Electric project report
[[email protected]]
Control Line Aerobatics Bob Hunt
Also included in this column:
• Shop secrets of a model
builder
Bob’s main shop workbench. Since it’s an “island,” it can be accessed from any side.
Notice the incandescent track lighting. It breaks up the effects of the main fluorescent
lighting he uses.
Seen from another angle, it is evident that Bob has made good use
of every square foot of his shop area. The only concession is one
corner in which to park his motorcycle. Notice the amount of
lighting; he wants even more!
Bob believes in copious bench space. In addition to the main island
in this portion of his shop are strip benches placed along one wall
and lots of storage space beneath all of the benches.
I LIVE IN the Northeast and the weather
has not been so good of late, so a flight
report on the retrofitted Genesis Extreme
will have to wait awhile. The concept of the
rear bearing support I have written about in
this column works extremely well in actual
use, as evidenced by Crist Rigotti’s work
with his similar system, which flew most of
the past year and has been flown repeatedly
in competition, with great success.
I’ll get back to finishing the Genesis
Extreme project as soon as possible.
Each day I receive a number of phone calls
and e-mail messages from modelers who
ask one or more questions about building
and/or flying. Of late, the questions are
centered more on building subjects. That
comes as no surprise, since we are at the
start of building season (as I write this).
The questions run the gamut from, “How
do you set up your shop to build a Stunt
model?” to “How do you determine which
glue to use for a certain building
operation?” There are dozens of other
questions, which relate to virtually
everything one might encounter in the
model-building experience.
With that in mind, I’m going to craft a
series here that will endeavor to answer the
most often-asked questions. Let’s start at
the beginning, with the basic shop setup. As
my buddy, Dean Pappas, says, “There really
is only one hobby: spending money!” This is
especially true when it comes to preparing
and equipping a proper building area.
For many of us aeromodelers, setting up
a shop is an excuse to go on a spending
spree and surround ourselves with all sorts
of tools and gadgets, which we may or may
not ever use in building a model airplane.
Equipping the shop is a sort of secondary
hobby all unto itself!
As much as I’d like to get right to the
subject of buying the latest and greatest
power tool (I can hear Tim “The Tool Man”
Taylor grunting right now), I’ll restrain
myself and give you what I feel is a logical
progression of setup and spending.
The first thing on the list is a building
area. Some will have nothing more than
oversized closets available, and some will
have entire basements in which to work.
March 2010 127
03sig4.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 1/25/10 12:35 PM Page 127
128 MODEL AVIATION
Either way, the first two considerations are
lighting and a flat bench. These are the
staples.
Lighting: As do surgeons, we aeromodelers
need to be able to see what we are doing to
achieve perfection. Your shop must be lit in
such a manner that no work areas are in shade.
When you think you have enough lighting,
double it. I’m serious; you cannot have too
much light in a building area. Lighting is a
tool.
I have a building area that is 19 feet wide
by 28 feet long, and there are six sets of double
48-inch-long fluorescent lamps in white
reflectors mounted to the ceiling and an
additional set of two 48-inch-long lamps over
one of my “power benches.”
I plan to add several more sets of
strategically placed 48-inch-long lamps soon. I
thought I had plenty of light, but I was wrong;
there are still areas in which it is hard to
clearly see what I am working on. My friends
think I’m crazy when I tell them this, but they
understand after working for a while on their
own projects in my shop.
What seems like enough light at first is
usually a bare minimum. Spend a goodly
portion of your shop budget on lighting and
you won’t be disappointed.
The type of lighting is also important. I
prefer to use fluorescent illumination. I’ve
settled on GE Lighting F40 Daylight bulbs.
They seem to be much brighter than other
types of fluorescent bulbs that I’ve tried, and
they emit a type of light that approximates
actual sunlight on a clear day.
There are many issues you should be aware
of when it comes to lighting, especially
fluorescent. If you want to know more about
the technical aspects of GE fluorescent
lighting, go to the Web site.
If you want to learn more about the
potential dangers of fluorescent illumination,
many Web sites contain the information. Do
a Web search for “Fluorescent lighting health
issues.” Only you can determine what type
of lighting best suits your needs and health
requirements.
Along with lots of fluorescent lighting, I
have at least a few incandescent lights
strategically placed throughout my shop. I’ve
been told that a normal incandescent bulb
burning in a room will reduce or offset the
60-cycle effects of the fluorescent bulbs.
I’m not sure if this is fact, so, again, do
some research on the Internet to find out
what’s right for you. I’ll discuss the
advantages of incandescent lighting as it
specifically relates to certain modeling
procedures later in this series.
The Bench: The second modeling
consideration is a workbench. This is a
subject on which I could probably write a
book. Your workbench’s attributes directly
affect the quality of models you produce in
your shop.
To boil it down to the basics, your
bench must be large enough to
accommodate the projects you will attempt
to complete. It must be flat and must
remain flat for long periods of time and
through all sorts of weather changes in
your climate.
