Step 1.   Warning!  Make sure you match drill ALL THE HOLES along the top edge of the side skins.  The ones that go into the longerons.  For some reason, not all of mine were drilled out.  Just double check.  I went back to the plans and found out that the way they are written, small brains can easily be led astray. 

You know, this is really annoying.  I went back over all the holes in the skins with a #40 reamer as a gauge and found other holes that I'd missed.  Check your holes folks, before moving on.  Devise some sort of marking system that lets you know a row has been completed.  Pick a pattern and stay with it. 

Anyway, I machined countersunk all the bloody holes in the longerons.  Exactly what you are NOT supposed to do.  I do not know why this step has me all befuddled.  I think it's because I haven't worked on the project for about a month.  It takes awhile to get back into the swing of things and to read carefully.   Also, lay down the holy machine countersink when you're tired.  Tape the holes not to be drilled or machine countersunk.  My error is not that big a deal, but it certainly is irritating.  I hate making stupid mistakes. 

09/25/06  -  1.5 hours

One nice thing is that I finally got my drill press set up and working.  Soooo, much easier with the drill press.  However, keep checking the countersink hole size every five holes or so.  The cage will loosen up and begin to machine deeper.  (You have made yourself a small dimple gauge to check your work, have you not?   Just take a scrap of aluminum the same thickness as, in this case, the skin, drill a #40 hole, deburr and dimple.  Use this gauge to test your countersinks.  The guage should lie flush with the skin, with no tipping.  That's a great way to find those holes that may not be deep enough, but you still need to worry about those that might be too deep.  Put a rivet into the holes to check that it isn't too far in.  The rivet should sit just a hair below the surface.)

Also, in the two pictures above, note the simple jig that is used to hold the longerons.  Take three pieces of 1 x 4 scrap and nail them together leaving a gap in the middle so the little nib on the countersink bit has a place to go.  Secure the jig to the table with a clamp or even carpet tape.  You can see some scrap aluminum from the "extra" bundle that I used to help keep the longerons from tiping, since they wanted to do that.  I just slipped it under the longeron and it worked great.  I love simple, but effective jigs.  You could build a better one, for sure, but it was cobbled together for a single purpose and worked just fine.   

Step 2.  Dimple the 4 holes (8 total) in the two F-824B cover plates, the flat part of the dimple to the outside.   These dimples are for #6 screws.   Mount the plates in your vice to secure them before dimpling.  Of course the vise jaws are protected, yes?

06/04/06 - 5 minutes

Step 3.   Started dimpling the skins on 07-30-06.  My approach is to use the pneumatic squeezer for as many of the holes in each piece as possible.  Thus all of the edge holes will be done first for every skin.  I'll then set up the C-frame to get the interior holes.  The first picture shows me attacking the F-1078 bottom skin.  The second and third show the C-frame set up and the interior holes being dimpled through the skilled whacking process.

To date I've completed dimpling the F-1074, F-1075, F-1078 & F-1073-L skins.  (All done now)

I've a problem with the F-1073-R skin, so that won't be completed until I find a fix or buy a new skin.  Actually, I bought the new skin and picked it up already, but still want to salvage the original if possible.  I'm building close to Van's so there is no transportation costs.  Lucky me. 

Note:  Note the brilliant and well made platform to the right of the C-frame.  Amazing construction!  Turns out if you have some 2x4 scrap and left over 3/4" plywood, you can make a platform that works just fine with the
C-frame.  Some folks construct all types of wonderful ways of mounting the C-frame, and I applaud them for that.  However, you don't have to go to great lengths.  Just find a way to stabilize the piece being worked by building a couple of these platforms, which also gets the piece level and eliminates any bending stress.  Then, let the dies do their work.  I use a shot-filled mallet and give it one whap.  You can see a plastic mallet on the left workbench.  I was having to whap the thing twice with that to make sure the dimple was set, but the other mallet seems to work just fine with one whap.  Not a big whap either, sort of like Steve McQueen as Jack Holman instructing his Chinese understudy in how to effectively use a sledge hammer in the movie, The Sand Pebbles.  Let the mass of the head do the work.  (Read the book.  I still remember the description of Holman from life to death.  Made me pause then; makes me pause even now.)

