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Build log--1100R (plans #JDT-182)  This thread currently has 110,906 views. Print
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iter
July 27, 2007, 10:07pm Report to Moderator

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This thread is very long. I'm posting some photos in this first message to show current state of the project. For full details, read on.

I have the fuselage on gear, the tail is complete, left wing is complete through trailing edge installation. Right wing spars and ribs complete. All metal work complete. Stick assembly in place including aileron and elevator linkages. Many parts custom laser-cut or CNC-milled.








Below is the original text of my first post here.


A big brown truck brought a rib kit and a set of plans yesterday, and this officially marks the start of my project. I'm going to keep a photo log of my construction here, to document my process and to solicit advice.

I have been an EAA member since 1993. I earned my private in 2000 and now own 1/2 of a Skybolt (I'm not the builder). I've built R/C models for a number of years, going so far as to manufacture a kit of my own design (www.slow-g.com). Some of my other models are at http://www.lib.aero/~ari/rc/  I decided I really wanted to build an airplane I could fly. I also wanted a design I could finish in a reasonable amount of time. I'm not looking for super performance or aerobatic ability (already have a Skybolt). I do want something that looks like an airplane--has wings, 3-axis control, etc.The MiniMAX is what I settled on.

I cleaned out my garage in preparation for this project, so there should be enough room there. I don't have a table yet, but I figure I don't need it right away--certainly I can build the ribs on the desk I have.

Wish me luck!

Ari.



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Arthur Withy
July 27, 2007, 11:19pm Report to Moderator

Happy 1500R owner - building a Jodel D18
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Neat workshop. Will be looking forward to those pics.

regards Arthur
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flybob13
July 27, 2007, 11:44pm Report to Moderator

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I too am in the early stages of an 1100 project but sense you must be a neat freak, (look at that shop ya'll, wow!) I won't be sending any pictures of my stuff. At least not yet. Actually, I'm not quite finished with my shop and I am using an old door on saw horses as a table at the moment. Just kidding about the neat freak stuff you know. I haven't been on this list very long myself. Welcome, Bob
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Bob Hoskins
July 27, 2007, 11:47pm Report to Moderator

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Hi iter;
Welcome to the gang. If you are going to build a MiniMax, this is the groupe to belong to. Don't EVER hesitate to ask questions. This bunch of people will help you all they can.
As for the work shop, too neat, LOL
Enjoy building a great little plane.
Bob Hoskins


Fly safe and have fun.
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Gene
July 27, 2007, 11:58pm Report to Moderator
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Iter,

Good luck with your project....!

Gene
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Pilotpeat
July 28, 2007, 12:00am Report to Moderator

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A really neat way to do your logging is http://www.expercraft.com

It is free and very easy to use.  You can print it as you go as well.

It has time loging, and you can write what you do each day. It is diveded into sub categories of all the parts of the airplane so when you are done you can see exactly how much time you have in say, all of the ribs.

It also has cost tracking, includes free web pages etc.  your log can include writing and photos.

check out my web site here:   http://websites.expercraft.com/peted/

or go to http://www.expercraft.com and click on browse projects.  I'm the only one with an airbike on there.

You cannot see a lot of the features by just looking at the web page-you have to be signed in to see the cost tracking, etc.

Also, you can put an estimated number of hours to coplete the project and it will tell you the average hours you  are loging weekly, mothly, and at the current rate the date you will reach your estimated hours to complete.  I am averageing about 4.3 hours per week since I started.
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Pilotpeat
July 28, 2007, 12:01am Report to Moderator

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Oh, and if you visit sign my guest book and tell me what kind of plane you have/  are working on/ want to have.
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Ricardo
July 28, 2007, 12:15am Report to Moderator

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Welcome to the board Ari:
I can see you're ready to start your minimax, congratulations on your desition and good luck. We're all ready to help.
Ricardo
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iter
July 29, 2007, 8:36am Report to Moderator

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I built the rib jig today and a test rib. Fred Brooks used to say "plan to throw one away (because you will anyway)". I used this rib to learn, and will use it tomorrow to make patterns for plywood gussets that will fit the actual ribs that come out of my jig. I was surprised to see how approximate the drawings were--when I saw the warning "PLANS ARE SUBJECT TO SHRINKING AND STRETCHING," I didn't realize just how much they would shrink. For instance, the back half of the rib outline didn't have a flat bottom in my copy; the lower line, which is supposed to be straight as far as I understand, bows up 5/32". I compensated as best I could, using the dimensions given. Is my copy of the plans strange, did I miss something or is this the normal experience? Also, has anyone tried laser-cutting the gussets?

Speaking about the plans, I was surprised to find they were all scaled down (except the ribs). Earlier, I had bought the plans for FP-303 (another Ison design--I chickened out of it because Fisher Products stopped selling kits and I was afraid of sourcing my own materials). The plans for FP-303 were full-scale blueprints. I also found it easier to follow instructions that were printed on the individual sheets instead of flipping back and forth between a drawing and the text at the front of the plans package. I was surprised to find different plans by the same designer came in such different formats.

Ari.



