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To build a wing jig or not?

RudiGreyling

RudiGreyling

Well Known Member
Hi guys,

I'm starting with planning for building my RV7 wings, and was talking to a couple of people to understand if I should "Jig 'em wings or not?". A lot of people say yes and no with pros and cons on a RV7 wing jig. Many say its not required on the 7 with matching holes!

I would love to hear your take on this and please refer to model i.e. RV7 and say why!!

Thanks
 
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I just got 'em, ready to skin this past weekend. Jig it up! It aint hard. Plus, it is a really convenient way to hold them while you rivet.

DSCN1579.jpg


Do it up!

:cool: CJ
 
Yes. Jig the wings. I've done it both ways and having the wings in a jig is MUCH easier.
Mel...DAR
 
Jig or Not

Hi Rudi,

I just finished my RV-7 wings except for the bottom skins.

I went with the jig for a number of reasons. First, the instructions and plans tell you to do it so I did. Secondly, it makes it easy to work on the wing: deburring, dimpling, riveting, etc. Finally, I'm paranoid about wing twist, so I did everything I could to prevent it from happening. It only took me a weekend to get the materials together and build the wing jig, and I'm not a particularly fast builder. All in all, why not build it, what does it hurt?

I have a little twist in one of my flaps, despite the spar and skins being matched punched -- and I used a little jig too -- so it is possible to have twist in a matched punched kit despite what is said.
 
Wow 3 'yes' and 0 'no',
Thanks guys...Any other nice wing jig tips and photos appreciated.

Captain_John:
Interesting looking support you got in the middle of your wings, what is that? and do you have a closer picture?

How did you attach your uprights to your 'epoxy' painted floor, since I need to do the same on my 'epoxy' floor?

How do you guys support the tops of the uprights?

Thanks
 
My jig was for one wing at a time. I simply ran two vertical 4x4's from floor to rafter. They attached to the rafters with lag bolts and to the floor with those hardware store sheet metal things. I'm not sure what they're called, but they're designed to attach to a 4x4 with screws and they have one big hole to attach to the floor. I used a bolt with a concrete anchor to attach to the floor. When all done I used a bit of concrete patch to fill the two holes. Oh, and you'll want some sort of prop under the center prevent sag. I used a jackstand and some shims.
 
greylingr said:
Wow 3 'yes' and 0 'no',
Thanks guys...Any other nice wing jig tips and photos appreciated.

Captain_John:
Interesting looking support you got in the middle of your wings, what is that? and do you have a closer picture?

How did you attach your uprights to your 'epoxy' painted floor, since I need to do the same on my 'epoxy' floor?

How do you guys support the tops of the uprights?

Thanks
Click to expand...

OK, First things first...

The thing in the middle is a double stacked 2x6 with a piece of angle on it called B-Line. I am an Electrician (actually now I teach Electricity) and that brand of angle is prevalent in my trade. You can use any angle you have available.

DSCN1588.jpg


The next thing is how it attaches to the ceiling:

DSCN1585.jpg


Here, I slammed another hunk of angle against the ceiling and the other side connects to my loft:

DSCN1586.jpg


cont'd
 
The rest of the message:

The bottoms are plastic anchored to the concrete and barring an unforseen earthquake, it should be ok.

DSCN1583.jpg


Here is a shot of the back side ot the jig, where the spars rest on the angle:

DSCN1590.jpg


How is that for pictures!?!

:D CJ

P.S. Doug, why does the BBS limit the number of pics I can post in one reply? Dunno if I am liking that feature yet?

:D
 
The Jig is up!

Yes, go with the jig. If nothing else it just makes the wings easier to work on.

On the Things to Consider page of my web site I described how I built my simple jig and showed how I kept it "square" with simple adjustable feet that never did need adjusting after they were set.

Good luck!
 
Hi John,

Thanx, those pictures are fantastic, this is what makes this forum great! PICTURES!

