Rick6a
Well Known Member
Many builders obsess way too much when it comes to fluting. I haven't seen an RV rib yet that I could not flute to acceptable flatness in a minute or less. Remember, fluting is done "as required." The primary goal is to have the rib holes line up with the mating holes in the skin without bending, forcing or preloading anything. In many if not most cases, fluting is not required between every single hole. What I usually do is lay the rib web side down on a flat surface and take a moment to observe its unique profile. As the second photo illustrates, I start fluting at the bows highest point without lifting the rib off the table. As I squeeze the pliers, I watch the flute work its magic and draw the rib flange toward the table. Right out of the crate, as you probably know by now, some ribs are bowed more than others. With a little practice, you can intuit which flutes should be made deep and those which are made shallower. Observe the last photo. With the rib now flipped over, note that a relative few flutes were actually required to sufficiently flatten it and in a minute or less, that rib is done. BTW, to make things a bit easier, don't forget to FIRST debur the rib before doing your 60 second flute. As with fluting, if it takes more than a minute or so to break the sharp edges and thoroughly debur each and every rib, you are courting mindless tedium and wasting valuable time, but that is another subject altogether.
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