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Reconfigured the shop to have the workbench long way down the shop floor. The permanent work bench will supplement
holding the 11 foot spars. I also have a jig for holding the skins that will extend across both tables. Looks
like this will be twice the work of either of the surfaces completed so far.
RV-10 Horizontal Stabilizer
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Date
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Hours
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Dwg, Steps
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Notes and Photos
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Work started on the rear spar and doubler. The plans then called for priming so I skipped ahead to the front spar
so I would have enough material to make it worth while to mix up the primer.
The rear spar called for a set of attach brackets made from stock angle. I machined them up on my mill to within
0.002" of the dimensions specified on the drawing. Who cares? Most people would have cut them with an axe and
filed them down.
The rear spar calls for two very long spar caps fitted into the spar corners. Similar to the VS but much more
work (190 holes). Then the doubler and attachment brackets get matched drilled to the spar and spar caps. After
deburring, all pieces are now ready for priming. Simple work but a lot of it.
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Milling Attach Brackets.
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Front and Rear Spar
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8-2, 8-3, 8-6, 8-7, 8-8, 8-9
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Primed parts. Then riveted spar doubler and hinge brackets to rear spar. Riveted brackets to flange bearing
and bolted to rear spar. Rear spar completed.
Riveted spar doubler, spar caps and attach brackets to front spar, photo 1. Then set up the jig for holding the
skins and placed the skins inside. Deburred all the nose and inspar ribs, some of which required trimming per the plans.
Two of the nose ribs needed pass through holes for trim cables. I plunge milled the holes as shown in photo 2.
The skeleton was cleco'd together and then match drilled. Then the skeleton was transferred to the skins as shown
in photo 3 and 4. After adding the stringers, I then cleco'd the skin to the skeleton. Took about 450
clecos. I haven't counted but there must be about 900 skin holes to drill, deburr, countersink and rivet.
Drilling is next task.
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Skeleton and Skins
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Adding Stringers.
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Not much to photograph during this monotonous step. Matched drilled the 900 skin holes. Then reconfigured
the work shop so I would have my work bench space available. Then deburred 1,800 holes. Then dimpled 900 holes.
Then dimpled the ribs and countersunk the stringers. I still have to countersink the front and rear spar but skipped
ahead and primed all the ribs and stringers since they were ready. Priming marks the turning point from match drilling
to final assembly.
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I countersunk all the skin holes in the front and rear spars after priming. I think this
is a better way to do it so the primer doesn't fill up the hole after it is cut. Then assembly starts with the riveting
of the stringers to the web and inspar ribs creating an inspar assembly. The skins were then put back in the jigs and
the nose ribs attached. It was difficult to rivet the front of the nose ribs in such a confined space. Then the
front spar and stringer assembly are inserted in the skins. The entire structure is then cleco'd back to the skins.
The nose ribs are blind riveted to the spar. Then the skins are riveted to the front spar
flange. This is about a 4 hour job. I have flipped the holding jig on its side for the skin riveting so I am not
standing on a stool bent over. Be sure to secure the HS to the jig if you are going to place it on its side.
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Next the skins were riveted to the front spar flange. Then to the inspar ribs up to the stringers. The stringers
were then riveted and then all the remaining ribs. At this point I inspected everything for proper riveting and drilled
out quite a few I didn't like. Then the structure was closed up with the rear spar. The skins were then riveted
to the rear spar flange.
After 948 rivets on this piece, I feel like I can rivet anything together.
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RV-10 Elevators
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9-2, 9-3, 9-4, 9-5, 9-6, 9-7
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Elevators have gone together rather quickly up to this point. The ribs are a split design similar to the rudder.
The skins are separate flat sheets 0.016 thickness. The counter balance rib was a little tricky to flute for flatness
and get good hole alignment but not a big deal. Horns fit right in place. Trailing edge was cut to fit similar
to rudder. I have match drilled the skins and am ready to start dimpling but I am off to Sun-N-Fun for a couple of days.
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On my way to Sun-N-Fun 4/10-11
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Finished match drilling and then disassembled, deburred and dimpled skins and ribs. Three areas were a little tricky
to dimple: 1) Tip rib in narrow tip, 2) #6 screws in cover plate and 3) nut plate. I had to make special dies on my
lathe. One accepted a #6 screw as the make die and pressed into a countersunk steel die that fits into my squeezer.
The second was a narrow 3/32" die that will work with the nut plates. The tip rib needed a flat piece of steel with
a flat female die to get into the narrow rib space.
All parts were then primed and I have just started assemble of the tip rib and front spar.
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The rib halves are back riveted to the skins as was done with the rudder. Then the front spars are riveted to one
skin. But unlike the rudder which was joined rib by rib, the elevator is cleco'd all together and then the ribs are
blind riveted. It was tough getting into the small space for the ribs.
The opposite skin was then riveted to the front spar as shown in the picture below. When completed I skipped the
trailing edge and went on to attaching the counter balance rib and tip rib. I will go back and do the training edge
bonding at the same time I do the trim tab bonding.
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Riveting skin to rear spar.
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Turns out it is better to do the trim rib and elevator trailing edge bonding separately. The trailing edge was
cleco'd directly to the steel angle on the work bench and was perfectly straight after riveting. I'm very happy with
the way it turned out.
The trim tabs were another story. The plans have you completed the fold, then bend the tab using wedges and then
bend the leading edge. I would suggest first bending the tabs using square wedges, then completing the fold and then
bending the trailing edge. Riveting was a major PITA. The 0.016" skins mark and distort very easily. There
is only about 1.5" in which to get a bucking bar to buck the front spar rivets. I had to use some round steel stock
as an ad hoc bucking bar.
I am glad the trim tab are done. I am glad I only have one more use of proseal bonding agent in this project.
Only thing left after these tasks is attaching the trim tabs to the elevators using the piano hinge. Then done!
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Joining tabs to elevators.
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