Monthly Construction Log - February 2010

Date
1	Bought a 10' length of 2" EMT (i.e. electrical conduit) for $10 at Home Depot. Duct-taped it to the skin, and used a couple of bar clamps to hold the EMT in place when it was rotated. Used a strap wrench to rotate the EMT - took about 10 minutes to do each skin, was *much* easier than using PVC, and the bend is uniform all the way across the skin. So, if you have to bend skins, I'd recommend using metal pipe and not PVC.
2	No work.
3	Marked all flap frame ribs, and clecoed the skins to the frame.
4	Fabricated backing plates for wingtip nav/pos/strobe lights. Need to order 3/16 double-ear nutplates for mounting screw. Installed connectors on lights.
5	No work.
6	Drilled nose gear leg to nose gear mount. Ordered 0.249" reamer and 6.2mm drill bit to finish to final size.
7	No work.
8	Remarked flap ribs with a second line 0.3" from flange. The ribs didn't want to line up with original center line drawn on the ribs - the natural point appears to be between the two lines. Clecoed skins back onto flap frames.
9	No work.
10	No work.
11	Drilled nav/pos/strobe backing plates for nutplates. Transfer drilled D and reamed nose gear coller to nose gear leg. Transfer drilled 6.2mm and reamed nose gear to nose gear mount. Sanded spring washers and assembled nose gear fork to nose gear leg.
12	Spin sanded nose wheel axle to fit through wheel bearings. (Chucked axle tube into milling machine to spin.)
13	Started nose gear assembly. Profiled axle bushing to match fork contours.
14	No work.
15	No work.
16	Sent engine mount and nose gear mount out to be powdercoated. Trimmed axle bushings to fit. Slipped them onto a 5/8" dowel for stability and cut in miter saw. Set nose wheel fork side tension to 8lbs and drilled cotter pin hole in leg. Disassembled nose gear for priming. Transfer drilled #40 left flap lower skin. Started transfer drill #40 on the upper skin.
17	Transfer drilled left flap bottom skin #40. Started transfer drilling #30.
18	No work.
19	No work.
20	Finish all transfer drilling on left flap and disassembled for priming. Trimmed rivet pins on 4 steel rivets in pushrod end doubler plates on both flaps. Started transfer drilling right flap #40 .
21	Finish all transfer drilling on right flap and disassembled for priming. Cut flap horn relief in one skin - the other skin already had the cut-out made.
22	Cleaning/deburring/polishing parts for priming.
23	Finish all parts prep for priming. Removed fuel valve support channel and throttle reinforcement from fuselage. Started fit-up of new throttle brace and fuel valve support.
24	Fabricated fuel valve support from just-removed fuel valve support channel and throttle reinforcement. Will need to drill hole in channel for fuel line at a later time, so will not rivet yet. Transfer drilled new throttle backing plate.
25	No work.
26	No work. Ordered new PCB for electrical control unit.
27	Primed all flap parts, nose gear parts, and miscellaneous items. Drilled hole for electrical system warning light in instrument panel. Fabricated fascia plate for subpanel area that was going to have electrical controls. (Electrical control will now be through a panel mounted interface; only the master switch will be in the subpanel. Riveted nutplates into nav/pos/strobe backing plates. Installed rods to flaps. Riveted right flap.
28	Riveted left flap. Moved fuselage back to bench.