Misshaped hole

Hello Folks,

I pulled a Goof while drilling a #12 hole that holds an AN3-6A bolt. The bolt is one of four that attaches the VS-01402 bracket to the horizontal stabilizer forward spar. The elongated hole is in the forward spar and the gap from the elongation is slightly shy of 1/32" on the top side . I would appreciate suggestions on how to proceed.

Thanks

If nothing else, so long as edge distance is good, you could go to AN-4 size bolt.

Re:

Fred, thanks for the fast response. I was thinking the same. I was just digging into my Standard Aircraft Handbook to try and determine what size drill to use for an AN4 bolt. I understand that the AN4 bolt has a ? inch diameter. I assume I would use a ? drill bit. I'll test it out on a piece of wood first, because every time I think I know what I'm doing, life surprises me.

When I was building, I bought a reamer and drilled all these mounting holes undersized and them reamed them to final size. The bolts just slide right in, nice as you could want.

Good luck your fix!

RE:

Thanks Bill,

I've seen that suggestion now a couple of times in the forums. I've added a 3/16, ?, and a 5/16 reamer to my Cleaveland shopping cart. I'll place the order Sunday night as I figure I'll think of something else to add to it by then.

Don't feel bad Greg, I was spending something like $300 a month on tools during my build for the four years of my build.

Just as I thought I was done buying tools, I moved on to another type of construction (wiring, plumbing, engine tools, etc.).

Sneak up to the hole size and just finish it with the reamer. I had good luck buying reamers and taps from WholesaleTool. The again, I was living in Charlotte at the time and their warehouse was within walking distance of my office.

Tilford said:

Thanks Bill,

I've seen that suggestion now a couple of times in the forums. I've added a 3/16, ¼, and a 5/16 reamer to my Cleaveland shopping cart. I'll place the order Sunday night as I figure I'll think of something else to add to it by then.

Click to expand...

A 3/16 and 5/16 reamer is not of much value.
An AN3 bolt wont go into a precision 3/16" hole (without a hammer)
A typical AN5 bolt is actually slightly less than 5/16" in diam and will be a bit loose in a 5/16 hole (The reason the construction manual recommends a .311 ream for critical bolts, like landing gear legs, etc.)
The AN4 bolts generally seem to be a good fit in a precise 1/4" hole.

BTW, the recommended tool list in the RV-14 construction manual is a very good resource. I am not saying it is entirely comprehensive or without error, but effort was made to cover everything that was essential for building the airplane. Having said that, reamers are good tools for making precision holes, but do not be fooled... they are not a guarantee of a precise hole. A mistake with a reamer can produce the same type of problem hole, that is shown in the photo in post #1.

RE:

Thanks Scott,

I found this post by you helpful in regard to reamers as well.
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=119353&highlight=.3115&page=2

Misshaped Hole - Fixed

I was concerned about the edge distance on the HS-0913 spar cap, so I consulted Van's about repairing this hole. Rian, an engineer at Van's, said he checked the calculations and I would be fine upsizing the elongated hole to ?" and using an AN4. So I stepped up incrementally to 7/32" then used my new ?" undersized reamer to complete the hole. Wow! I love the reamer recommendation. The hole turned out very nice and I'm movin' on.