Maybe a Stupid Question

[Mick Melhuish]

Just about to start my first plan build (Sonerai).

Having had plans photo copied do u cut to the line or till its gone, sorry if its a stupid one, but hay ho,

thanks mick

[Hans De Wilde]

Hey Mick,

 In my view, you cut or sand up to the line. Once the line is gone so is your reference.

Good luck!

Hans

[Alistair Taylor]

 Hiya Mick

Speaking personally, I usually use the lines on the plan as guidance for cutting parts and cut up to or just around them. This allows "wiggle room" for sanding the parts to final shape before actually gluing them, after dry assembling the parts to check fit.

In reality you have to use a fair bit of judgement with many plans (particularly older ones or sketchy ones) in deciding where to apply the blade in cutting parts. Remember you can't add wood later, and using filler/blobs of glue to make up for poor joins adds weight but not strength. Watch out for bevels on formers to accommodate curvy fuselages.

AlistairT

[Mark Lubbock]

I agree with the above-cut the parts oversize at first & tim/sand to fit. Plans have a tendency to distort when copied & even the paper can stretch/shrink with humidity etc.

Good luck with your build, I'm sure you will find it immensley satisfying & rewarding, not to mention very much cheaper.

[Alistair Taylor]

If you're planning (no pun intended) to build more planes from plans, the following are good investments:

 - SLEC building board kit (stick on grid and set of right angled fuselage clamps)

 - Welding magnets (arrow shaped - excellent for holding formers vertical)

 - Scanner printer (for office/business/home photo printing by day, scanning parts of plans by night )

 - minicraft (or other) hobby tools, particularly drill (can be easily converted into a sawmill using a diamond cutting wheel and section of drainpipe to hold it down, producing perfect strip balsa every time) and bench sander (excellent for getting perfectly square or angled ends to stringers/spars), and maybe jigsaw or table saw if you're really flush - they make cutting out ply formers a lot easier.

AlistairT

[Allan Jordan]

 Hi Mick, I always cut just close enough to the line to leave myself a small amount for final sanding, it works for me!

 Just a thought though Mick, let me assure you that your query was not a stupid one, if you take a moment to think about it the sum total of knowledge on this forum must amount to several thousand years... and we are all here to help each other any way we can!!  Glad to see that you are taking the plunge and building from a plan.

As this is your first plan build would you like a copy of an article on plan building featured in a copy of the Plans Handbook published some while ago . I think you would find it invaluable. Just e-mail me your address and I'll post it to you. Any help? All the best. Allan J..

[Jimbo565]

Mick.

Stick at it my man,this is my version of Sonerai and it goes like stink on a 25.

 

[David Martin 2]

Brand new blade in that scalpel Mick and keep that blade upright....

Good advice above so I won't try and repeat it, but it's worth saying this again, make the original cut on the slightly generous side and keep shaving a bit off until every dry fit piece is perfect.

Good luck.

[Ralph Yeates]

Alistair

hi interested in the mentioned  

minicraft (or other) hobby tools, particularly drill (can be easily converted into a sawmill using a diamond cutting wheel and section of drainpipe to hold it down, producing perfect strip balsa every time) 

any chance of a photo or drawing as I can't picture it  but am interested .

[email protected] 

[Mark Lubbock]

If you want to produce your own strip from sheet, invest in a SLEC balsa stripper-screw the guide to a piece of laminate & you will find you can strip a sheet of balsa into any size strip in minutes, saving a fortune if you build a lot of vintage style models-strips cut this way are always matched also.

[Big Bandit]

Mick,

If your like me and prefer to knock up your own kit, a simple knife stripper allows a lot of flexibility. Mines been in virtually constant use since 1978. It's based on a piece of wood approx 300 x 300mm (shelving) with a similar piece 300 x 50 screwed to the side with two scalpel blades 200 mm apart to be trapped between the two. I then used a 250 x 300 piece of 6mm ply with two 6mm slots cut to allow the ply plate to slide towards or away from the blades. You just set the width you want, and push the balsa sheet over the blades.

I've also knocked up a small sanding disk based on a 540 motor with a home made speed control. Quick to knock up and last for ever. I'll try to take some photo's tomorrow and post them it's easier than trying to describe.

Cheers,

Chris.

[John Kruger]

Thanks fof this great thread. I am just about to start on my first plan build, Supermarine Walrus. It is so ugly I just fell in love with it. It's in depron which I chose because I always hated using tissue paper and dope. I was all fingers and thums and could never get a smooth finish. Solartex is new to me and quite expensive so I've been wary of trying that. I also wondered where to cut my copied parts and appreciate all the advice. I am considering pasting all my cut outs onto cardboard to ease the cutting out process. Does this sound like a good idea or a waste of time? PS Any advice on sculpting pink/blue foam would be useful. Thanks again, John