Scale 25% Krier Kraft build, a tribute to grampa.
- Thread starter Bipeguy03
- Start date
Jetpainter
640cc Uber Pimp
That's just the means to an end, the fact that you take such pride in your work that you do it, that's the cool part.
Bipeguy03
150cc
Put the wing bolt block in tonight and got it drilled. I used my forstner bit and a shim in the drill press to put an angled flat spot in the wing for the bolt head to sit on. I will put a mahogany disk in the recess to give the bolts a good firm base.
Next is the rear fillet and then the landing gear.
Wing bolt block and 1/4-20 inserts.
Angled recess for the bolt head in the wing.
Next is the rear fillet and then the landing gear.
Wing bolt block and 1/4-20 inserts.
Angled recess for the bolt head in the wing.
HRRC Flyer
GSN Sponsor Tier 1
Looks absolutely AWESOME @Bipeguy03 . . . . . . . .
Bipeguy03
150cc
On to the landing gear.
Even though I have a bunch of 3/16" wire, and it's only a few pennies a stick, the shipping sucks so I decided I wanted to have a mock up of the LG before I started bending the piano wire. So a quick trip to Ace Hardware to get some welding rod was in order, and I'm glad I did.
I set about plotting the landing gear out to draw for the plans, using my side drawing and the drawing of the original gear. After I got it all plotted out I whipped up the first mock up out of the welding rod.
The main piece for the landing gear plotted out.
So I mocked up the fused and wing and sure enough, it looked to short and the wheels looked to close together. After a couple of HOURS of discussion with dad we decided that the fix was to lengthen the leg ONE inch and rake it a little further forward. Making the legs an inch longer also put the wheels 1 1/2" further apart.
plotting the changes to the gear, you can see the difference just making the leg just a little longer.
Changes made, on to another mock up out of welding rod.
Now I think we have it! The wheel pant seems to look a little big with no cowling but the landing gear it looking right to me.
Got to love masking tape for mocking things up! lol
So tomorrow I'll break out the wire bender again and get to making the real landing gear!
Even though I have a bunch of 3/16" wire, and it's only a few pennies a stick, the shipping sucks so I decided I wanted to have a mock up of the LG before I started bending the piano wire. So a quick trip to Ace Hardware to get some welding rod was in order, and I'm glad I did.
I set about plotting the landing gear out to draw for the plans, using my side drawing and the drawing of the original gear. After I got it all plotted out I whipped up the first mock up out of the welding rod.
The main piece for the landing gear plotted out.
So I mocked up the fused and wing and sure enough, it looked to short and the wheels looked to close together. After a couple of HOURS of discussion with dad we decided that the fix was to lengthen the leg ONE inch and rake it a little further forward. Making the legs an inch longer also put the wheels 1 1/2" further apart.
plotting the changes to the gear, you can see the difference just making the leg just a little longer.
Changes made, on to another mock up out of welding rod.
Now I think we have it! The wheel pant seems to look a little big with no cowling but the landing gear it looking right to me.
Got to love masking tape for mocking things up! lol
So tomorrow I'll break out the wire bender again and get to making the real landing gear!
HRRC Flyer
GSN Sponsor Tier 1
"Measure twice cut once" was my dad's favorite saying when we were out in his shop. Looks AWESOME @Bipeguy03 . . .
Bipeguy03
150cc
"Measure twice cut once" was my dad's favorite saying when we were out in his shop. Looks AWESOME @Bipeguy03 . . .
Grampa, dad and my favorite saying goes a little more like "I cut it THREE times and it's still too short!"
Bipeguy03
150cc
Well after this cold hit me like a ton of bricks I haven't felt like doing much in the shop, but I felt better today and needed to escape all the election crap so into the shop I hide for the evening.
I started bending up the wire for the landing gear, and man if I haven't said it before I really love my wire bender! lol I got all the wire pieces bent up and then set about making a jig to hold it together while soldering. I do learn from my mistakes (the cabanes) and spend a little time up front and save a lot of headache later
All the wire bent up, front and rear legs are 3/16" and the bracing is 3/32". There will be some brass tabs and fittings made later so stay tuned for that.
My crude little jig, not much to look at but man did it make soldering the main legs a lot easier!
Couldn't resist setting it all together again, now it is starting to look like something!
I started bending up the wire for the landing gear, and man if I haven't said it before I really love my wire bender! lol I got all the wire pieces bent up and then set about making a jig to hold it together while soldering. I do learn from my mistakes (the cabanes) and spend a little time up front and save a lot of headache later
All the wire bent up, front and rear legs are 3/16" and the bracing is 3/32". There will be some brass tabs and fittings made later so stay tuned for that.
My crude little jig, not much to look at but man did it make soldering the main legs a lot easier!
Couldn't resist setting it all together again, now it is starting to look like something!
Bipeguy03
150cc
Ladies and Germs I have a landing gear! Well, it isn't finished yet but its close. I got the spreader made and soldered in, and all of the bungee strut tabs made and installed this evening. I still need to adjust the bungee struts as they are a little long, then make the wood inserts and fair it all in with epoxy/micro. First thing tomorrow will be the bungee thimbles, and I think I know a neat way to get them done so stay tuned
Gear fresh out of the jig and ready to put on the plane and see how she looks!
The fittings were made out of .032 brass that I formed around the wire and then soldered in place. The key here was to keep it in the jig because the fittings soldered directly over the joints for the main gear pieces. But the jig and some clamps made it pretty easy. I used a 4-40 Dubro swivel link as my attachment fitting, I'm pretty sure grampa looped the wire around and soldered it back to itself creating an "eye" for his bungee strut attachment. I chose to use the links so that I would have some adjustment.
The spreader at the top of the gear helps hold the legs the proper distance apart but should also give me another place to mount the balsa insert to.
Making the gear has been both nerve racking and A LOT of fun, but this is one of the parts of the plane that I just had to get right. I have been drooling over grampa's Krier since I was 5 years old, and one of the aspects that always fascinated me was the intricacy of the landing gear and knowing that Papaw made every piece himself. Mine may not be as perfect as my grampa's but I now have done the same thing (not quite yet) and that's a pretty cool feeling.
Gear fresh out of the jig and ready to put on the plane and see how she looks!
The fittings were made out of .032 brass that I formed around the wire and then soldered in place. The key here was to keep it in the jig because the fittings soldered directly over the joints for the main gear pieces. But the jig and some clamps made it pretty easy. I used a 4-40 Dubro swivel link as my attachment fitting, I'm pretty sure grampa looped the wire around and soldered it back to itself creating an "eye" for his bungee strut attachment. I chose to use the links so that I would have some adjustment.
The spreader at the top of the gear helps hold the legs the proper distance apart but should also give me another place to mount the balsa insert to.
Making the gear has been both nerve racking and A LOT of fun, but this is one of the parts of the plane that I just had to get right. I have been drooling over grampa's Krier since I was 5 years old, and one of the aspects that always fascinated me was the intricacy of the landing gear and knowing that Papaw made every piece himself. Mine may not be as perfect as my grampa's but I now have done the same thing (not quite yet) and that's a pretty cool feeling.