Housekeeper came this AM, so I hid in the garage and tinkered a bit with the spar. However the real work began after dinner. While most of an RV-12 can be built solo, we really prefer working together. Sharon and I cross check each other frequently. It takes more time, but it also means dramatically fewer errors.
Riveting the spar counterweight brackets was a clear reminder that squeezing AD4 rivets is a real PITA even with the arguably the best hand squeeezer on the market (Cleaveland Main Squeeze). A pneumatic squeezer should be here soon. There are enough AD4 rivets to make it worth the investment.
Speaking of tooling...avoid Harbor Freight drill bits. Seriously cheap stuff. We were drilling out the counterweight shaft when it became clear that the #12 bit used only on this project had to be replaced! I already had bought #30 and #40 aviation grade cobalt bits, but thought I could get by low end stuff for the rest of it...clearly not. Also ordered some Boelube to see if that helps with bit life.
