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Tools you can make yourself


kc
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There are lots of homemade tools, jigs and gadgets that can make construction easier or more enjoyable.
 
I would consider a fuselage jig as a near essential to get straight fuselages without fuss.
Construction of mine is pretty obvious  from  the photo, only hidden part is the tee nuts in baseboard. 
 
A centreline is scribed on. Former positions are drawn in by pencil onto the melamine surface and wiped off after use.

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The simplest workholding gadget is a carpenters bench hook.  Not easy to hold the small bits of ply we use so a G cramp used on this would help.  If you use a vice or a Workmate to hold the bench hook then an improved type can be used which can take a G cramp,  The underside shows the part to be gripped in the vice, which differs from the traditional style batten.

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Sanding formers to size whilst keeping the edges square is easier with a gadget rather like a smaller version of a carpenters shooting board. Used with a sanding block or better still a Permagrit sanding sheet or similar.
The adjustable type shown has its origins in an old RCME article.  Lines are scribed at 90 degrees and also 45 degrees.


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Electric fretsaws are very cheap now, but a hand fretsaw especially the tiny piercing saw  ( or jewellers saw ) type is handy.  A vee cutout gadget that can be fixed in a vice or Workmate is an easy gadget to make for fretsaw use.  Works especially well in an engineers vice too as the increased height is just right for standing. In a Workmate it is better used with a chair or stool

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To cut slots in balsa, for example notches for ribs in a trailing edge, several hacksaw blades bolted together will cut the slot in one go.  One hacksaw blade cuts 1/32, so two cut 1/16 and three cut 3/32 aproximately. 
Just bolt or tape the blades together and use a crude wood handle.
 
In the backround is a chunk of foam used as a 'pincushion' .....much easier than storing loose and pricking your fingers or spilling them over the floor.
 

 
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Drilling holes in balsa with a normal twist drill does not work well, instead a  brass tube sharpened on the inside only is used in a simple wood handle.  This is twisted by hand to produce a clean sharp hole.
The photo shows the cutter with a slot cut across which seems to help the cutting action, also a screw device to clean out the waste bits inside the cutter.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 1 year later...
  • 3 weeks later...
May be something to add...
 
If you look for the correct engine position to understand where to cut the cowl - I made the following positioning tool.


Nothing else but a flat piece of ply with the engine bolts screwed in. You will for sure know the axle position for your engine (don't forget to correct for side and down thrust) - so you drill a small pilot hole into the firewall. find the axle position also on your positioning tool - drill a hole - put a screw in and fix it on the firewall. Quite firm - it has to hold the weight of the engine - but loose enough to turn it. Now you can mount your engine on it and turn it to different positions to see where you have less visible - or smaller cuts to make into the cowl.
 
More?
 
Large models - sanding of surfaces like wings or similar are easily done with a large abrasive paper holder or sanding block or whatever you would call it...
The base is 12 by 21 cm - this allows you using ready cut papers for vibration grinders or exactly 1/2 of an A4 abrasive paper sheet. (they are slightly wider than A4 - 230mm) The paper I am using here is for a machine with dust collection - not necessary here but I didn't find anything else with the right grit
 

More stuff later...
 

Edited By Vecchio Austriaco on 01/01/2012 20:35:52

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A little addendum to the antenna tube tool:- I replaced a car aerial for a customer some time ago, the advantage is that car antennas are stainless steel, stronger and come in larger sizes. Dismantled and with the ends sharpened on the bench grinder they are great for cutting holes in many soft materials.
Shaunie.
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Crikey KC,  I wish!  Some really excellent stuff there.
 
My 'very' small contribution
 
I make my own 'permagrit' tools. Course sandpaper glued to straight & curved edges covered in various coats of epoxy. I apply a coat of epoxy and wipe off the excess. Applying further coats to get to a fine finish.
 
I use lolly sticks,dowls (various sizes of scrap), any shape that I think will be handy. Used a cut in half baco foil carboard inner tube cut along its length for doing leading edges etc.  Even used a (cut along its length) carpet roll inner carboard tube to get a shallow curve, just cut it along its length to suit.  No ! not the 'whole' tube, just a 1' length.
 
Pound shops often sell packs of 50 A4 sized sheets of Sandpaper as well as the Epoxy. I soak the course paper in boiled water for about 10 seconds, bend around a curved (convex/concave) edge then dry with a heat-gun quickly ( stops the paper & grit falling off/disintergrating).
 
Very handy: And no where near as costly.
 
BB 

P.S.  A mate I know who owns a garage/paint shop has done the same but uses paint instead of Epoxy, a few coats - job done.  Not sure if it lasts as long as Epoxy.  But he has easy access to more paint !

