Deburring Tool

Folks,

I am a complete newbie at sheet metal work. I found this video of a simple deburring tool at EAA's site. It looks too easy. Is this a replacement for a die grinder with Scotchbrite wheel?

Thanks,
-- Art Z.

That's more a replacement of this tool, a dove tail edge deburring tool. I wouldn't mess around with trying to make one yourself when you can buy a brand new less clunky tool for $12.

Oh, and where are my manners? Welcome to the forum!

Steve,

Thanks for the welcome

The worst thing at this stage is my impatience. I want to start already but have to get the current hangar queen sold to make room for the new princess.

-- Art Z.

I can relate to builder's anxiety! I had been wanting to build for well over a year before I took the plunge. Now I am finishing up my tail. I had hoped to order the wing kit with enough lead time for me to continue uninterrupted, but I was out of work for a while and now I need to save up for it. I will soon be be impatiently waiting, working (two jobs) and saving until I can continue my -7.

Having to sell your hangar queen sounds to me like a good problem to have! I haven't flown since I started planning for and building my -7 about a year ago. It was either spend money on rental time, or spend money on my -7. You can guess what I did

Steve is right, though, about which tool it replaces. You'll find that a scotch-brite wheel is handy for doing small parts but very cumbersome for long parts like spars and stringers. It's also positively dangerous to thin sheet, like skins. Generally, you will use a few passes with a draw file to smooth the long edges and then a couple of passes with that tool to 'break' the corners of the edge. I find that going once each way gives me the most consistent results - but I always test the edge carefully with my finger to be sure the burrs are gone.

By the way, the key with most deburring is to go lightly with the tools. You don't want a huge chamfer, you just want the burr gone. You especially don't want to sharpen the edge of a thin sheet or deburr a hole until it is enlarged. Practice on some scrap first.