Build Update
Both wings have quite a bit left to do before they’re ready for cover. I still need to rig up the lower wing’s aileron pushrods and bellcranks, install the cabane and strut attach points, and finish sanding and shaping. Here’s a picture of them sitting one on top of the other to assure me that things will be lining up okay:
I printed the fuselage formers full-size on cardstock and spliced together a part of the fuselage to get a template for the sides and doublers:
I cut out the 3/16” balsa fuselage sides, and then trimmed the template to the markers indicating the 1/16” plywood doubler, and cut those out. To laminate the doublers to the balsa sides, I elected to squeegee on a *very thin* layer of 30 minute epoxy. During the same operation, I attached the top 3/16” square longerons. I cleaned up any squeeze-out with a rag soaked in denatured alcohol. In this picture, the doublers are on the bottom, out of sight:
Then, I assigned the subject some heavy reading and left it for the epoxy to cure: (A sheet of wax paper, topped with a piece of glass, is used to spread the load.)
Fred Reese calls for 3/16” square spruce for the fuselage sticks, and suggests 1/4” square balsa as an alternative. I remember when spruce was readily available, but it seems bass wood has become the commonly accepted alternative. I was fresh out of 3/16 bass, and Hobby Lobby wanted $5 for 5 sticks that were 24” long. I noticed they had a 4”x24” sheet of it for the same price, so I bought it with a 40% off coupon and ripped more than enough sticks on the bandsaw, and scarfed the two pieces I needed that were 32” long. Anyway, I framed up one side:
And then I built the other side right on top of the first one:
The designer’s build article instructed me to glue the cowl cheeks on next, shimming the nose end off the bench 3/4” to account for the specified 2” spinner. I was sure I could come up with a better way, but in the end I went along with it. I decided to use epoxy because this area will undoubtedly be subjected to a lot of glow fuel and exhaust. First, I cut and shaped the cheeks. I gave the firewall edge a 10° bevel for a halfway decent joint. (I came up with that angle by test fitting the butt-joint and using a protractor.)
Then, I applied a piece of cellophane tape along the butt joint:
I folded the tape back along the joint’s edge, lined up the cheek, and pressed it on:
Then, I attacked it as if I were edge-gluing sheet balsa, which I guess I was. The tape held the joints together tightly while preventing squeeze-out onto the bench top, while I lightly weighted the sides and shimmed up the nose ends. I wiped away excess epoxy because this is where the firewall is going, and sanding epoxy off in this area later would be a real chore.
I epoxied the rear bulkhead to one side:
I was preparing to glue the firewall on when I realized I would rather have the engine mount attached now, or at least have all the necessary holes drilled for the mount, fuel lines, and throttle cable. So, I stopped there until I round up an engine mount and a fuel tank. It’s just going to be too tricky to drill those holes with those cowl cheeks already glued on.