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Building the fuselage

Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 12:50 pm
by Brian Amato
I'm ready to start the fuselage and I not only want it to be strong and to the correct dimensions, I want it to be fairly attractive when you looking inside the cockpit. I can already see where I could wind up with some unattractive glue "ooze-out" between the plywood sides and the struts and longerons. Here's what's running thru my noggin and you guys tell me what you did to work around this:
You've got the fuselage side laying on your long work table and you are about to glue and fasten not only the gussets but the plywood side material. You spread glue on the struts and longerons and put the plywood side down and nail or staple it in place. For sure there will be glue that oozes out between the plywood and the spruce but since you don't want to flip the side over until the glue has cured, you don't have the luxury of seeing just WHERE it oozes out and be able to wipe in clean and tidy.
So....what did you guys do to work around that problem? Or DID you flip the side over while it was still wet?
I know...this is the kind of nickel-dime stuff that can keep a guy up at night, isn't it.
Thanks in advance

Re: Building the fuselage

Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 3:59 pm
by ArthurD
Did a steel tube fuselage but I got one of these to remove glue squeeze out under the gussets on the tail.

https://www.amazon.com/WEN-6307-Variabl ... B072Q2FTLY

Re: Building the fuselage

Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:56 pm
by EAB4
If I can, I try to position things so that any ooze will form its own fillet as it dries, but the only thing the ooze does is show that you have enough glue in the joint- so most of the time I wipe it off before it dries.

Glue the plywood sides on towards the end of building the fuselage- it will be much easier to work on all of the things that need to go inside the fuselage
if the sides are not on.
When you do add the sides, you will clamp the plywood sides on, then go around the insides with a pencil, outlining all of the longerons and vertical pieces- then you glue the plywood sides onto the opposite sides of the fuselage. That way all of your lines are on the outside of the plywood and you can see where to put your nails/staples.

Re: Building the fuselage

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 2:43 pm
by Brian Amato
Sounds like a plan EAB4. So you're saying, the fuselage is mostly assembled including the inside and outside gussets at each of the longereon/strut joints but not the plywood sides. The plywood sides act like one giant gusset really. You've boxed the fuselage all together except for the plywood sides? Upper and lower cross members and the whole thing?
Maybe I'm over thinking this but I'm just thinking ahead so it's both plenty strong AND tidy looking when you look inside.
Thanks

Re: Building the fuselage

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 3:05 pm
by EAB4
here is where mine is now- plenty strong enough to move around and lots of room to work inside
IMG_4555.jpg
IMG_4554.jpg

Re: Building the fuselage

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 4:24 pm
by Lorenzo
I agree. Fit everything you can without the sides. There is much that you need to access on the inside that is way easier to do without the sides in the way. Delay gluing them on as long as you can stand it.

Re: Building the fuselage

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 1:36 pm
by Brian Amato
Thanks guys....makes perfect sense.
(Nice welding, my the way)
As I look at your photos, I see the mid braces and cross braces at both the top and bottom of the fuselage, don't actually touch the longerons but touch the gussets at the longerons. Does everyone agree that's as it should be? Can't see any other way to do it. They DO get gussets on the outside at those junctures, tho, don't they.
Thanks everybody. Big ol' long table built and ready to start sides.
Brian

Re: Building the fuselage

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 7:53 pm
by EAB4
Yes, they get gussets on both sides.
Definitely spend some time Chris Tracy's site- a lot of good photos for whatever step you are at in the construction.

http://www.westcoastpiet.com

Re: Building the fuselage

Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 7:10 am
by Brian Amato
Thanks guys !!