It must be clean and free of lumps and
bumps that might transfer dings and dents
to your pristine balsa parts, and it must be
soothing to the eyes and have a finish that
will contrast with the type of material you
will use the most. In an aeromodeler’s case,
that’s most likely balsa wood. Let’s look at
these desired attributes one at a time.
In addition to the workbench’s being
flat—a requirement—it is also nice if it is
level. Those are two different things. A
well-designed workbench will have
provisions for adjusting the work surface to
accommodate any warping or bowing
caused by humidity changes from season
to season.
My workbenches were custom-built on
2 x 4 frames with suspended tops. The
bench frames have crossbraces in several
places, and the frames’ outer perimeters
were elevated above the crossbraces by
gluing and tacking 2-inch-wide pieces of
1/8 birch modeling plywood to them.
I use tapered pieces of cedar (door/
window-shimming material that you can
purchase at any lumber-supply store) to
shim the bench top to the desired position.
I place a 48-inch-long straightedge on the
upper surface of the bench top and then
slowly and carefully tap the tapered shims
into the space between the crossbraces
and the bench top with a mallet, while
watching the gap between the
straightedge and the bench top.
When the gap between the two
disappears, that section is flat. Using this
technique, and many shims, the entire
bench top can be adjusted to be flat. I also
turn the straightedge diagonally across the
bench top to check for possible warps.
For the bench top material, I use two
pieces of high-quality 3/4 flakeboard. I
attach the first piece to the perimeter of
the bench frame. That is the piece that is
adjusted with the shims and straightedge
to be flat.
Onto that piece, I screw another piece
of flakeboard. This allows me to change
the work-surface piece without having to
make any gross adjustments with the
shims to retain flatness.
The high-quality flakeboard I purchase
seems to be consistent in thickness,
making this an easy process. An extra
benefit of using the two-piece method is
that you can make extremely fine flatness
adjustments by putting thin paper shims
between the two pieces of flakeboard.
I’ve found that by painting my
workbench a medium-blue color, I can
more easily see the details in the lightercolored
balsa parts on which I work. This
also makes it easier to take high-contrast
photos of the work—a consideration if
you post pictures of your work online or
have them published in magazines or
journals.
Painting also seals the wood and helps
prevent the bench top material from
absorbing moisture.
Next time we’ll look more at workbench
requirements and get into the next level of
modeling tools that you will need to
properly equip your shop.
Till then, fly Stunt! MA
Sources:
GE Lighting
www.gelighting.com/na
Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots
Association
www.control-line.org
03sig4.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 1/25/10 12:35 PM Page 128
Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/03
Page Numbers: 127,128
Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/03
Page Numbers: 127,128
Electric project report
[[email protected]]
Control Line Aerobatics Bob Hunt
Also included in this column:
• Shop secrets of a model
builder
Bob’s main shop workbench. Since it’s an “island,” it can be accessed from any side.
Notice the incandescent track lighting. It breaks up the effects of the main fluorescent
lighting he uses.
Seen from another angle, it is evident that Bob has made good use
of every square foot of his shop area. The only concession is one
corner in which to park his motorcycle. Notice the amount of
lighting; he wants even more!
Bob believes in copious bench space. In addition to the main island
in this portion of his shop are strip benches placed along one wall
and lots of storage space beneath all of the benches.
I LIVE IN the Northeast and the weather
has not been so good of late, so a flight
report on the retrofitted Genesis Extreme
will have to wait awhile. The concept of the
rear bearing support I have written about in
this column works extremely well in actual
use, as evidenced by Crist Rigotti’s work
with his similar system, which flew most of
the past year and has been flown repeatedly
in competition, with great success.
I’ll get back to finishing the Genesis
Extreme project as soon as possible.
Each day I receive a number of phone calls
and e-mail messages from modelers who
ask one or more questions about building
and/or flying. Of late, the questions are
centered more on building subjects. That
comes as no surprise, since we are at the
start of building season (as I write this).
The questions run the gamut from, “How
do you set up your shop to build a Stunt
model?” to “How do you determine which
glue to use for a certain building
operation?” There are dozens of other
questions, which relate to virtually
everything one might encounter in the
model-building experience.
With that in mind, I’m going to craft a
series here that will endeavor to answer the
most often-asked questions. Let’s start at
the beginning, with the basic shop setup. As
my buddy, Dean Pappas, says, “There really
is only one hobby: spending money!” This is
especially true when it comes to preparing
and equipping a proper building area.
For many of us aeromodelers, setting up
a shop is an excuse to go on a spending
spree and surround ourselves with all sorts
of tools and gadgets, which we may or may
not ever use in building a model airplane.
Equipping the shop is a sort of secondary
hobby all unto itself!
As much as I’d like to get right to the
subject of buying the latest and greatest
power tool (I can hear Tim “The Tool Man”
Taylor grunting right now), I’ll restrain
myself and give you what I feel is a logical
progression of setup and spending.
The first thing on the list is a building
area. Some will have nothing more than
oversized closets available, and some will
have entire basements in which to work.
March 2010 127
03sig4.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 1/25/10 12:35 PM Page 127
128 MODEL AVIATION
Either way, the first two considerations are
lighting and a flat bench. These are the
staples.