The "thing in the middle" I was referig to is your "jack" to keep the middle from sagging, what is it? Looks like a threaded gadget to support the middle?

Thank you.
Regards
Rudi
 
Good idea on the upright floor supports

Bill,

Thanks I like your upright adjustable supports, I'm copying and posting your picture from your site here for everybody to see (I hope you don't mind) ;)

I like the idea since I do not have to drill holes in my floor and it would be easy to clean/wash the floor around it without worrying about corrosion. One can also re-use them again for something else later on! :D

STANLEY 2"1/2corner brackets & ADJUSTABLE feet:
things3.jpg

Bigger image available here:
 
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Well, YES... it IS a jack of sorts.

I made it just for this. It is a 3/4" pipe flange with a hunk of pipe and a threaded rod welded to it.

DSCN1563.jpg


I wanted a precise method of tuning the height. This was cheap and easy, like me!

:D CJ
 
...oh, and DRILL the holes!

A little hydraulic cement and another coat of epoxy, you will never even know they were there!

It is just a work area!

Use it as such!

;) CJ
 
Here is what I ended up doing

Ok, I think it fitting to update this post with the jigs I made, since I had a query about my jigs, and I started the thread in the first place.

I deviated slightly from Vans Recommendations here's why:
1) In South Africa good wood is almost as expensive as metal.
2) I did not want to brace my jig to the ceiling since my garage door rolls up in front of the ceiling, so making that impossible.
3) I could only support it on the floor...I did not want to trip over the floor support, so a short welded metal foot made sense, since it would be stronger than wood.

I used 50x100mm (+/- 2" x 4") rectangular metal tubing, and couple of 50x50mm (+/- 2" x 2") angle iron for the feet.
shop_17.jpg


Drilled the holes in the feet for RAWL bolts and welded them on 90degrees both side of the upright, and painted them. Put RAWL bolts in the floor and position them apart as Vans instruct.
shop_19.jpg


I made a simple alu angle leaver hinging on one bolt and supported the ends with an adjustable threaded rod to ensure I can make the correct adjustments, to get it level and work out any differences for an uneven floor.
shop_21.jpg


The bottom was only support so that I can clamp the rear spar down, once the plumb line measurement determined the correct position.
shop_22.jpg


If you guys want to see a close up of the threaded bolt hinging mechanism, let me know and I will take a picture and post it Monday.

I know some of you might think it is an overkill, but it served my needs perfectly, and I can reuse it or sell it later to fellow builder.

Kind Regards
Rudi
 
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That's what I thought, from reading your signature tag line. Van's claims you don't need a jig for anything other than convenience with the prepunched kits (as I'm sure you already know).

A smart level is one way to check for twist, just check one end and compare with the other (and every rib in between if you like) a couple of hundred times depending on how nervous you are.

Rat
 
I wouldn't worry overly much about "jigging" the wings on a prepunched kit. I was concerned about a few 32nds using the plumb bob method. It seems that I could get everything perfectly aligned until I clecoed the skins on, then I had an error that was on the order of 0.1 degree or so. Ken Scott told me to quit fussing and to get back to work, and he was right. With a prepunch, any wing twist is pretty much built in at the factory and there is little you can do to change it...as I found out. I also learned that the factory guys have assembled prepunched wings on a table top without fixtures and they came out just fine. If I was to do it again I would spend a lot less time fussing with the fixture and more time building the wing. Steve. 7A canopy/FWF
 
Hi Guys,

Sure you can do it without it, well I did it "My Way".
In my RV7 instruction Vans recommend it 'cause it helps with ease of handling and riviting. I think the extra time taken to construct a jig you save during the rest of the wing construction, and you safe yourself some frustration.

Captain_John...No wobbles, you rawl bolt it down strong then adjust the Alu angle, and spar to compensate for the any uneven floor.

