Tonight I cut my next pushrod to the correct length, and then spent time modifying my tools to build a better clamp for the drill press.
I trimmed some material off my pipe clamp, and then mounted it on a block of wood. I found a bushing that I can use to keep the drill bit centered, and then clamped everything down firmly onto the drill press tray. I tested with some scrap, and the hole was straight and true. I always end up coming back to the same rule; clamp your work.
Well, my pushrod didn’t work out. Tonight I spent time locating and riveting the threaded ends onto the pushrod I made lay night. The rivets are tricky to set because they are so long, and not fully supported inside the tube. They have a tendency to tip over, and the advice Vans gives it to use a hand squeezer and go slow. My first rivet didn’t work, so I drilled it out and tried again. The second attempt was better, but I realized that the holes I had drilled were not precise enough, and not exactly through the center of the tube. The result was a rivet shop head that wasn’t uniform in it’s distance from the tubing. It was essentially set on an angle. I pressed on, and set the next rivet, and noticed my imprecise hole alignment again. But the real show-stopper came at the other end where for some reason, the fitting had rotated slightly between drill holes, and the holes just didn’t line up well enough. So, now it’s time to make another one and put this one on the “experience” pile.
Today I visited my friend Mike who is also building an RV-14. Mike is about a year ahead of me, and is about to mount his engine. It was great to see his plane on it’s gear, and to look at how Mike did things.
I borrowed a rotisserie that Mike had finished using, which will be helpful in the near future.
Tonight I worked on cleaning up the wiring around the autopilot servo. Following Mike’s example, I drilled and stepped up a new systems hole that allows me to route the wiring in a more direct path.
I couldn’t finish that job as I’m waiting on some longer AN3 bolts, and some Adel clamps.
Next I worked on the aileron pushrods. Using some spare nuts, I installed the rod end fittings in the drill press and sanding them down slightly until they fit snugly in the steel tubing. Then I drilled and primed the tubes. I only did this one one, as I’m waiting on replacement parts for the other one.
Pushrod with end fittings temporarily attached.
Post-script… I did receive the bolts and re-routed the wiring, the result was a much cleaner install and wiring routing.
Tonight Jason came over to check out my wings before I close them up. He had some great advice as always, and noted a few things I could improve.
“Visit before wing closing to evaluate work and talk about next steps. Pointed out a few places where wires could contact moving components or could chafe against aircraft structure. Talked about strategies to secure wire bundles and reduce vibration. Talked over various next steps in construction. Overall, work is very high quality and there were no obvious defects noted. Keep up the great work!” -Jason
Note to self; Jotform is the app Jason uses to record comments.