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Ricardo
July 29, 2007, 1:58pm Report to Moderator

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Ari:
You should read this thread that will help  build the ribs.
http://www.lonesomebuzzards.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1184205554/
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Ricardo
July 29, 2007, 1:59pm Report to Moderator

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I forgot to mention, it comes with a bonus recipe  
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iter
July 29, 2007, 9:37pm Report to Moderator

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Ricardo,

I'd read that thread. It was very informative, but unrelated to the question I'm asking. My rib came out perfectly flat on the bottom even without soaking. What was curved was the plan.

Ari.
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Randy lewis
July 29, 2007, 11:34pm Report to Moderator

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Ari

I had the same problems with my plans;  the bottom wasn't flat and the two sections didn't splice together well.  I built my jig to all the given dimensions and let the top bow be as close and smoth as possible.  One wise person on this board said that everybody's ribs will be a little different, just make sure yours are all the same.
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Charlie Harris
July 29, 2007, 11:52pm Report to Moderator

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Ari: First thing I did was to cut the instructions pages to approx.page size and made sheets which I put in transparent folders and into a 3 ring binder. Also it is a good place to store building reminders you may get from the board just print the rerply you get then put them into the binder for quick ref. mine is about 75 pages long. Then while building ribs I studied the plans a lot. I made notations on every page as to parts size for both wood and all metal peices. such as RS-1 is 1/4 sq. wood. If a page ref. a metal part by RS # you will then have a ref. handy on that page. try it it won't take long and you will like it. Such as what size wood is RS-9 = 3/4 sq. and you don't have to look it up. Soon you will see it will stick in your mind. Good luck I scratch built my Hi-Max and I loved every minute. Charlie
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Charlie Harris
July 30, 2007, 12:04am Report to Moderator

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Iter: Lets see now, thats a very nice shop, and it will probably work, but now you will have to make a trip to the local hardware and clutter it up with maybe a bandsaw, 4inch belt sander is nice,. be sure to get a metal cutting blade about 1/4in. 15-teeth to the inch, works great for cutting aluminum parts, maybe a small table saw, a decent drill press. just kidding but all this is nice,and you may already have. If we can help with any info, just ask and Im sure you will get answers the same day. Good luck, let the fun begin. By the way, I cut all my 1/16th gussets with common sissors. Charlie
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iter
July 31, 2007, 8:14am Report to Moderator

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Randy:

Thanks for telling me I wasn't going mad. I tried to adjust the drawing where it said "keep this dimension" or "keep that dimension," but I kept getting confused which dimensions I had to hold One dimension is the height of the rib including cap strips, one is the height excluding them, one is on the short side of a vertical member, one is on the long, etc. All the while the drawings are nowhere near the stated dimensions... I ended up tearing my jig apart and making my own rib drawing based on the dimensions given. I'm almost done making a new jig based on it. I wish they had either included an honest 1:1 drawing of the rib in the plans, or if that is not possible of too expensive, they should have just made a scale drawing with /all/ dimensions, like they did for the fuselage for instance.

Ari.



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iter
July 31, 2007, 8:23am Report to Moderator

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Ace:

Thank you for that advice! I was afraid to cut the plans (I always try to avoid cutting things that could possibly stay whole) but your suggestion made so much sense! I cut the 3 sheets of instructions into 24, 12"x24" pages and stapled them together. Wonder why JDT didn't print them like that? I'm sure it would have been cheaper than the large sheets and handier, too. I also put the two part-size-reference sheets on my wall so I don't have to flip back and forth to them. Already I'm feeling better about navigating the plans.

On the power tool front, I have a 10" miter saw and a drill press. I'm afraid I won't be able to resist buying the rest on your list. Trouble is, there isn't enough bench space to put all of this good stuff on. You need /some/ room between these things.

Ari.



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iter
August 1, 2007, 6:56am Report to Moderator

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I cut up a lot of 1/4" square stock for ribs today using a miter saw. The kit contains more stock than needed, so I'm making 26 ribs instead of 24 that are called for. No jokes about spare ribs please In the photo, you can see one set of sticks is in the jig and 25 other sets in small 5x5 bundles next to it. I still need to cut 1/6" ply gussets and then I can start gluing up ribs.

The rib kit contains 110 pieces of 1/4" square stock bundled 10x11 with saran wrap. I started pulling sticks out of the middle of this bundle expecting it to fall apart soon. Oddly enough, the structure held until all of the "inside" sticks were gone. My fiancée Irene who helped with some of the cutting today holds the gutted bundle.

Ari.



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Reto S
August 1, 2007, 6:40pm Report to Moderator
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Wow, that hollow bundle is quite amazing.  It's good to see Irene involved.  Well.....at least until she dumps you over this whole airplane thing........
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iter
August 1, 2007, 11:12pm Report to Moderator

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You're just jealous Rick. Irene loves airplanes.



