Brief Description: Fabrication of Aileron Trim Tab Parts
Spent some time last night and this morning fabricating aileron trim tab parts and making the required cutout in the left aileron. So... you just finished your aileron, huh? Well, it's time to cut a big hole in it! I used my Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel to make the cutout. That still seems to be the best method I've come across. It requires a little dressing of the edge afterward (as do most other methods) but it makes a nice cut without scratching or distorting the metal. Be sure to go in the cutting direction of the wheel though - it'll jump right out of your hands if you're not careful. There's probably a nibbling tool that does the same thing - I just haven't "discovered" it yet. Speaking of discovery, my west coast building buddy Larry Winger rocked my world this morning by sharing his Excel spreadsheet for bend allowances - just plug in the numbers and it does all of the calculations and tells you where to make the bends. I made the aileron trim tab parts without my customary experimenting with a piece of scrap metal first. I bent those guys first time out from the calculations made by the spreadsheet. I know, I know, I should have been doing it this way all along, but it took Larry's insight and putting it into a spreadsheet to make it a workable alternative for me. Thanks again Larry. You and Dave Clay have dramatically improved my process through your sharing of information and generosity.
