The fuselage jig was completed today except for a few triangular bracing plates which may be added later. Since my kit will be fully prepunched, the jig does not need to be perfectly stable. When the fuselage arrives I may use some of the plywood sheeting to fabricate the plates or maybe not. I have also omitted a 1x4 brace that runs diagonally between station 34 and 81. Again, I may add this brace a little later but its omission allows better access between the jig rails.
I made the jig cross-members adjustable so they can be moved fore and aft about 1/4". The initial positioning is exactly as called out in the jig plans but small adjustments will be possible when the bulkheads, longerons, and skins are clecoed together. I made the adjustable brackets by cutting some steel angle purchased at Lowes. You will notice the brackets were cut to take advantage of the oblong holes (allows fore and aft movement if necessary). By the way, the angle was cut using a metal cutting blade on a standard miter saw. The brackets were then cleaned up on a grinding wheel. It was necessary to spread the brackets a little to get them to 90 degrees (accomplished with a vise).
The fuselage kit should be arriving in the next few days. Van's indicated the kit was being crated last week (week of May 24) so it should be somewhere between Oregon and Ohio. I am looking forward to getting started on the next part of the project!
