Platenut Installation (Countersinking the Spar) Page 1
I finished up the support bracket this morning for the spar tip and got the spar mounted in the jig. I made some small aluminum plates (shims) to protect the spars from marring by the C clamps (they can be seen in image 2 below). The whole assembly is level, square, and true.
After making a platenut drilling jig, I countersunk all the locations in preparation for attaching the platenuts. The drilling jig was made from 1/8" aluminum bar stock. After reading a number of different websites and Van's instructions, I decided to use a #21 drill to ream the screw hole and followed with a #20 countersink cutter. Results were excellent with no elongated holes and no chattering.
Beginning in image 3 below and continuing on the next log entry are some pictures of the platenut drilling process.
