Brief Description: Completed hat stiffeners and spar tips
My goal for tonight was to complete parts fabrication for the OB wing spars, and I accomplished that goal by 10pm. The spar tips were fairly straightforward with no problems along the way. This was my first opportunity to use the handy-dandy flanging dies that Debo Cox, my East Coast building buddy made for me. Since I don't have a lathe, he was kind enough to make me a pair and they work great. It amazes me how much strength you can add to your structure by subtracting weight and flanging the edge. Thanks, Debo. The hat stiffeners were actually easier than I expected. I followed an approach shared by my other building buddy from Texas, Dave Clay. He used his bending brake to make the 90 degree bend in the middle of each stiffener. Then he turned each one over, inserted the flange material into the brake where he then used it as a clamp. With it "clamped" in place at the outer bend lines, he suggested just pulling up on the metal until you have roughly achieved the necessary secondary angle. Flip the piece around and do the same on the other side, remove and tweak and you're done. It worked like a charm. Thanks, Dave. Now you can see why they say that no one builds a plane by himself.
