F20Tigershark

what is the perferred way/methods used to transfer piece shapes from the plans to the wood?

Mike

fastcat

I run the plans through a large copier, then cut out the parts and use spray contact cement to attach them to the wood. It makes cutting them out very easy. Jim

Flyboy Dave

My Feedback: (21)

....carbon paper.....and a steady hand.

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

The copy routine and attach with a glue stick or carefully follow the outline with a "T" pin, then connect the dots.

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

Get a plain white piece of paper. Like typing paper or printer paper.

Set it down over the plan. On the former or wing rib you want to copy.

Get your wifes iron that she uses for clothes and crank it up to max. Set it down on the paper and iron it right over the prints. The ink on your prints will transfer to the printer paper. Instant template.

Or, you can tape your prints up on a large window. Put tracing paper over the prints and tape it in place. Trace the parts with a steady hand.

Now cut your templates out with a scissor. Use a quick shot of aerosol spray adhesive (or glue stick) on the paper templates and then stick them to the balsa or plywood. Now just cut the wood out and sand it to the shape of the paper template.

meaden

I photo copy the parts with our multi-function-make-your-coffee printer at work

Then place the photo copy face down on the balsa or ply stock and hit it with a hot iron. The ink of the photo copy transfers to the balsa. Not all photo copies do this, it needs to be a laser printer type that uses heat to transfer the ink.

You might need to hit the back side of the balsa or ply with the iron if it starts to warp.

Strat2003

My Feedback: (1)

Always check to make sure your copier reproduces at 100%, some don't. You can copy a small ruler along with your patterns to check the machine the first time.
If a copier isn't available (like if the boss is around, for example) you can do it the old fashioned way, by taping your wood to the back of the plan and poking a pin through every so often. Make the pin*****s closer on curves, just at the corners on straight runs. Connect the dots with a suitable drafting curve and cut away!

F20Tigershark

Thanks everyone for your help,

Does anyone have a favorite book on scratch building they would recommend?

Mike

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

Whats scratchbuilding?

I'm kidding!! Just don't have the time for it. I have the desire. Maybe someday when I have a big house and shop and more time.

Charlie P.

I've got several of the Harry Higley series on model building. Tower carries them or he sells direct. "Harry's Notebook" is pretty good as a general building idea book. "There Are No Secrets" and "Tom's Techniques" are good on the covering and painting but not much else. None of them really walk you through all phases of the building process.

For free reading, get on the Great Planes kit site and download kit manuals and read them in Adobe. I have found lots of good ideas from reading through their manuals. Say you want to add ailerons to a model that doesn't have them, or go from a single to dual aileron servos. Check out how five or six GP models work them in and you'll get a few ideas.

Charlie P.

White paper and good lighting, and a straight-edge for the straight lines with "T" pins to hold the paper in place over the plans. I keep them as patterns and roll them up with the plans for the next time - if there ever is one.

To transfer it to the balsa I use a ball-point pen and straight edge again. Inside features I jab out the highlights with a pin and connect the dots, or just cut the pieces from the pattern and then glue to the balsa sheet.

You can also go to Kinko's and have the plans copied. I think they can handle 34" by 100 ft (rolled paper).

F20Tigershark

Thanks charlie for the insight on the books.

Thats a good Idea about the manuals.


Mike

M_Callahan

I think that I making copies of the ribs and formers and gluing them to the wood
would be the best way. A few years ago I used a product called See temp. Came
in 2x4 foot sheets. It was transparent with a sort of pebbled? surface. Placed over
the plans, you could trace the outline of the rib or former with a pencil. Cut out by
scoring with a xacto knife. Don't know if its still out there. Used to be advertised
in the IMAA magazine.

Mike Callahan

F20Tigershark

Mike I assume you are talking about this stuff
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=5866
http://www.seetemp.com/

Mike

M_Callahan

Thats the stuff, except they added color to it.

Mike

Woodpile

Tigershark,

Instead of running the plans through a regular copier, I use my scanner to do the same thing but this way I always have the part template to print out on the off chance I need to replace something. Like say... a crash or closing the wing in the car door. Not that I'VE ever done that... You have them forever and the template is not affected by humidity until you print it. You can also scale them up or down with ease...

Ed

F20Tigershark

excellant idea woodpile

omcusnr

I've got a local guy that'll scan engineering / architectural stuff for about $5 a sheet (depends on size). I get a tiff file. I can then plot at full scale or imprt to cadd, trace, and rescale. Just remember - if you do this with someone else's plans, they still own the copyright and what you do is for your use only.