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How Much "Fabrication"?

MJarreau

Well Known Member
The horizontal stabilizer requires the fabrication of attach brackets. How much fabrication of such components will we face during the remainder of construction?

Thanks,
Mike
 
Very little. 99% of the work involves shaping/finishing existing parts to size/condition and not fabrication from raw stock. Even then a lot of the parts that require fabrication are available ready made in the after market if fabrication isn't your thing. Personally I enjoyed that aspect of the build.
 
The horizontal stabilizer requires the fabrication of attach brackets. How much fabrication of such components will we face during the remainder of construction?

Thanks,
Mike

Mike,

Don't get overwhelmed by those brackets. I have no idea why Van's made em so complicated with all the funky angles and such.

That being said, if the 10 is anything much like the 7, there won't be much heavy duty fabricating like those brackets.

You will be expected to make a bunch of simpler parts though.

I suggest if you don't have them yet, order a full set of plans on USB drive. They are available on the webstore and are very valuable for looking ahead.

Do you have a table top band saw? If not, it will be your best friend for task such as these, just don't cut your finger off! Also get a metal cutting blade for it.
 
Even then a lot of the parts that require fabrication are available ready made in the after market if fabrication isn't your thing. Personally I enjoyed that aspect of the build.

Be careful buying aftermarket parts if you are doing a "QuickBuild".
The quickbuild kit is already pushing the limits towards the 51% rule.
 
the other thing i'll mention is that the parts they have you make don't need to be high precision. Not everyone has a CNC machine, a lathe, etc... and they don't expect you to have one. some of my "fabricated" parts, really look like ****. but the holes are in the right place and they will work.
 
Mike,

Don't get overwhelmed by those brackets. I have no idea why Van's made em so complicated with all the funky angles and such.

It's also annoying they don't call out tolerances for the 1/8" hole in them. It's just "Be very accurate." What in the world does that mean!? It obviously doesn't need to be within 0.001" but how accurate does it need to be?

I suspect it's important to have them the same height more than anything else so the hstab is level. My plan is to make them then match drill the two on my drill press with some CA + clamps holding them together.
 
Thanks to All

The thread was started because I was considering purchasing another tool (always a good thing, in my book) but could only justify the purchase if I would be doing significantly more fabrication. It was almost as much as one aviation monetary unit (we need a symbol for those), so I'll find other tool(s) to purchase! :D

Brian, I've gotten to the point where I can produce those brackets almost as fast as I can destroy them.... I will not admit in public how many sets I've made .:rolleyes:

Mel, I'm going slow build. Extremely slow. Otherwise, my ego wants to do the fabrication. Like Auburntsts, I strangely enjoy this part.

cderk, I'm learning that everything simply cannot be pristine. I've been told by Vans that, "it's just an airplane." I'm on the leading edge of understanding that phrase. Intimidation stinks.

jacoby, I could not agree more about the holes being the same height. I did that by using the same jig on the drill press and drilling one bracket at a time. Works beautifully. Found the scrolling miter saw cut the stock accurately and easily with an 80 tooth carbide blade.

Thanks again!
Mike
 
I've found that most of the parts that Vans has you build are parts that are nearly impossible to screw up. If you do screw up that bad, you'll know and you'll know you need to scrap it and try again.
 
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