The way you are breezing through this build makes me think you should soon be looking for your next model! Dang, you're fast. (That's what she said.)

Looking real good !!!

It's 6F, here. I just cleared 6" of snow. I'm lucky though. My shop's furnace can easily keep up.

That reminds me. It's time for me to get out there !

Are you using the Hayes Slimeline 12 oz:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXK835&P=7

EJWash

Originally Posted by EJWash1

Are you using the Hayes Slimeline 12 oz:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXK835&P=7

EJWash

Yep E.J. Fits very nicely. Like a hand in a glove. I like Hayes tanks too. The only thing I don't like is I can't fit a sintered (bubbleless) clunk. But otherwise they are nice.

The way you are breezing through this build makes me think you should soon be looking for your next model! Dang, you're fast. (That's what she said.)

LOL. Nope, I have "limited" myself to one build this winter. Just too many planes. Is is going too fast, but I think I can drag it out for a few weeks. A lot of the finishing stuff takes a long time, like making these N struts and fairing in the cabanes and landing gear. And it will take a few days to fit the cowl and wheel pants. That stuff, as you know, takes a lot of measuring and on off fitting. It is interesting as I have to "zen" myself into a different mode for that stuff. Assembly can be quick but fitting never is.

Still, I have more time than ever now because my wife is in an amateur play group (her hobby) so she is out for three nights a week.

But I am looking forward to some longer warmer days in Feb to do some flying with the multi's. And maybe I will need to make some maple syrup to get through March. I haven't done it in several years cause I've been busy building, but maybe this year I'll make some.

Its raining down here. Cold too (by our standards): 60-degrees! Okay, stop laughing.

EJWash

Its raining down here. Cold too (by our standards): 60-degrees! Okay, stop laughing.

Yeah, that's very funny E.J. I am laughing. It is headed to -15F tonight from the 10 degrees it is out now. Really, I spend a little time in the shop, a little time on the computer, and the rest of the time feeding the woodstove and bring in wood.

Yeah, the wood warms you many times: when you cut and split it, when you carry it in and finally when you burn it. It's a lot of work.

Originally Posted by loNslo

Yeah, the wood warms you many times: when you cut and split it, when you carry it in and finally when you burn it. It's a lot of work.

Yeah, and I think of that saying every time I do one of those actions. It is a lot of work but at some level it is also satisfying to be so directly involved with ones environment. I like throwing a log on the fire and putting my cold butt against the edge of the stove. Now that I am retired and doing most of the cooking, I do it on the (cook)stove (except in summer). This feels "useful" and keeps me out of the shop a little more. With me it is a constant losing battle to try to slow down the build and dealing with wood related stuff is an important weapon.

Despite frigid temps in shop I made good progress on N struts and think my approach for connections may work out .

Pretty soon it will be time for the dreaded tasks of fitting the radio equipment and cutting hinge slots, two tasks I don't really enjoy that much.

I think the process of visualizing a plane (or any other object I want to build), thinking about the process, wondering how it is going to come together, making changes on the fly, and then seeing the finished object take shape is quite exciting.

Shaping balsa is a real kick. I feel a bit like a sculptor, taking bold strokes with the sandpaper.

Putting in controls is not very exciting and involves dropping lots of small screws and contorting my fingers; cutting hinge slots is boring and frustrating when they wind up a bit crooked.

Plus, I dislike taking the plane apart one it is in the "bones" stage as I know it is the last time I will see all my work together. In some ways the bones stage is the pinnacle of the building process for me.

Originally Posted by loNslo

Yeah, the wood warms you many times: when you cut and split it, when you carry it in and finally when you burn it. It's a lot of work.

I'm surprised at the number of us who use wood for heat.I have multiple heaters in the house,(electric, oil , and wood) but my major heat in the garage and shops is wood.
I live in the woods,so burning it as fuel helps keep the area cleared.
"Sandy" was a great help this fall.....She laid 'em down for me.