Anycase AntonD asked me to post pictures of the adjuster they are below:

jig_01.jpg


jig_02.jpg


jig_03.jpg



jig_05.jpg


Kind Regards
Rudi
 
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Pin Cushion?

Good morning my fellow RVators,

I liked this view, so I thought I'd share it with you guys..."Can you say Pin cushion??
wings_18.jpg


Regards Rudi
 
I really like the threaded-rod adjustment, Rudi...great idea! I think I'll do the same thing on my jig.

Thanks!

Dave
 
yup

I agree Dave. Rudi's idea is nice and compact but effective.

Does anyone have any idea where we can come up with the aluminum uprights in the U.S.?

Antony
 
There are plenty of places around Boston that sell metal, but they're pricey.

That drove me to use wood posts instead. My arrangement is similar to Rudi's in concept, but I used wood uprights and plates bolted to the floor. Captain John and I put in some thick plywood gussets to keep the posts steady.

Dave

ps - sorry we missed you last Saturday, Antony...hope to see you this Saturday!
 
Saturday and Rivet scratches

Dave:

Sorry I missed you guys Saturday. I just had to make a pit stop in NY for bladder reasons. I diverted from KBED about 30 miles out when it became obvious that I wasn't going to make it at a reasonable hour. It's probably just as well I went home. It had been a long day -- 8.6 hours in the cockpit. I can't wait to have this RV to fly!

Hey alpinelakespilot -- I was annoyed by the minor scratches that my flush set was putting in my skins as well. For a lark I slipped a small piece of paper towel under the set and voila, no more scratches!

Antony
 
Call me stupid but I still dont get how the jig doesnt wobble without being bolted down to the floor... am I wrong here? I think the idea is very smart and I'd like to use something like this but Im not getting how its standing upright hehe.

Luis
 
I think it is bolted to the floor - look closely at the pictures, looks like a bolt in each of the 4 corners.
 
aparchment said:
Dave:
Hey alpinelakespilot -- I was annoyed by the minor scratches that my flush set was putting in my skins as well. For a lark I slipped a small piece of paper towel under the set and voila, no more scratches!

Antony
Click to expand...

I just put a piece of masking take on flush set in the rivet gun.
 
b1driver said:
Call me stupid but I still dont get how the jig doesnt wobble without being bolted down to the floor... am I wrong here? I think the idea is very smart and I'd like to use something like this but Im not getting how its standing upright hehe.
Luis
Click to expand...
Yes it is bolted to the floor, with concrete RAWL bolts, 1 in every corner, 4 per upright post. The bolt has a sleeve which goes into the floor, when you bolt it down the sleeve expands to ensure it does not move. This way you can tighten it very much to ensure no wobbles.
Rawl_Bolt1.jpg
 
Hi Rudi,
Thanks for the pictures of your wing jig. I used the all-thread rods and angle brackets like you did and they worked great. I made my tubes longer and attached them to the ceiling joists because my basement has no ceiling and it was easy. I bolted the bottom plates to the concrete floor using lag screws. It sure makes for an easy way to level the spar. It was also a good way to get rid of some left over appliance paint that was on the shelf.

Thanks again.
dscn15363lu.jpg

dscn15387lc.jpg
 
alpinelakespilot2000 said:
Rudi--did you polish your leading edge rivet lines? They look great! I've often wondered if the normal flush set scuffing comes off easy with alum. polish. Or are you just GOOD with a rivet set?! :cool:
Click to expand...
Hi alpine lake,
Thanks, No, just a little rivet tape over each rivet befor you set them and no scuffing on the skin.

My wife helped and she did a Fab job, don't you think!
 
I have had so many private requests about the dimensions of my wing stands that I think it is worthwhile to draw it up and put the drawing up on the forum. ;)

I had no idea that it would become this popular.:eek: I just used what is out there and did it my way because I couldn?t run the posts all the way to the ceiling. (And steel was the same price as good wood here in South Africa)

The drawing is up under the building tips section: go here

 Regards
Rudi
 
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