wjb
Well Known Member
I'd like to give a very positive PIREP for VAF advertiser Up North Aviation and their CNC panel cutting service.
After carefully laying out my panel using Van's .dxf drawing, I found that 0.82 inches went missing off the bottom of the "real" panel (http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=151101). The brain trust informed me that Van's drawing is unbent; the L bend in the bottom is not indicated in the drawing.
Poop. Gotta cut an extended panel to get the space back.
Rather than trying to do it all myself, I contacted Bill M. at Up North Aviation to see if he could cut both the panel profile as well as the instrument holes on a piece of aluminum from ACS; I'd somehow add an L-angle to the bottom myself.
Bill sez, "it's a lot easier than that. Just have Vans ship me an 'oversized blank' (oversized rectangle with just the bend) and I can cut the rest - all the OEM holes and edges, plus your layout." He even provides .dxf's of "extended panels" for your layout convenience.
I ordered, and Van's sent the panel; I sent Bill a .dxf of my desired layout. After a quick iteration or two, he had the panel cut and back in my hands in just a few days; quite a bit faster than I would have expected. It came out perfectly; worth every penny.
Bill was a joy to work with. If you're looking for a pro to cut the panel just right, check out Up North Aviation, www.upnorthaviation.com
(my panel photos coming to DR's gallery soon!)
After carefully laying out my panel using Van's .dxf drawing, I found that 0.82 inches went missing off the bottom of the "real" panel (http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=151101). The brain trust informed me that Van's drawing is unbent; the L bend in the bottom is not indicated in the drawing.
Poop. Gotta cut an extended panel to get the space back.
Rather than trying to do it all myself, I contacted Bill M. at Up North Aviation to see if he could cut both the panel profile as well as the instrument holes on a piece of aluminum from ACS; I'd somehow add an L-angle to the bottom myself.
Bill sez, "it's a lot easier than that. Just have Vans ship me an 'oversized blank' (oversized rectangle with just the bend) and I can cut the rest - all the OEM holes and edges, plus your layout." He even provides .dxf's of "extended panels" for your layout convenience.
I ordered, and Van's sent the panel; I sent Bill a .dxf of my desired layout. After a quick iteration or two, he had the panel cut and back in my hands in just a few days; quite a bit faster than I would have expected. It came out perfectly; worth every penny.
Bill was a joy to work with. If you're looking for a pro to cut the panel just right, check out Up North Aviation, www.upnorthaviation.com
(my panel photos coming to DR's gallery soon!)
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