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Walkabout
August 2, 2007, 6:58am Report to Moderator

Steve, AB-137
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Hi Ari,

From the looks of your shop, you're one of those "clean guys".  You are gonna do really well with this.  I think I'm still walking on sawdust from when I beveled my spars back in 2001.  ( a good layer of dust will keep that dropped AN nut from bouncing under the cabinets - JMO  

A couple of thoughts, the alignment blocks on the ribjig close to the joints are going to be in contact with glue at some time.  Whether from squeeze-out or impact from staple gun, gluing a rib to the jig is a real pain.  I rubbed my blocks and cams with a crayon as a release... a candle works too or maybe auto wax..  just something as a barrier.

And plan ahead for when you enevitably block access to the washer/dryer.  You need allies for a project this size, especially in the household.

You're gonna do great.

Steve  


Envy the country that has heroes, pity the country that needs them...


http://www.jordanlakeaero.com
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iter
August 2, 2007, 1:28pm Report to Moderator

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Hey Steve, good point on sawdust's shock-absorbing qualities. You can't see it in the photos, but the shelves Irene is standing next to are covered in balsa sawdust as well, from when I cut 250 R/C autogyro kits in January.

Re glue and alignment blocks. The plans say use paste wax to block wood. How well do you think this works?

Thank you for your kind words and good wishes. I'm going to need all the support I can get to get through this it seems :=)

Ari.
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Walkabout
August 2, 2007, 3:40pm Report to Moderator

Steve, AB-137
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My Air-Bike plans didn't mention a release, I had to find out the hard way.  I've never tried the paste wax, but if Wayne Ison says it works that's good enough for me.


Envy the country that has heroes, pity the country that needs them...


http://www.jordanlakeaero.com
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iter
August 3, 2007, 5:48am Report to Moderator

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Cut up the ply gussets and /actually/ finished rebuilding the jig. Rib building starts for real tomorrow!

I considered having the gussets laser-cut, but decided against it because I felt bad about throwing away plywood from the kit (can't really laser-cut 7/8"x48" strips) and didn't want the delay. Well, next time I build a wing, I'll have the gussets laser cut. it's a pain to cut them if you're trying to achieve any kind of consistency in shapes. I mostly used the miter, and by the time I was done cutting, I wished I'd have outsourced the job to a laser shop. I'll have to go though the plans tomorrow to see if there are any other pieces that are candidates for laser cutting. I'm sure it will still keep me in the 51% rule :=)

Ari.



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Gene
August 3, 2007, 11:53am Report to Moderator
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Ari,

Everything looks so neat in your rib buildiing set-up.   You mentioned having the gussets laser cut so they would be more precise as to shape and form.    This is a total waste of time and energy (not to mention cost) that could be better spent elsewhere.    One wing rib gusset isn't going to know that it is 1/16" longer or wider than it's neighbor and certainly when it is all covered inside the wing fabric no one else will know either.   I'm glad you're building however as sometimes just taking that first step is the longest one....!

Good luck with your project...!

Gene
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Walkabout
August 3, 2007, 12:45pm Report to Moderator

Steve, AB-137
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I made one gusset each per the plans and used those as a template to trace to rest onto the wood, backing the diagonals against each other to save material.  Then sat down and cut them all with tin snips.
On the notched TE gussets, if I let the snips close completely while in the wood it would split away from the closed point.  I learned to stop at the corner with the wood still well between the blades and cranked them out in no time.  


Envy the country that has heroes, pity the country that needs them...


http://www.jordanlakeaero.com
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iter
August 4, 2007, 6:16am Report to Moderator

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I built 2 ribs today. With all these pre-cut components and preparation, it still took over an hour per rib. The manual says you could build one in 20 minutes. Please tell me I'll get faster at this as I go along.


BTW, the T-88 bottle says "Mix ratio by weight 100:83." I take that to mean that for every 100oz of part A, I need 83oz of hardener. Or is it the other way around?

Quoted from Gene
One wing rib gusset isn't going to know that it is 1/16" longer or wider than it's neighbor and certainly when it is all covered inside the wing fabric no one else will know either.

I'm still entertaining the thought of using transparent Tedlar to cover the wing as I mentioned in another thread. Thanks for the kind words and encouragement though. The more time I spend with this project, the less attractive a transparent wing becomes :=)

Ari.
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Walkabout
August 4, 2007, 9:01am Report to Moderator

Steve, AB-137
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My bottles say mix equal portions by volume.  I guess by equal volume it comes out to be 100:83 by weight.  


Envy the country that has heroes, pity the country that needs them...


http://www.jordanlakeaero.com
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iter
August 5, 2007, 7:45am Report to Moderator

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Built another rib today--this time "only" spent 50 minutes on it. Also pulled the staples out of the two ribs I'd made yesterday. This took 20 minutes per rib.

OK. I guess this happens to every homebuilder at one point or another, and it's happened to me today. I find myself asking, will I finish this plane this decade? In this context, I want to ask, has anyone actually finished a MiniMAX in the 250-300 hours that JDT advertises?

Ari.
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Mickvds
August 5, 2007, 1:44pm Report to Moderator

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A friend of mine built several mini-max's and Air-bikes, probably around 12-15 planes total. One of the last mini-max's he built was done in 90 days and that one was a 1500R, I have no idea how many hours he spent on the plane. I was impressed and wish I could build that fast.
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