Stjohn's RV-7

3 hours.
Made the brackets attaching to F-631A, clamped the F-631A channels down, and did a whole lot more measuring than anything else.. I was able to commandeer the tabletop from Shelley’s potting table, which is actually just a piece of plywood left over from the bathroom project. It’s just a little bigger than the vertical dimension called out on the plans for the roll bar, so it was easy to get clamps along the top edge and almost halfway to the corner bends. The channels are cut to fit, but this was only after lots and I mean LOTS of measuring. The plans call out a width for the roll bar, but that’s not set in stone. The roll bar, plus the F-631 angle brackets, needs to be exactly as wide as the fuselage. The QB boys built a straight ship, it’s only about 1/32 wider than it’s supposed to be. Not only that, it will come into line when the skin is riveted down. I did leave about an extra 3/64 of an inch extra, because the outboard angle brackets will have to be contoured to match the curvature of the longerons after they’ve been fit and drilled. I got the F-631B straps cleco-clamped in, but the cleco-clamps don’t grip tightly enough, so I had to run to B&B Hardware for a bag of clamps. I got a bunch of little C-clamps, and a bunch of spring-loaded alligator-style clamps, which will hold the straps tightly against the channels while I drill them. I got the F-631D plates drilled, and the one for the aft channels drilled in and clecoed to the wood surface below. Then there was a lot more measuring. To have proper edge distance, the holes to attach the straps to the channel need to be 1/4″ from the edge of the channel. But of course, I didn’t mark that distance before clamping them down, so I had to do that, which took some time. Then I had to do the spacing for the holes. the only hole that has a distance specification is the one lowest on the channel, to keep the fastener clear of the angle bracket. Rather than calculate the distance for each hole, I got a thin 1/2″ strip of aluminum from one of the trim bundles (I’m pretty sure these are reinforcing strips for fiberglass emp tips), measured the specified distance, and spaced out holes from there with my rivet fan. This strip bent to fit the curvature of the channel, so I clamped it to the edge of the channel and transferred the hole marks along the 1/4″ line.
I need to be finished with this process by the weekend, because shelley’s going to want her potting table back.