Nov 27, 2001  3 hours

I had to quit on the rudder waiting for the vise grip dimple tool to arrive so I started on the elevators tonight.

So all this stuff left must be the elevators.    The first step is to drill the skins to the spars.  With the pre-punched skins and spars this is a no brainer.  Here the skins or drilled to the spars.  

The next step is to prepare the stiffeners to attach to the skins.  The very first step is to go to Phil B's web site and print off his very good detail of how he laid these out on the skins.  There is no point in me replicating the detail that Phil wrote as I followed Phil's information.  I marked the top of the spar before un-clecoing them from the skin.  Then I marked out the spacing of the stiffeners per the drawings.   I then marked a line 1/8 inch above the spar line and used this line to mark the length of the stiffeners.    Notice the 3/16th wood dowel in the leading edge.  I first started to take measurements but I operate on the visual KISS principle.  If I can mark it without measuring, then it's just one less thing to worry about screwing up. 

Fabricating these stiffeners is not a problem, just a little time consuming.  I finished the right side but quit before doing the left.    Good productive night.  Next step, finish fabricating the stiffeners on the left elevator and then marking and drilling the holes in the stiffeners and skins.

Nov 28, 2001  3 hours

Same song, different verse tonight.  I marked the left skin for the stiffeners and cut the stiffeners out.  Some nights I just seem to be brain challenged. Tonight was one of those nights.  It seems that I had to re-measure and re-mark everything at least once.  The good thing is that it was only re-marking, not re-ordering parts. And you know when the blue vinyl comes off, there will be no evidence of stupidity except this picture.

After getting all the stiffeners fabricated, I did the ritual file, sand & polish routine.  I use a Vixen file and/or a Dremel sanding wheel on the edges to clean them up.  Then on to the Scotch Brite wheel. All of the stiffeners, fabricated and polished ready to drill.     

I'm debating whether a belt sander would be a good investment for performing this operation.  Maybe I'll hear from some other builders that use the belt sander for this purpose. 

Nov 29, 2001  2 hours

Tonight I started drilling the stiffeners to the skin.  I clamped a 1X4 to the drill press for a bridge.  This keeps the holes centered on the rib.    I don't have a rivet fan so I marked the 3/4 from the trailing edge onto the spar, marked 1/4 for the center of the first hole forward, measured the distance in tenths, divided by 1.3 or 1.4 (whichever worked) and marked the holes accordingly. I hope this makes sense.  Again, read Phil B's detail for clearer understanding. 

I finished drilling the stiffeners to the left elevator.  Here is the top side drilled and clecoed in place.   

Next step is to drill the stiffeners to the right elevator.

Dec 1, 2001   5 hours

I finished drilling the stiffeners to the skins today.  Here's the last one.  

I spent the afternoon deburring and dimpling both elevators skins and all the stiffeners.  There were about 400 holes including the skin to the spars!  Lots of holes.