Got busy skinning the first wing and didn't have time to leak check the second tank until today.
No leaks, and so much easier using closed end pulled rivets. More details here.
Tony
Got busy skinning the first wing and didn't have time to leak check the second tank until today.
No leaks, and so much easier using closed end pulled rivets. More details here.
Tony
Last edited by Tony Spicer; 02-16-2013 at 05:53 AM.
The center wing skin on the Panther is rather large- 48" x 80" to be exact. Reach on a standard C-frame is a little less than 20". How to dimple the circled holes and get nice crisp dimples?
This did the trick. Piece of 1/2" scrap aluminum with 3/16" hole in center to hold male die. Rod from C-frame to hold female die. There are two conditions that must be met for this setup to work properly. The workpiece must be held parallel to the aluminum block, and the rod must be held perpendiculiar to the block. Easy to do.
This gets what you're not working on out of the way.
Pick the skin up and locate the target hole. Slide male die into place, then use both hands to keep things in place while lowering to the workbench. Place female die and tilt holder until holder reflection and holder are a straight line. Without moving holder get an eyeball lock on top of holder and strike smartly with hammer. Squeezer in the photo is just a weight to keep things level.
Whack the rod now and you'll have one very nasty looking dimple. Note the reflection. For more photos and details, have a look here.
Tony
Last edited by Tony Spicer; 02-16-2013 at 06:17 AM.
It had been years since I had installed more than just a few nutplates. The Panther fuel tank has 32 on the top of the tank and 32 on the bottom, plus 10 that wrap around the leading edge. Lots of stopping, starting and fiddling on the first day.
Developed a system on the second day and those little buggers just jumped on the wing. To see how, have a look at the last six photos here.
Tony
Fantastic!
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
The prototype wing skins had no holes for aileron bellcrank inspection. Another beta builder task. Skin too big to use flycutter on drill press. Too chicken to use flycutter in drill motor. To tight to pay $50 for a 5" hole saw. Knew that others had used a router in the past. Harbor Freight trim router for $27 was just the ticket. Made a couple of easy mods and gave it a try.<BR><BR>Angle Bracket came with router. Cut the length down and extended the slot inboard. Used a 1/4 socket head cap screw for the pivot. Head is just under 3/8" in diameter. Calculated distance and set the pivot. Couple of tries had the diameter nailed
<BR><BR>Drilled 3/8 holes with a Unibit. Then had second thoughts about the location and drilled two more holes. Piece of 1/4 plywood underneath also had 3/8 hole. 3/8 drill lines up the holes. Clamp. Put router in place and turn on. As soon as you start to rotate the router the cutter will do its thing. No need for a starter hole.
Tony
Last edited by Tony Spicer; 02-23-2013 at 06:31 AM.
Malco makes this hole cutter for sheet metal. The model is the HC1 and it costs about $50. You can find them at sheet metal supply houses or online. You use a hand drill to drive the cutter. I use them to make holes in duct work. There nice because there is a width gauge on the bottom of the tool that makes it easy to change sizes of the hole. Cutting on top of wood like Tony did is a good idea, because the tool will want to move when the hole is about finished. It shouldn't move if the center hole is in a stationary object like the wood, and the metal is clammped down. Always cut the hole in a clockwise rotation, and you have to tilt the tool slightly to the left (opposite direction of rotation) to get the fastest cut. This tool should work good for the insrument panel to, and is a lot safer than a fly cutter.
Glen
Last edited by GlenNJ; 02-23-2013 at 04:10 PM.
Minor issues with the trailing and skin required about 3/32" be trimmed off and yet maintain a factory edge. Choices? Belt sander, vixen file, or router.
The router worked great for the inspection holes, so decided to give it a try. What did I have to lose? Only wing skins and a rear spar. Off to Lowes for a piece of 3/4" x 12" x 8' MFD. $7 and change. And no charge to cut it in half on their panel saw. Two perfectly straight edges. Glue and drywall screws and I had a 11' straightedge. Two passes and the first wing was done.
Panther prototype rollout will be 3/9. I'll post photos here when available.
Tony
We unveiled the Panther today - for those who couldn't make it check the pictures out here:
Here's a couple of photos from the link above.
Very nice for sure!
Tony
Things have been slow lately, so I played around with Dan's line drawling and this is what I came up with.
Glen
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