July 4, 2019 - Triplane - Rudder |
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| The first thing to do on the rudder was to transfer the plans to a big flat wood surface. I used 3/4" thick particle board. | ||||||
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| Then screw down some wood borders for the perimeter tube. | ||||||
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There are a million ways to bend steel tube. You can buy expensive fancy tube bending tools. In the end I just decided to make my own wood bending tool. First I filled up the tube with sand, then taped it in on each end.
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| I just took my time and gradually worked the steel tube into a big circle. | ||||||
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Getting there.
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| Almost there. | ||||||
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| The next step was to taper the top part of the main rudder spar so that it butts evenly against the perimeter tube. The plans show you how to do this. | ||||||
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| Basically you just cut a long wedge out of each side of the spar tube. | ||||||
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Like so. I also have to do the same thing to the other side.
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| Done with the cutting. The next step is to heat the spar tube and beat it with a hammer so the jaws come together and touch. Then weld them together. It came out reasonably well. You aren't building a swiss watch here. | ||||||
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