Note:  Can you see in the top picture Randy Debauw's clever suggestion being used?  He recommended that I use scrap 1 x 4's screwed to the table acting as a means of holding the skin.  It doesn't work for all the pieces, because they lack rigidity, but for the bottom skin it was great to have a place to anchor the skin.  I highly recommend this "improvement" for the tables.  I also recommend that you have various lengths of 1 x 4's.  I need to make more. 

08/07/06 - Finished on 9/26/06  -  4 hours

Step 4.  Began dimpling the #40 holes in the various ribs and bulkheads.  It's a good thing that small brains have building neighbors, such as Bruce and Becky Breckenridge, to lighten the heavy lifting of thinking.  Here's a great tip from Bruce and probably has been used by countless others, but good to pass on anyway. 

Take a look at the first picture and see the heavy pneumatic squeezer nicely secured in the vise.  Now move to the second picture and see it being used.  Eureka!  Before this I used to hold the squeezer in one hand and the piece in the other or affixed to the vise and wear myself out.  With the squeezer secure in the vice, the whole dimpling experience is a non-issue, as long as the piece can be held securely.  Let me think now, heaviest object held in vice, lightest held by me.  I think I'm catching on.  I'm now thinking of getting a foot pedal so that I can use two hands to hold the piece being worked.  Yes!! 

Get those plastic jaw covers for your vise at Sears. 

(BTW.  There are many reasons why I love this Disney sweatshirt that is often shown in the pictures, but one is because of the hand warmer pockets in the front.  You can shove 25 clecos in there and a cleco pliers.  Works like a charm, but only when it's below 55 degrees.  Above that I use a carpenter's apron.  Same deal.  Tools at the ready.) 

09/20/06 - In progress

Step 5.  Dimple the #40 holes in all the F-1047 stiffeners (j-channels), with the exception of the one screw hole found in the F-1047A.   It's easy to locate.   The flat side of the dimple is towards the skin, or, for me, was on the side of the line drawn down the center of the piece.

Note:  Make sure these holes have been deburred.   Sometimes little minds have a way of thinking they are when, in fact, they aren't!   Perhaps the phrase, "do not get ahead of one's self" is apropos?   Me thinks so.

06/04/06 - 2 hours or so because I needed to deburr some holes

Step 6.  Now, here's a step that should have been done when other parts were being cut.  If you're reading ahead, and you see another opportunity to batch steps, such as cutting pieces, take advantage of the moment.   Your band saw is all set up, you're in the mood, in the groove, got the rhythm, so you might as well have at as many pieces as possible.   Always look ahead.

At any rate, cut apart the F-1036 battery channel pieces.  Watch out for the tabs, as warned.  It doesn't say, but deburr the edges and especially the cut edges, which is a dumb thing to say. Deburr them all, cut or not.

09/23/06 - 20 minutes

Step 7.   Take the F-1036B and drill as specified.  Just chuck them into the vise and have at it for the #12 and #30, but set it up in the drill press for the 1/4"  The typical 1/4" drill bit is too coarse and can hang up with the small handheld drill.  Deburr. 

09/23/06 - 20 minutes

Step 8.  Final drill the holes in the F1035 Battery/Bellcrank Mount as specified.  Note, as they say, the #19 and 1/4" holes do not need drilling. 

Then, machine countersink the #40 holes.  Note that the side the countersink goes on doesn't seem logical at first.  It would seem that these should go onto the bottom.  But, the unit is not resting on the bottom skin.  The flush rivets are needed for other equipment.  I say this only because I looked at it cross eyed for several minutes.  Figured I'd save some others from getting cross eyed. 

09/23/06 - 40 minutes