Originally Posted by u2builder

Yeah, that's very funny E.J. I am laughing. It is headed to -15F tonight from the 10 degrees it is out now. Really, I spend a little time in the shop, a little time on the computer, and the rest of the time feeding the woodstove and bring in wood.

AH, the good old days when I lived in NH. Burned eight cord of wood each winter to heat the home.....OBTW, it's to be 72 degs down here in FL today
Sorry, I couldn't help myself

Meanwhile back to the build which I am enjoying your journey.

AH, the good old days when I lived in NH. Burned eight cord of wood each winter to heat the home.....OBTW, it's to be 72 degs down here in FL today
Sorry, I couldn't help myself

Oh sure you could. You've got about 72 degrees on me today.

I'm surprised at the number of us who use wood for heat.I have multiple heaters in the house,(electric, oil , and wood) but my major heat in the garage and shops is wood.

A woodstove in a shop would be real nice. I wish I could put one in mine, but my shop is also our household storage room and every square inch is occupied with the accumulations of 35 years.

************************************************** ************************************************** **********************************

Back to building: here's a picture of the N Strut attachment. I slit the ends of the struts and epoxied in a piece of 30 thou aluminum sheet. This is nice because it also reinforces where the balsa legs of the N's join.

I made little brackets out of 60 thou aluminum. I drilled a hole in the buried end and roughened them up and glued them in place. They need to be bent to accommodate the angle of the N strut. They go into the little slots in the wings where the original plastic fittings were intended to go. I roughened the buried part with coarse paper and drilled a hole in it to help the epoxy hold it.

While the instuctions say to add these after the wings are covered I thought it best to do it now so I wouldn't get epoxy all over the covering later. I used 15 min epoxy (which is more like 30 minute in my cold shop) so I could get the spacing correct at the leading and trailing edges of the wing.

I have a digital incidence meter but it drives me crazy using it because the numbers change all the time whenever I just breath on things, so I left it in the box and used a ruler and my eyes.

I threaded the thicker brackets and used 2/56 bolts but will add a nylock nut when it is ready to fly. I build this size plane because it will fit in my old Volvo without removing the wings. I don't like rigging planes at the flying field.

1.Law of Mechanical Repair - After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee.

2.Law of Gravity - Any tool, nut, bolt, screw, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

3. Law of Probability- The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

4.Law of Random Numbers - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.

6.Variation Law -If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).

7. Law of the Bath - When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

8. Law of Close Encounters - The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

9. Law of the Result - When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

10. Law of Biomechanics - The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

11.. Law of the Theater & Hockey Arena - At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle, always arrive last. They are the ones who will leave their seats several times to go for food, beer, or the toilet and who leave early before the end of the performance or the game is over. The folks in the aisle seats come early, never move once, have long gangly legs or big bellies and stay to the bitter end of the performance. The aisle people also are very surly folk.

12. The Coffee Law - As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

13.Murphy's Law of Lockers - If there are only 2 people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

14. Law of Physical Surfaces - The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor, are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet or rug..

15.Law of Logical Argument- Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

16.Brown's Law of Physical Appearance - If the clothes fit, they're ugly.

17.Oliver's Law of Public Speaking - A closed mouth gathers no feet.

18.Wilson's Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy -As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.

19. Doctors' Law - If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better.. But don't make an appointment, and you'll stay sick.
If you don't forward this to 1 of your friends within 5 minutes your belly button will unscrew and your butt will fall off.

Really.... It's true!

Thank you- this is why I do "discussions" rather than "build logs" we can 'wander' and still be legal.

That was a nice break.- and hilarious, since I'm installing a new filter in the oil furnace, and I gotta pee........

Thank you- this is why I do "discussions" rather than "build logs" we can 'wander' and still be legal.

Exactly. Good luck with the furnace filter. What could possibly go wrong.

I feel better now that I know why every time I drop a screw it goes under the workbench. It is a rule!

I try to throw in a little building when I can.

You'll be much happiewr with those N-strut attachments, over the original desig.

It may be more work to install the struts, but at least they won't break if you look at them wrong.