Well here we are at the end of summer and I have not completed a darn thing.
Is this normal? Oh well, time to regroup. These next photos show beginning construction of the lower
right wing panel as well as the top wing panels. I decided to take a mass production approach with these wing
panels.
Were gluing on the trailing edge here. Big rubber bands
really worked great.
The next three pictures show that; A) I'm a structural
engineer prestressing this structure during the gluing process or; B) I'm into some kind of ritualistic
torture. Sorry, none of the above. The weights were much easier to use and provided even clamping
pressure while my glue set.
For all of my wing panels I opted to replace the trailing edge rib gussets with
1 1/2" X 1/16 strips of birch plywood, sandwiching the trailing edge and wing ribs along the full length of the
trailing edge. This probably added some weight, but the end result is much stronger and it should withstand
more hanger abuse if bumped into.
These next two photos show the top wing panels clamped together. This
is not how I am going to install them but rather just to show the many details incorporated into both wing panels.
The top wings will be installed with a 5 degree wing sweep like the plans call for. When I built wing panel #1,
the nose ribs were placed @ every 12 inches. When I installed the nose ply, I noticed that the ply was soft or
spongy in between the nose ribs. This is probably how its supposed to be but I don't like it.
My remedy for this situation was to carve additional nose ribs using the pink foam board used on the first wing panel.
I placed these in between the original ribs so now I have ribs @ every 6 inches.
This photo shows pretty well the diagonals and the straight compression members.
Also shown are the trailing edge ply strips and cockpit access area.
These photos show the nose skins going on.
After the nose ply went on, it was time to add my rib caps.
These are not called for in the plans but they sure stiffened up the wing panels. I used 1 x 1/16 Birch ply held
in place using surplus strips of steal and clamps. (Also a 48" sheet-rock square). The steal
strips really helped in keeping the ply flat against the ribs while the epoxy cured.
This photo shows the "Top" left wing panel complete with nose wrap and
rib caps installed.
Well I finally completed something! This photo shows the top wing panels
bolted together waiting for a coat of varnish.
Here I am the "FAT" man himself applying a coat of varnish.
A closer look at the newly completed
and varnish "TOP" wing panel.
The black piece in the center of the wing is a cover I made to seal the gap
between the two wing panels. It was molded using fiber glass cloth and resin, shaped then coated with primer.
If you notice the discoloration along the leading edge, it was caused by coating this area with resin and micro
balloons. I then sanded it down for a smooth finish. The discolored area is actually the wood showing
through the resin.
A closer look at my fiber glass
center piece.
Another view from above of my completed top wing.
