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Chris Barlow

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Everything posted by Chris Barlow

  1. Chris Barlow

    Chris Barlow posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  2. Chris Barlow

    Chris Barlow posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  3. Chris Barlow
    That's a fine looking sculpture there Pete. It's a shame to melt it down into goo! How do you deal with the blue foam sanding dust? I have only used it in small amounts and the dust is horrible! Sticks to everything through static and clogs the vacuum filters up very quickly!
  4. Chris Barlow
    Good to see progress on the Sabre builds again Steve. It's a landmark step when you get the joined halves out of the clamps and have a full fuselage to work with.
  5. Chris Barlow
    Only got these 2 of the tail, and the wide angle doesn't really show the slight taper on this one. I did measure it tonight and the taper is from 49mm at the leading edge of the tail plane to 40mm over the exhaust pipe so approximately a 5mm taper on each side over the tailplane distance.
  6. Chris Barlow
    Those airbrakes look very impressive Dirk, can't wait to see them in action. I was thinking along the same lines for the canopy and will also be fitting it to some formers glued to the fuselage, that is after I've fixed the cockpit hole which I have cut a little bit too low at the back!
  7. Chris Barlow
    Good to see more progress Chris. What is your plan regarding the cockpit? Are you going for the pilot bust from shoulders up or full depth with seat & instrument panel, and maybe even pilots boots?
  8. Chris Barlow
    Without a top view on the building plans it's difficult to see but I have tapered the tail fillets and re-cut the mating tail planes to match. It's not as much as the full size but enough to narrow it down to match the tail pipe a bit better and the mechanism still works OK.
  9. Chris Barlow
    I thought I'd just add a bit more to the explanation of creating the file for laser cutting, mostly in picture form! All links open in a new window for you. This is the STL file created by Andy for 3D printing, loaded into Autodesk's "Slicer for Fusion 360" software (free for non commercial/hobby use) Using the settings in the left pane it was sliced 1 X 7 as an interlocking model... The plotted cutting files you can see on the right were saved as Autodesk DXF cad files and opened in "Fusion 360" (Free for non commercial/ hobby use) Sheet 1 Sheet 2 After removing the border and text these were again saved as DXF files and opened in "Inkscape" (free software, again) and laid out to fit a 100mm wide balsa sheet and converted to Gcode (instructions) for the CNC laser. The Gcode file was then opened in "LaserGRBL" (free laser cutting software. Do you see a pattern here?.) Then all that's left to do is connect the laser, click the green play button and the laser cuts out the parts in about 2 minutes. It really is that easy and as you may have noticed, free, except for the modified Eleks Maker CNC laser cutter!
  10. Chris Barlow

    Chris Barlow posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  11. Chris Barlow

    Chris Barlow posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  12. Chris Barlow

    Chris Barlow posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  13. Chris Barlow

    Chris Barlow posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  14. Chris Barlow

    Chris Barlow posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  15. Chris Barlow

    Chris Barlow posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  16. Chris Barlow
    When I was checking the length and width of the tanks I didn't realise they had a flat top to them either! Good job we have some nerds looking out for the details we miss! I will email you the DXF cutting files from the slicer app when I get out in the shed later but please remember these have been generated by the software for creating a laser cut, slotted together model. The slicer software is a free download from Autodesk and will slice up 3D STL files however you want then, stacked slices, slotted etc. You can also arrange the slices whichever orientation and however many you want which could be quite useful for creating a balsa frame from a 3D model.
  17. Chris Barlow
    Thanks Martin, that's what I have! I have been playing with other models so not much progress on my Sabre, except for tonight when Andy Meade kindly emailed me his STL file for the drop tank. Now I can understand if people work with CAD and 3D design every day may find the following a minor task but to me the technology is amazing. I opened the STL file in Autodesks' Slicer app and sliced it 1 horizontal component and 7 vertical components with the interlocking model (it'll become clear in a moment) I then saved the plotted file as DXF and opened it in Fusion 360 to convert the DXF into a DXF file that could be read by Inkscape. (I don't have a clue why but Inkscape doesn't open some DXF files unless I do this step) In InkScape I imported the DXF file and converted it to G-Code, and sent it to LaserGRBL software for cutting. Now it'll make sense! Once the eight parts had been cut they were slotted together.. I know it may seem trivial but I'm so pleased with that and I did nothing. It was all done by the computer! Next I'll add a top and bottom stringer, M2 threaded rod and clevis and plank it with 3/32" balsa. Sand and glass and add tail fins!
  18. Chris Barlow

    Chris Barlow posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  19. Chris Barlow

    Chris Barlow posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  20. Chris Barlow
    That one has come up before Martin. Very impressive!
  21. Chris Barlow
    Posted by Martin Gay on 30/12/2019 15:37:59: Looking good Chris. I assume your trimming of the fuselage sides will have kept the wing at the same incidence angle as shown on the plan. Martin. I hope so Martin? The fuselage planking was trimmed back to allow the wing to seat onto the ply formers with a slight gap to the planking, checked by sliding a 6" steel rule along the wing to hit the ply inside the fuselage. The planking was then scribed to the top surface of the wing to form a 1/8" gap. 1/8" balsa strips were then butted up to the ply inside the fuselage and tack glued with cyano, the wing refitted and the balsa strips glued to the planking, finally the wing bolts were fully tightened to pull the wing back up to the ply formers. After the glue was dry the wing was removed and the 1/8" strips were sanded back flush to the fuselage planking but left slightly proud at the rear to allow for the tiny wing fillet to the fuselage. Same photo again to go with the explanation above. Hope this helps Chris? Martin, so if the wing is seated onto the ply formers I presume it is still at the correct incidence/position?
  22. Chris Barlow
    I noticed it's been quiet on the build blogs over the holidays. Soon be the rush to catch up with only just over 5 months to go, or is that just me? Paint and detailing always seems to take me way longer than the actual build! I do have a little more progress to report on my wings though. Front ply joiner has been glued on and wing dowels epoxied in. Ply plate to the rear of the wing, wing seat bolt plate blocked out with 1/2" balsa and bolts fitted. Time for a little bench fly! I also added a balsa fillet to the underside of the wing to blend it into the fuselage. The plan calls for blocking out the wing to sit inside the fuselage but I have blocked out the fuselage wing bolt plate instead as this will allow the wing to slide out of place and snap the nylon bolts when it catches a tuft on landing, which it will do eventually! I have also trimmed the planked sides back 1/8" above the wing to allow the fitting of a balsa fillet joining the planked sides to the ply wing seat frame inside the fuselage. This also forms the foundation for the very slight wing to fuselage fairing at the rear of the wing root which I'll probably finish with filler. Soon be time for fine sanding, glassing and cockpit detailing!
  23. Chris Barlow

    Chris Barlow posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  24. Chris Barlow

    Chris Barlow posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  25. Chris Barlow
    Genius Dirk, right up to the part where you used a block of cheese, then it got weird!
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