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Squaring the Tail Cone

General building discussions, not model specific.
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Jerry Folkerts
Posts: 446
Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2012 5:57 pm
Location: Pagosa Springs, Colorado
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Squaring the Tail Cone

Post by Jerry Folkerts » Mon Jan 27, 2014 5:42 am

I'm ready to do the final drilling on the tail cone and am curious if others simply accepted that the pilot holes on the bulkhead corners would keep it square, or if you did something to square up the tail cone prior to the final drilling process.
Thanks,
Jerry Folkerts
Jerry Folkerts
SW Colorado
SR 2500 #093
http://www.mykitlog.com/jfolkerts
http://www.thepedalrv.com

tedwaltman

Re: Squaring the Tail Cone

Post by tedwaltman » Mon Jan 27, 2014 5:57 am

Before drilling out to #30, and also before riveting, use a framing square to double and triple check that everything is square.

Even more important, and as another tip, later, when you go to mate the tailcone to the cabin, you have one last opportunity to check that the entire tailcone is square to the cabin and adjust accordingly if necessary--before you drill the mating holes from #40 to #30.

Ted

tjhickey
Posts: 315
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2012 5:47 pm
Location: Montrose, Iowa

Re: Squaring the Tail Cone

Post by tjhickey » Mon Jan 27, 2014 6:19 am

I would drop a plump line from the center of the bulkhead at the top, to the center of the bulkhead at the bottom. If your table is level, and the plumb bob is making sense, then you are good to go. You can also cross-check by measuring the diagonals and checking that they are the same. I would double and triple check.


Tim
Tim Hickey
Montrose, Iowa
319 795-2684

Dale
Posts: 188
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 5:18 am
Location: Beautiful British Columbia, Canada

Re: Squaring the Tail Cone

Post by Dale » Mon Jan 27, 2014 3:14 pm

Jerry,

We made some jigs from plywood that followed the corner of the bulkhead and captured the bulkhead about 10" down. Simply use spring clamps to hold the jig(s) in place, it took the bowing out of the bulkheads and made drilling the bulkhead center line easier through the cone skins.

Don't forget to bend (out/in) the mating flanges of the bulkheads to the skin (about 7 deg, if memory serves me right) before drilling and riveting.

Mating the tailcone to the cabin is straight forward, line up the mating holes and cleco.

The time to make sure you have everything "squared", is before you place and drill the corner wraps on the cone...... This step will secure the tailcone as you have it and there will be little you can do to correct it later.

Just my little tid bit of info.
Dale
British Columbia, BC
Mountain Flying at Its Best

tedwaltman

Re: Squaring the Tail Cone

Post by tedwaltman » Mon Jan 27, 2014 5:03 pm

True, when maiting the tailcone, one can't adjust the vertical or horizontal alignment to the cabin structure.

However, one can adjust--if necessary--the side to side or top-bottom alignment. I have seen kits built out of "true" that could have been fixed at tailcone maiting time had the builder had the presence of mind to check before drilling out the maiting surfaces to #30.


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