where they are at now. The only way to make that happen is if i line the aluminum brackets up way out of line with the block, then they will not be anywhere near the 29*. Looks like i will cut them out and redo. I have started cutting out the block i put in the wrong bay from a previous post with a router and it is working pretty good. Just messy.
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Yep, gotta redo. It's a bummer, but at least you are getting some practice shaping spruce blocks and using a router.
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Ok. So i made my 4 root ribs to allow for the ply doubler and wing attach brackets. What i did not do is allow for the extra 1/8 ply on the opposite side of web.. So in turn my root ribs will set 1/8" back so i will have to shave an 1/8" off the front cap strip of the rib? Also where the rib slides over the rear spar root it will also not fit for the same reason. See pics. Obvious i need to trim 1/8" off the rib cap strips to allow for the ply? And perhaps add some "doubler" 1/4" cap strip to beef up where i shaved off? Anyone else ran into this. Paps i know you glued the doublers on the rear spar befor the ribs but i did not account for the ply on the opposite side of the web. Also used Les's wing build assist drawing and it dosnt mention this.
PS. How wide are we to make the U shaped wing attached doublers that go on the root? If im reading the drawings right it looks like 2" but i wanted to make sure i wasnt suppose to make them 2.5" like the strut block ply doublers.
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I added and notched all my extra 1/4" pieces before I assembled my wings. I used 3/16" thick 6061 for wing attach fittings, so my notches are slightly different from plans. I probably added more verticals than some other builders, but my ribs look pretty good epoxied to my spars. The diagonal in the 3rd photo is a brace for my fuel tank, so it is not shown in the plans. The U-shaped 1/8" thick ply doublers are 2" x 4-3/4"
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Im concerned and confused about the "grain direction" on the 3/4x5/8" cap strip on lower rear spar. The grain on these cap strips do not match the plans where it says "grain on spars horizontal" they run vertical in relation to the spar.. I can not find a good explanation on this. Some info i read states that the grain direction needs to run parallel with the widest dimension of the strip witch would contradict the plans. Another source i read says if you built your "box spars" with vertical grain to limit G's to 2.5 to 3 G's. Do i need to build two new rear spares? How do i control the orientation of grain aircraft spruce sends me? See pics.
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The spars in the lower photo should be just fine. The lower caps are loaded in tension, so the grain direction is not that critical. In my opinion, the Legal Eagles are overbuilt enough that strength is not an issue as long as the members have the correct sizes and the glue joints are strong.
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The spar is 3/4" plus 1/8" so min gap should be 15/16" 7/8 is better and easier to slip over rear spar. Only glue bottom and back of fear spar to rear spar so it does need to fit tight on all sides
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Just noticed you have all the root end plywood doublers epoxied on the rear spar. To slide the ribs in place from the root to the strut ply doubler you will probably have to chisel off some of the root end ply doublers. I have had good luck using a heat gun to get the ply very hot and sliding a chisel under the ply. It came off with very little damage to the spar. If you have not added the strut block ply doubler you can slide all the ribs on from the tip end. If the strut block ply is already on it will probably be easiest to remove it and leave all your root end ply doublers in place.
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I do not have the strut ply doublers glued on the rear spar yet.
Started back to work working alot of over time after a vacation so not making alot of progress at the moment. Next step is still to cut the bevel in the front spar with a table saw which i am nervous about doing.
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That's good news about the strut doublers. You can just slide the ribs over the rear spar from the tip, starting with rib #3. Cutting the bevel with your table saw should be very easy, and no cause for concern. Just set the blade at 10° or whatever angle you decide on, set your fence so pushing the spar through will just skim off the tiny edge of the ply web & remove mostly the sliver of spruce off the spar cap. The thing that helped me was setting up supports at both ends of the spar, so I did not need another person helping.
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I made way too big a deal worrying about cutting the bevel in the front spar. It was very easy to do by myself with a table saw and two milk crates. Turns out my table saw is exactly the same hight as a milk crate.. hum.
I have the ribs modified around the root wing attach ply and slid over the rear spare and have decided to take a break from the build for a while and admire this beautiful wing on display in my den. I think i have made pretty good progress in a short time. Stay tuned
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Looks very nice. Now comes all the modifications to the ribs for aileron hinge blocks & compression ribs. Please don't glue the ribs to the rear spar until you get those modifications made.