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Sailplane Construction Project Session #6

In yesterday's Sailplane (SP) construction Report No. 5, I presented the 3-view drawing shown below of the T-Mount right spacer that I was trying to get machined out of aluminum. Since the two machinists that I normally get to do things like this were not available, I decided to make some temporary spacers out of wood, which will permit me to go on and build up the two-strut landing gear.
I cut and drilled the primary spacer blocks from maple motor mount stock and cut some 1/8" plywood on a 42 degree angle to make the slots with as shown below.
 
 
These elements were glued together with Titebond and clamped with plastic clamps as shown below.
 
 
Once both spacers were dry, the plywood was sanded to fit the primary maple block and the holes were drilled out on the ends as shown below.
 
 
The picture below shows a trial fit of the two spacer blocks. Notice the 1/8" piano wire inserted into the right spacer's 42 degree slot.
 
 
The picture below shows a close up of the right wooden spacer. If you look close, you can see where the bottom of the  slot was slightly rounded out with a 1/8" chain saw circular file. As it turns out, the plywood was slightly less than 1/8" thick. However, the 1/8" piano wire is still tight in place with the T-Mount's 6-32 bolts tightened down.
 
 
I turned the engine upside down and laid a piece of 1/8" piano wire against the front face of the firewall. As the picture below shows, the back of the metal tank is an 1/8" in front of the 1/8" piano wire. Therefore, when I get the aluminum spacers machined, the thickness should be reduced by about 3/32", making them 13/32" thick instead of 1/2" thick..............................Tandy
 
 


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