Fuse construction - the conical belly bend

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:38 pm

Hey all, this how ya do it!

I pondered different ways, but the instructions are right on.

Wicked Stick took the pics and was absolutely PIVOTAL in the successful completion of the task!

The skins need to be laid down flat, with what will become the inside facing up and angle needs to be clamped onto the sheet to keep pressure concentrated in the work area.

The aluminum angle with all the corrosion on it is clecoed to the skin and used as a handle to keep the edge straight while bending it upward.

The vise-grip seaming pliers were certainly the right tool of the job! They kept pressure in the right place while the short 3/4" x 3/4" extended the reach of the pliers. I needed to trim the angle in order for it to fit into the inside of the bend.

Bottom line, it fits in nicely!

Thanks Dave!

CJ

Post by **Spike** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 3:12 pm

Sweeet!!

kevinsrv7 · Post by **kevinsrv7** » Wed May 09, 2007 2:05 pm

John,
I like your new haircut.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Wed May 09, 2007 5:42 pm

HA!

This summer I am going to the bone again!

CJ

jim_geo · Post by **jim_geo** » Wed May 09, 2007 11:56 pm

You need to let some of your hair grow out John.

Post by **Spike** » Thu May 10, 2007 8:17 am

oh my goodness, now that is a great picture Jim!

aerial · Post by **aerial** » Thu May 10, 2007 10:36 am

CJ, Now that's a nice looking curve.

I'll let you decide which one I am talking about

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Thu May 10, 2007 9:35 pm

Eeeeeek!

Jim, the old man in the pic DOES have good hair QUANTITY!

CJ

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:13 am

Soooo, I s'pose it is time for an update.

I have been slaving away this weekend on the plane and doing NOTHING ELSE! I want this fuse right side up before Halloween!

Anyways, as you may or may not recall I beefed up these tabs:

...that Van normally has you make out of 0.032" stock. I went BIGGUH because I am building my plane my way. Here is where they fit:

They nest right down in the corner and tie the corner rib into the F-706 bulkhead.

I chose to paint my interior components before assembly. I am glad I did this even though there are a few ding-a-lings in the paint from the bucking bar. You have to do SOME solo bucking on these things occasionally, ya know.

Once it is all cleco'ed together, it is time to rivet. I was a little ummmmm, CURIOUS about how these rivets would come out. Overall, I am really pleased. Both inside and out came out really well! Wicked Rivet did the driving and I did the bucking with the tungsten bar. For the rivet in the middle of the clip I had to use a C-Yoke as a bucking bar. It fit in there nicely.

Here is the finished work:

...and the outside:

In hindsight, next time I would deviate from the written plans here!

If you read the plans, it says to assemble the skins in this order. After looking at the way Bonanza does it on the quick builds, I would do it their way next time.

Bonanza puts the SIDE SKIN ON TOP of the BELLY SKIN. It lays down much smoother and is better at shedding water.

Again, the plans show the side skin tucked under the belly skin like I did it in the picture. I am willing to bet this is an error in the drawing.

Try it the other way on your fuse. I think you would be pleased.

CJ

glenn · Post by **glenn** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:15 am

CJ,
The curve looks great. Smooth transition. Does the forward bottom kinda dip inward? It does on mine but since it was all pre drilled i assumed it was supposed to. Also, just a side note. I work for a shop that is a beachcraft service center. I would put your craftsmenship and just about anybody else on this site against some of the stuff I see right frm the factory.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:10 am

Glenn, Thanks for the compliment! I have seen many planes come through our FBO here that would make us all cringe!

I am not sure what you mean about the forward bottom dipping inward. I think we are on the same page, though. You mean is there a concave shape to the outer edge of the bottom skin? The answer is yes. I saw on Dan's site that he had the same thing too. I hand formed the corner ribs to a convex shape before drilling and dimpling them to help alleviate that, but I still got some of it.

CJ

jim_geo · Post by **jim_geo** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 12:29 pm

That's a nice looking bend. It's very similar to what can be done on the tip up canopy later on.

glenn · Post by **glenn** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:38 pm

CJ
thats the dip i was talking about. I didn't take any steps to avoid it mostly because I didn't notice it till it was done

Oh well, if anyone asks I'll call it a lifting body!!

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:41 pm

I thought so.

Well, the next plane will come out much nicer!

...at least that is what I keep telling myself!

CJ