Lighting: As do surgeons, we aeromodelers
need to be able to see what we are doing to
achieve perfection. Your shop must be lit in
such a manner that no work areas are in shade.
When you think you have enough lighting,
double it. I’m serious; you cannot have too
much light in a building area. Lighting is a
tool.
I have a building area that is 19 feet wide
by 28 feet long, and there are six sets of double
48-inch-long fluorescent lamps in white
reflectors mounted to the ceiling and an
additional set of two 48-inch-long lamps over
one of my “power benches.”
I plan to add several more sets of
strategically placed 48-inch-long lamps soon. I
thought I had plenty of light, but I was wrong;
there are still areas in which it is hard to
clearly see what I am working on. My friends
think I’m crazy when I tell them this, but they
understand after working for a while on their
own projects in my shop.
What seems like enough light at first is
usually a bare minimum. Spend a goodly
portion of your shop budget on lighting and
you won’t be disappointed.
The type of lighting is also important. I
prefer to use fluorescent illumination. I’ve
settled on GE Lighting F40 Daylight bulbs.
They seem to be much brighter than other
types of fluorescent bulbs that I’ve tried, and
they emit a type of light that approximates
actual sunlight on a clear day.
There are many issues you should be aware
of when it comes to lighting, especially
fluorescent. If you want to know more about
the technical aspects of GE fluorescent
lighting, go to the Web site.
If you want to learn more about the
potential dangers of fluorescent illumination,
many Web sites contain the information. Do
a Web search for “Fluorescent lighting health
issues.” Only you can determine what type
of lighting best suits your needs and health
requirements.
Along with lots of fluorescent lighting, I
have at least a few incandescent lights
strategically placed throughout my shop. I’ve
been told that a normal incandescent bulb
burning in a room will reduce or offset the
60-cycle effects of the fluorescent bulbs.
I’m not sure if this is fact, so, again, do
some research on the Internet to find out
what’s right for you. I’ll discuss the
advantages of incandescent lighting as it
specifically relates to certain modeling
procedures later in this series.
The Bench: The second modeling
consideration is a workbench. This is a
subject on which I could probably write a
book. Your workbench’s attributes directly
affect the quality of models you produce in
your shop.
To boil it down to the basics, your
bench must be large enough to
accommodate the projects you will attempt
to complete. It must be flat and must
remain flat for long periods of time and
through all sorts of weather changes in
your climate.
It must be clean and free of lumps and
bumps that might transfer dings and dents
to your pristine balsa parts, and it must be
soothing to the eyes and have a finish that
will contrast with the type of material you
will use the most. In an aeromodeler’s case,
that’s most likely balsa wood. Let’s look at
these desired attributes one at a time.
In addition to the workbench’s being
flat—a requirement—it is also nice if it is
level. Those are two different things. A
well-designed workbench will have
provisions for adjusting the work surface to
accommodate any warping or bowing
caused by humidity changes from season
to season.
My workbenches were custom-built on
2 x 4 frames with suspended tops. The
bench frames have crossbraces in several
places, and the frames’ outer perimeters
were elevated above the crossbraces by
gluing and tacking 2-inch-wide pieces of
1/8 birch modeling plywood to them.
I use tapered pieces of cedar (door/
window-shimming material that you can
purchase at any lumber-supply store) to
shim the bench top to the desired position.
I place a 48-inch-long straightedge on the
upper surface of the bench top and then
slowly and carefully tap the tapered shims
into the space between the crossbraces
and the bench top with a mallet, while
watching the gap between the
straightedge and the bench top.
When the gap between the two
disappears, that section is flat. Using this
technique, and many shims, the entire
bench top can be adjusted to be flat. I also
turn the straightedge diagonally across the
bench top to check for possible warps.
For the bench top material, I use two
pieces of high-quality 3/4 flakeboard. I
attach the first piece to the perimeter of
the bench frame. That is the piece that is
adjusted with the shims and straightedge
to be flat.
Onto that piece, I screw another piece
of flakeboard. This allows me to change
the work-surface piece without having to
make any gross adjustments with the
shims to retain flatness.
The high-quality flakeboard I purchase
seems to be consistent in thickness,
making this an easy process. An extra
benefit of using the two-piece method is
that you can make extremely fine flatness
adjustments by putting thin paper shims
between the two pieces of flakeboard.
I’ve found that by painting my
workbench a medium-blue color, I can
more easily see the details in the lightercolored
balsa parts on which I work. This
also makes it easier to take high-contrast
photos of the work—a consideration if
you post pictures of your work online or
have them published in magazines or
journals.
Painting also seals the wood and helps
prevent the bench top material from
absorbing moisture.
Next time we’ll look more at workbench
requirements and get into the next level of
modeling tools that you will need to
properly equip your shop.
Till then, fly Stunt! MA
Sources:
GE Lighting
www.gelighting.com/na
Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots
Association
www.control-line.org
03sig4.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 1/25/10 12:35 PM Page 128