Edited By BB on 01/01/2012 22:07:17

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Like the idea of home made stuff a lot. Hopefully not hijacking the thread but when it comes to cuttnig excess covering; what have the good readership invesnted for the job?
I have been using crafty cutters from SLEC but find them not the easiest of tools to use.
Your thoughts please.
 
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Posted by Spice Cat on 01/01/2012 21:59:22:
Like the idea of home made stuff a lot. Hopefully not hijacking the thread but when it comes to cuttnig excess covering; what have the good readership invesnted for the job?
I have been using crafty cutters from SLEC but find them not the easiest of tools to use.
Your thoughts please.
 
I've used a scapel with the handle as a depth gauge, alternative is a ' plane' blade half of which is wrapped in cheap insulation tape to a depth to suit, works fine when cutting along a fuz or wing span. Just change the blade regulary.
BB
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Posted by BB on 01/01/2012 22:21:18:
Posted by Spice Cat on 01/01/2012 21:59:22:
Like the idea of home made stuff a lot. Hopefully not hijacking the thread but when it comes to cuttnig excess covering; what have the good readership invesnted for the job?
I have been using crafty cutters from SLEC but find them not the easiest of tools to use.
Your thoughts please.
 
I've used a scapel with the handle as a depth gauge, alternative is a ' plane' blade half of which is wrapped in cheap insulation tape to a depth to suit, works fine when cutting along a fuz or wing span. Just change the blade regulary.
BB
Cheers, my edges normally look as if they have been cut with a chain saw..
 
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Posted by Spice Cat on 01/01/2012 22:32:10:
Posted by BB on 01/01/2012 22:21:18:
Posted by Spice Cat on 01/01/2012 21:59:22:
Like the idea of home made stuff a lot. Hopefully not hijacking the thread but when it comes to cuttnig excess covering; what have the good readership invesnted for the job?
I have been using crafty cutters from SLEC but find them not the easiest of tools to use.
Your thoughts please.
 
I've used a scapel with the handle as a depth gauge, alternative is a ' plane' blade half of which is wrapped in cheap insulation tape to a depth to suit, works fine when cutting along a fuz or wing span. Just change the blade regulary.
BB
Cheers, my edges normally look as if they have been cut with a chain saw..
 
Also worth remembering to 'tack' 4-8 " apart, the edges first. And regard to wings, tack across the cord, not the length as you'll introduce an angle ya just can't iron out ! And a heat gun will make 'that' mistake worse!
 
I change the blade often ! Sometimes after every lengthy continuous cut Spice Cat. Its about as close to a garantee your gonna get for a clean cut. Don't care what anyone says about blade wear. Use a blade once on film. Its never as sharp as when used on that first cut.
 
And when using a heat gun, use the coolest setting first, and from a distance.
 
BB
BB
 
 
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Posted by Spice Cat on 01/01/2012 21:59:22:
Like the idea of home made stuff a lot. Hopefully not hijacking the thread but when it comes to cuttnig excess covering; what have the good readership invesnted for the job?
I have been using crafty cutters from SLEC but find them not the easiest of tools to use.
Your thoughts please.
 
 
 
Half a razor blade stuck onto a flat sucker stick, much easier to use, and you can buy 200 blades for £5
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Posted by Steve W-O on 02/01/2012 08:05:26:
Posted by Spice Cat on 01/01/2012 21:59:22:
Like the idea of home made stuff a lot. Hopefully not hijacking the thread but when it comes to cuttnig excess covering; what have the good readership invesnted for the job?
I have been using crafty cutters from SLEC but find them not the easiest of tools to use.
Your thoughts please.
 
 
 
Half a razor blade stuck onto a flat sucker stick, much easier to use, and you can buy 200 blades for £5

Sounds good. Who supplies your blades????
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No, you have not hijacked the thread , just brought all the info back to life a year after I posted all the photos which nobody seemed to notice!
 
I do think that constantly quoting the other mans comments makes all such threads less readable though. ( Moderators can you do anything? )
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Posted by Spice Cat on 02/01/2012 12:44:09:
Posted by Steve W-O on 02/01/2012 08:05:26:
Posted by Spice Cat on 01/01/2012 21:59:22:
Like the idea of home made stuff a lot. Hopefully not hijacking the thread but when it comes to cuttnig excess covering; what have the good readership invesnted for the job?
I have been using crafty cutters from SLEC but find them not the easiest of tools to use.
Your thoughts please.
 
 
 
Half a razor blade stuck onto a flat sucker stick, much easier to use, and you can buy 200 blades for £5

Sounds good. Who supplies your blades????
 
 
Ebay
 
I meant to bring a lot back from the Philippines, they cost little there.

 
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