Fuselage

Now that the F-633 brackets have been fitted and drilled to the bulkhead spars, it's time to lighten them up a bit and get them ready for priming.

This trick is the best way to get a nice smooth corner on a cutout like this. Measure 1/8" radius carefully and drill a 1/4" hole

The bandsaw cuts through this thick material like butter.

About 20 min. later, after some filing and time on the scotchbrite wheel, these babies are lookin' good... ready to prime.

Here are the F-704M stiffeners, ready to drill to the bulkhead.

On a sour note, I ruined another part today. One of the F-783 brackets. I was enlarging the holes for snap bushings, and pushed the unibit one stop too far. So the hole is too big and the snap bushing slops around in the hole. There's no way to make it any smaller. Dang it! Once it's done, it's done. So I tossed that part in my junk heap and ordered another one. Like the last part I ruined, it's only a few dollars, but it sets me back and ticks me off. I guess as long as parts that I ruin are cheap ones, I can't complain too much. I've been very, very careful around the F-704 bulkhead parts. Since these were match-drilled to the wing spars a long time ago at the factory, creating a matched set, I can't imagine how you could ever replace them if you mess something up. And I don't even want to think about how much one would cost. So before I reach for my drill, countersink, or rivet gun, I really double-check everything and make sure I know what I'm doing. This is no place to be in a hurry.

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