Bending Tip-up side rails

I am assembling my canopy frame. I made a jig to create flutes to bring the rails in a bit, but I am not sure how to stretch them to go back out. I need to go a bit in each direction to match the fuse side.

Can someone give me a tip or point me to a reference that explains this?

Thanks,

Larry

7a canopy

Much of the "tweaking" (and not that Miley style tweaking) that I accomplished was after I had assembled the frame.
The frame will take a beating. Beat it into submission.

Invest in (or cultivate a friend who has one) a bench stretcher/shrinker. You don't want flutes.

Be careful

When you attach the canopy, an outward force occurs.
If you bend to be even with the side skins before mounting canopy,
You may end up uneven due to the outward force.

agirard7a said:

When you attach the canopy, an outward force occurs.
If you bend to be even with the side skins before mounting canopy,
You may end up uneven due to the outward force.

Click to expand...

so, do you perform the straightening after you have fitted and temporarily attached the acrylic?

Larry

Bending

Larry. You can pretty much be assured when
the canopy is secured both temp. and permanently,
the shape of the frame will change. I tweaked mine, pulled
In some areas and pushed in others to do my best
to have it flush. It's not perfect.. I glued mine with Sikaflex so I was not
As concerned with cracking from a drill hole. If I was doing it again,
with out question I would glue it. It looks slick as well.

I would be concerned with cracking by bending the frame with a drilled and mounted canopy. Maybe someone else that has done this could comment.

agirard7a said:

. . . I would be concerned with cracking by bending the frame with a drilled and mounted canopy. Maybe someone else that has done this could comment.

Click to expand...

Nah - go ahead and bend it. I worried with that frame then added the plexi and it was 1.5 mm out of line! I found no way to make the frame match the side rails unless the canopy was fastened to the rails. I made a (crude) rig to lift the canopy fame, with plexi, off the plane, roll fuse out from under, then lower to a table with the stretcher/shrinker, and tweaked it until it was better. All done solo.

There were no issues with the plexi.

I expect that when the front upper skin is mounted, the lift cylinders are installed, side skirts riveted, and fiberglassing done, then more tweaking will be in order before it is done.

Happy building and good luck with the canopy frame.