12/18/2010 - 1.0 hr
With most of the rudder riveted together, the next task to tackle was to countersink the AEX wedge that is used to give support along the trailing edge. Since the trailing edge uses a double flush rivet, both sides of the wedge need to be countersunk. The problem with doing that is the hole in the wedge can get enlarged when you countersink the other side. When that happens, the pilot on the countersink can wander giving you a sloppy countersink.
I built a simple jig to prevent the countersink pilot from wandering. It's just a piece of aluminum angle I picked up at Home Depot that has a 3/32" hole drilled in it. That hole will keep the pilot centered when countersinking the back side of the wedge. The angle also serves another purpose in that it gets the work up off of the bench so the countersink cage can lay flat on the wedge.
By using the countersink in a slower speed electric drill, the countersinks turned out very well with no chattering from the bit. I clecoed the wedge back in the rudder and fine tuned any countersinks that didn't let the skins lay flat on the wedge.
At this point I only have two more things to complete on the rudder; rivet the trailing edge and roll the leading edge. Two things I need to get some practice doing before I actually do it to the project. I would hate to botch these up at this point of construction. So I'm going to start work on the elevators until I feel I'm ready to complete the rudder.
 |
 |