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Special tools for canopy and window

iamtheari

Well Known Member
Since I have to order some tools and hardware anyhow, I am curious if anyone has tips on tools to make the canopy and window build go easier and/or to make them more reliable in the long-term. I've been told that a countersink in plexiglass will be more likely to crack with a certain head angle vs. another head angle but the person who told me that didn't remember the specifics of what does and doesn't work. Any other tips are also welcome. Drill bits, countersink bits, special types of clamps, etc. I am going to spend a lot of time looking through the canopy so I want it to turn out good. Thanks as always!
 
Greetings.

Be careful if it's cold where you are: Keep your plexi warm and happy during cutting, drilling etc.

You can follow my canopy fitting experience here.

Though you can fashion your own, I had Great Lakes Aero make me #40 and #36 plexi bits which give a dubbed off zero rake angle and slow spiral polished flutes. The #27 plexi bit I had from Avery (he's since retired) had a more aggressive rake and a few #27 holes chipped/cracked (though I believe that was due to the metal underneath the plexi rather than the bit itself).



Relative to the countersinks, you are committed to using the standard 100 degree bits that will accept the AN507C632R6 screws. Fear not.

Also, don't forget to paint your glareshield before you attach the canopy. A friend of mine neglected that step. It's not insurmountable, but it's best not to be "that guy" :)

 
I got special plexi drills but was not really happy with them. I then tested and came to the conclusion that ordinary drill bits that was run into concrete for 30 seconds worked muh better than the dedicated bits :rolleyes:
How many experiments did you do before you stumbled on that solution? This sounds like the first guy who figured out fermenting grain to make beer, who somehow thought it was a good idea to try drinking the stuff that fermented with that one particular strain of yeast after all his friends and family got sick from different strains of yeast contaminating their grain. I suppose it's safe to save up my used drill bits from aluminum work and abuse them a bit more to prepare them for plexiglass?
 
There is a video on the EAA web site on plexi and how to make your own bits. I did and they worked fine.
 
How many experiments did you do before you stumbled on that solution? This sounds like the first guy who figured out fermenting grain to make beer, who somehow thought it was a good idea to try drinking the stuff that fermented with that one particular strain of yeast after all his friends and family got sick from different strains of yeast contaminating their grain. I suppose it's safe to save up my used drill bits from aluminum work and abuse them a bit more to prepare them for plexiglass?

I did several tests and proceeded with the following approach. All holes started with a standard #40 drill bit. Proceed much slower than normal, allowing the drill tip to generate a lot of friction. This results in the plexi getting soft at the drill bit interface. Purposely holding the drill steady with almost no forward pressure helps to avoid grabbing. All holes then enlarged with a quality uni-bit. The uni-bits are quite safe on plexi due to their cutting style.

I experienced no "grabbing" tendency and had no cracks or other issues. Id did wait until summer to do this work to avoid issues with cold plexi.

Not necessarily advocating this approach, but offering experience for other to consider. I am unaware of how sharp my #40 bit was. It wasn't dull, but I don't recall how much use it had when I did this work, however, I am sure it wasn't new.

Larry
 
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I did the same, ran the bits into a concrete block for about 15 seconds and they worked great, didn't grab.
 
Tapered Drill Reamer

After trying to dull a few bits, I saw someone else on here recommended tapered drill reamer bits. They are perfect for this and easily drilled through metal and plexi while working on the canopy with extremely clean holes and no cracking.

I got mine custom from Superior Tool Service. The 3 inch ones worked great. You can find all sizes on their website.
 
What tools should I pick up for smoothing/rounding the edges of the plexiglass? Just waterproof sandpaper or is there some kind of a scraper that would be easier or safer?
 
plus 1 for the cabinet scraper. I actually used it to trim the back edge of the canopy. It took a while, but i had sections where very little was needed to be removed.
 
After trying to dull a few bits, I saw someone else on here recommended tapered drill reamer bits. They are perfect for this and easily drilled through metal and plexi while working on the canopy with extremely clean holes and no cracking.

I got mine custom from Superior Tool Service. The 3 inch ones worked great. You can find all sizes on their website.

What sizes are needed for the RV-14? I looked at the canopy and window instructions and came up with #40, #36, and #27. But at $40-50 per bit, I don't want to over-buy or under-buy the tools I'll actually benefit from. I've also read about using Unibits on the plexiglass, but I don't understand where that would be done on the RV-14 since I'm not familiar with a Unibit with wire-gauge sizing.
 
What sizes are needed for the RV-14? I looked at the canopy and window instructions and came up with #40, #36, and #27. But at $40-50 per bit, I don't want to over-buy or under-buy the tools I'll actually benefit from. I've also read about using Unibits on the plexiglass, but I don't understand where that would be done on the RV-14 since I'm not familiar with a Unibit with wire-gauge sizing.

Those are the sizes I got and was able to complete the landing light lenses, canopy, and rear window using them. I know they are expensive, but I?m almost certain it would be impossible to chip the plexi using them. I read one too many blogs of chips using plexi or dulled bits so went the safe route, YMMV
 
I also found dull bits to be as good or better than a plexiglass bit. But, after going through three landing light lenses I found speed and pressure control was the main factor in causing cracks. Turn the bit very slow and offer very little down pressure, almost no pressure when it's about to break through. Had zero issues with the canopy.
 
Checking again before I order anything... Do I need all three sizes or will a #40 plexi bit followed by regular #36 and #27 bits to upsize the hole.
 
5/32 Step bit vs. #27 for canopy

The #27 is .144? but common increments in a step appear 5/32 0.1563? is nearest I can find. Test holes with the #6 screw seem to me the slightly larger oversize better suits the need for canopy expansion and the clean holes the step but leaves behind. Thoughts appreciated.
 
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