December 30, 2011 - Bending Jig
I finished the Rib Jig. The next thing to make was the Bending Jig. The Capstrips -- the top piece of the rib -- are curved. The plans say to soak the Capstrip spruce in water for three days, then lock them in the Bending Jig for another three days, all so they will hold their shape.
Like the rib jig, I made templates from the plans using tracing paper, then transferred the outline to a 2x4.
The next step was to cut the 2x4 in
two pieces along the curved line transcribed fromt he plans. I used
the Band Saw for this task and it worked well. The two aluminum
pieces were a piece of cake -- I have a lot of experience working
with
aluminum from the RV --made using some scrap
I
had.
And
bolted together. I just put the soaked Spruce capstrips in
the jig, clamp together with a C-clamp, and let sit three
days.
Bending jig complete; on to the Spar
Table.
