DIY drdt2 dimpling head positioning

Hi all,

I?m new in this forum. After several months spent to investigate and get proper authorizations, I?m now an official italian RV10 builder.

I have a question about dimpling machine.

At the moment I?m completing my work table, with a simil-drdt2 installation, like many other I saw.
I was thinking that for daily usage, it is easier to place the dimpling head not too much near to the table edge. Especially for big skin sheets, probably it is a good think to work a little far from the edge so to keep the sheets planar as much as possible.
The issue I see is if it is necessary to dimple ?not planar? sheet, where it could be not possible to use such kind of machine configuration, suggesting to put the dimpling head near the border.

What do you suggest about the position of the dimpling head?
Any other suggestions you would consider for building this tool?

Thanks a lot; this is a great community.

Francesco

Welcome to VAF.
Send me your email & i?ll Send u pictures of how mine worked well.

Consider making it so you can slide the drdt2 in/out because you will need the clearance below for some things.

I have six different holes/apertures for the lower die in my table.
I helps to have options so the part/sheet is balanced and well supported depending on where you are working on the sheet.

Another possibility

or you could do something like this so you can move the dimpler around/between etc so you get the support you need for any configuration. Its just a simple cart that is about 12-14" wide at the base with the DRDT2 bolted to the top at a height that puts it in alignment with my work tables. Now I can put it between two benches and move it back and forth as necessary to keep the larger skins safely supported. When I'm done I roll it to the side and its still available for those one off dimples on smaller parts.

if i built one again i wouldn't square off the bottom angle so id be abel to get to the root of skin surfaces

Here's my build
https://youtu.be/287_OwwMKto

Thanks to all for the posts.
I understand it is good to have several positions of the head. So this is the solution I decided to build. There are several useful suggestions fot that.

Again, thanks
Francesco

Here is a simple addition that helped me to locate holes quicker. Others have added a laser cross hair, but this method doesn't require batteries and is cheap to boot. It consists of a short piece of insulated copper wire with a jewelry bead epoxied to the end. The whole affair is attached with some 100mph duct tape and can be easily adjusted using simple finger pressure.

I adjust the bead so it floats close to the edge of where the dimple die pin is located. When the piston is lowered, the bead gets pushed to the side and snaps back to position when the piston is raised. The wire is flexible enough so that I can easily move the wing skin around, but as I get close to aligning the next hole the bead accurately indicates where the pin is. This simple device easily doubled my dimpling speed. (Yes- I've been warned about dimpling with the plastic still on).