Power tools

[Flyboy66]

I ordered the prefab brackets. Will I need or find a band saw useful during construction?

How are you guys cutting out the notch in the rear spar (I think it is to allow the wing to fold back) The photos I have seen all look very nice.

What power tools besides a cordless drill might I want?

[Esser]

The notch is cut out by the factory.

You don’t need a bandsaw. Everyone has preferences for cutting the fibre glass and acrylic etc. I use an angle grinder. The only thing I used my band saw for was cutting the flapperon rigging pieces.

I use a lot of air tools. I have a 90 degree drill that I don’t know how I would have built the plane without as it lets me get into tights spots. A dremel or similar is almost a must too. A bench top drill press would be nice too but not 100% required. It makes more even holes than hand drilling for sure

[Flyboy66]

Can you post a picture of the 90 degree drill so I can see what size your drill is.

Thanks,

Steve

[jrevens]

Hi Steve,

My bandsaw is one of the most useful (& used) tools in my home shop. I did use it a lot on the Kitfox project, but like Josh said, it probably isn’t a mandatory “must have” tool for most builders. Mine is “homebuilt” by me, and I’ve had it for 30+ years.

I’ve got a couple of angle drills. They can be pretty pricey but there are many options. Check out the Aircraft Spruce and ATS catalogs. You’d probably do well to get one with a small head that uses drill bits with a 1/4-28 thread. They are used with a standard drill motor.

[efwd]

There are just too many things to list that you really don't need. It's like eating steak without a steak knife. Sure it can be done but....
I just don't know how nobody mentions a rivet squeezer. I have one and I just can't imagine how solid rivets are done without it or an impact rivet gun. In addition, After pulling 20 SS rivets with my rivet puller I was sold on the pneumatic puller at Harbor freight. Love tools, if you can afford em get em. It just makes building more enjoyable.
Eddie

[David47]

Agree with Eddie of the solid rivet squeezer. I bought one and don't regret it one bit. But a small angle grinder (4") and a Dremel tool with cutting and grinding wheels are valuable additions.

[Flyboy66]

There are just too many things to list that you really don't need. It's like eating steak without a steak knife. Sure it can be done but....
I just don't know how nobody mentions a rivet squeezer. I have one and I just can't imagine how solid rivets are done without it or an impact rivet gun. In addition, After pulling 20 SS rivets with my rivet puller I was sold on the pneumatic puller at Harbor freight. Love tools, if you can afford em get em. It just makes building more enjoyable.
Eddie

I did the prefab kit, but everything I have seen where people used a band saw was building brackets, or jigs.

I have endless cordless drills, but will probably find a 90 degree drill for the tight spots. I have a few angle grinders, levels, pneumatic rivet gun and a coup,e bucking bars. I sold the rivet squeezer I had, because I hadn’t used it since 2001. Oh well.

I also ordered the tool kit even though I do have some Cleco’s, and a pop rivet tool.

Band saws aren’t too expensive for a small one, so I might get one, but I thought I would ask what I would need it for that isn’t involved in making brackets.....that come in the prefab kit.

Steve

[Flyboy66]

The notch is cut out by the factory.



Cut out by the factory for the quick build option, or for every wing?

[David47]

Maybe for the QB wing, but spars are not notched for the build it yourself wing.

[Esser]

I believe every wing. But I could be wrong. Not many build the wing from scratch.

Yes I wish I got a solid river squeezer.

[Dick B in KY]

A lot do build the wings from scratch, and enjoy the process.

Dick B

[Flyboy66]

There are just too many things to list that you really don't need. It's like eating steak without a steak knife. Sure it can be done but....
I just don't know how nobody mentions a rivet squeezer. I have one and I just can't imagine how solid rivets are done without it or an impact rivet gun. In addition, After pulling 20 SS rivets with my rivet puller I was sold on the pneumatic puller at Harbor freight. Love tools, if you can afford em get em. It just makes building more enjoyable.
Eddie


I have a pneumatic rivet gun. Can It get where it needs to get for the riveting that has to be done? I ordered the QB wing. Where else is riveting needed that isn’t already done?

Steve

[aviator79]

There are a bunch of rivets. I'm not that far in, but I've already pulled lots of them. The spar lift strut attach fittings, jury strut fittings, a few in the flight control assmebly, flaperon trailing edge, flaperon end rib, flaperon counterweights, the rib reinforcement brackets for attaching the flaperons, and I'm just getting started!

I feel my pneumatic rivet puller was worth it. The only one I couldn't get was a hole that you drill between the ears of the lift strut attach brackets. I think if you planned ahead, you could locate this hole to make it easier to reach, but I ground down the sides of the nose of a hand puller to fit between the ears, and all is well.

[colospace]

After nearly wrecking my hand from manually pulling the rivets in one lift strut attach fitting, I bought a pneumatic puller. Pulling the first rivet on the second fitting was such pure bliss that I felt compelled to call my wife at work so she could listen to me pull a few more. (She is really excited and supportive of my build project.) I did still have to manually pull the one between the ears.

[Flyboy66]

Why is a rivet puller necessary? Is it for pop rivets, or the solid ones?

[PapuaPilot]

A rivet puller is for pop rivets.

There are also pneumatic tools that can squeeze rivets, but there aren't many solid rivets on the Kitfox. A hand squeezer should be sufficient for this type.

[Flyboy66]

Why is it necessary to pull rivers? Are some used to temporarily secure things and then are removed? I would rather use a pneumatic rivet gun than a rivet squeezer to set rivets (unless “squeezing” rivets is referring to using a pop rivet tool).

[aviator79]

By "pulling", we just mean using a tool, either pneumatic or a hand tool, to pull the mandrel on pop rivets to set them. We don't mean that we are removing them. Squeezing refers to setting solid rivets by applying continuous pressure, as opposed to hammering them. There are no bucked rivets. Most rivets are pop rivets, and those that aren't are easily squeezed.

[jrevens]

You can “set” or “form” the “shop head” on a solid (usually aluminum) rivet on aircraft by “bucking” with a “bucking bar” in conjunction with a pneumatic rivet gun (a specialized air-hammer), or you can use a squeezer if the rivet is close enough to the edge of a structure. A “pop” or “pulled” rivet can be set with a hand-powered or a pneumatic rivet pulling tool. There are other ways that rivets can be set or formed also... Google it for more information.

[Paul Z]

I had some respond to me concerning a question I had on something. He sent me a link as his answer to my question. I personally got a real chuckle out of it. Here is a link to to the definition.
http://lmgtfy.com/?iie=1&q=Definition+of+Pulling+a+Rivet
I finally found someone with my sense of humor. I immediately saved the link. ;)

[Flyboy66]

All right then, I am up to speed on pulling rivets. Yes, I made the assumption that pulling was removing. I use google all the time but sometimes think that the answer is too specialized to actually find something in google, but am frequently surprised at what it turns up.

[efwd]

I could never have pulled 50 Stainless Steel rivets on the flapperon hangers by using my hand puller. Pneumatic was necessary for me.
Eddie

[Clark in AZ]

Which pneumatic puller do you all have? Is there a "best" or "better" one? What features should you look for?

Thanks!

[efwd]

Harbor Freight. It's not like were going to use it a lot. Honestly, I worried about its reliability when doing the struts with all that Hysol. Not sure I could have finished pulling all those rivets before the Hysol dried. It works well for the job and its still pulling.

[mr bill]

I used the same one from Harbor Freight, worked very well. In addition to the balance weights on the flaperons, there were a bunch more on the firewall. I pulled a half dozen by hand, then gave up and bought the pneumatic.