J.

Originally Posted by InTheLift

Stop right there and mold it! It's PERFECT!!!

That sure would have been easier than what I have been up to!!

I borrowed a 12" bandsaw from one of my fellow club members, and man you can't cut this stuff fast on that saw. The profile was a piece of cake, but when I tacked the top and bottom back on to cut the plan view it was sloooooow going. The blade was not tracking straight at all though the thick cuts so I had to pretty much rough cut the plan view as close as possible and the rest is for my poor belt sander. I was feeding really slow, I mean really slow but the saw just wasn't up to the task. Let's just say that I can put the blade back on the reels now about as fast as a NASCAR pit crew changes tires. Tomorrow at lunch I plan on going on a mission to find a 60 grit belt if they are even made. I can't wait to pop the top and bottom cuts off the block once I get the plan view sanded down to the lines. I know that some bondo will be necessary to fill some low spots where the blade went wacky on me. Another night or two of sanding and I'll be ready to start shaping this girl.

The name California Roll has really been sticking in my head lately. Sushi may have to be the development name, kind of like how the Stealth Fighter project was called Have Blue while it was still in the Skunk Works.

Tonight I will leave you with a few pics, and just one word........ SAWDUST


-hutch

Awesome to see more progress on this - sorry to hear it was such a struggle!

Take care,

--Noel

P.S. Don't throw the "Have Blue" thing around too much - Have Blue had really AWFUL directional stability in test flights with the first version of the tail surfaces. Even though its a pitcheron you still want a tail that makes the plane fly straight!

Originally Posted by NWade

Awesome to see more progress on this - sorry to hear it was such a struggle!

Take care,

--Noel

P.S. Don't throw the "Have Blue" thing around too much - Have Blue had really AWFUL directional stability in test flights with the first version of the tail surfaces. Even though its a pitcheron you still want a tail that makes the plane fly straight!

Good point! Reasonable directional stability is certainly an important design parameter...especially when I don't have the benefit of quadruple redundant fly by wire systems.

We have made some progress! 50 grit sanding belts cut through basswood like buttah! Last night I got all the scrap removed. I definitely didn't need to use as many dots of glue as I did to tack everything back on. I was amazed how hard it was to get those "tacked" on pieces off. I was more worried about breaking the good parts trying to get the scrap pieces off!! I still have a lot of sanding ahead of me, but it sure was cool seeing the fuse in 3-D for the first time.

I finally figured out the secret of bondo too! Before, I was always not using enough gray smelly stuff, with the 3" line of red stuff. I feel like I have the proportions right now, and it sure is more fun to work with now. I had to do some spot filling on areas where the bandsaw blade got out of control.

Back to sanding....ugh I hate sanding.


-hutch

Originally Posted by Hutch

Back to sanding....ugh I hate sanding.


-hutch

Me TOO!
But it's a necessary evil..... The fuse plug looks great, keep working!

T

Lookin' gooooooood!

--Noel

Even though sanding is a bid ole' pain it sure is nice to see the results. Truth is that most of this has been done on my belt sander. I have to hand sand the top section from the trailing edge to the leading edge of the fin because I just can't get the belt sander to work on that curve and keep it smooth. Hmmm, maybe I should pull out my drill press drum sander attachment.....

-hutch

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Looking forward to the end result....As I am sure you are as well. Keep it up, we LOVE the update pics!. Keep us in the loop.

If there is to be a short run of fuses, plans, or short kits, I want to be on the list!

Ad_Red aka James

Admiral, We'll see about short kits in a bit. First I want to know if this bird will fly like she tells me she will. I guess that is kind of counting my chickens before they are hatched though. Really, my only wish right now is that I don't permanently attach the plug to the mold when this thing all sanded filled primered and pretty.

But I digress, I watched 'The Island' with the sweetheart tonight, and with all the moral and political aspects of cloning aside, the action stuff wasn't too bad...Scarlett Johansson is pretty easy on the eyes too.

But I digress again, needless to say I didn't do any more plug sanding tonight, but I cut out the fin that will soon be attached to the rest of the plug. I'm a little nervous about making it a permanent part of the mold just in case it is too small, but the math says it's big enough.

If any of the folks that have done this before are watching this, please know that I am open to any and all constructive criticism that you may have. I'm just learning as I go here, and I don't want to mess anybody else up that might be trying this.

Ok! Time for bed!

-hutch

She is startin' to look purdy now I think. A little more sanding and she is just about ready for some sealing I think. Any opinions? My girlfriend just about refuses to look at it anymore since I've shown it to her so much. They just don't understand......

Two spots that really got mangled by the bandsaw and required some filling. What is the recommended size bandsaw to cut wood that started out this thick?

killer! sometimes, you can't convert women. but you can get them to film you while flying in certain cases.

On a side note, My good old 1972 pickup truck that was stolen a little less than a year ago was found this week behind a Starbucks less than 10 minutes from my house!!! The sweet part about it was that whoever stole it kept it waxed, painted the wheels black (which I always thought would look sweet with the speed rings and the baby moons), replaced my header gaskets, gave it regular oil changes, cleaned and polished the engine (chrome valve covers and air cleaner), replaced the spark plug wires, and left it with a full tank of gas. The cops told me that I was one of the very few that have ever come out ahead in the deal. All I needed to get her road worthy was a new ignition switch and key, and a fresh battery!!

I got this thing running reliable again when I was 14 and had pretty much been driving it ever since. I had to retire her as a commuter about three years ago though for obvious reasons... It's a great thing that cops like Starbucks coffee !!

The plug looks really good, I like the tail a lot.

And great news about your truck too, I know how attached you can get to stuff. I still hate myself for selling my 53 Chevy.