Tools

[Steve Pierce]

I am a tool junkie in the worst way. I have way too many off the shelf hand tools and don't usually buy anymore of those but I do enjoy making tools for a specific job. Thought I'd post some of mine and maybe others will join in and I can get some ideas for some more. Anything to make the job easier. :wink:


These are my leading edge clamping tools.

[Steve Pierce]

Tool for installing rudder and elevator bushings.

[Stephen]

Great tools...they should be worth marketing!! Much easier than my tie strap system.

[skydogk]

Really nice tools Steve. Did you make them yourself. If so, do you have a milling machine, CNC, or something? How many do you typically use during a wing job? Are you selling any? Email me.

skydogk

[SuperPacer]

Steve,
Your Leading edge tool is just awesume, makes me want to go find a wing to install some skins, just to use the tool,!! Please do advise the followers fo this site if you have plans to market, or want to sell drawings.

Thanks for a great source of information that you provide to us all,

John

[Steve Pierce]

Luckily I have a good friend with a machine shop. In his arsenal of cool tools is a 4'x4' water jet machine which comes in real handy. He gives me a big scowl every time I mention getting a lath or small mill.:wink:

[Steve Pierce]

This is a pair of modified pliers a friend gave me for forming the repair sections over a Piper rib.

[Steve Pierce]

This is a tool I had borrowed from a friend and really liked but they are no longer made. I is for resurfacing eroded exhaust flanges without removing the cylinder. My Dad and I were going through the Fly Market at Oshkosh this year when I ran across one. I hemmed and hawed for a long time and finnally bought it. I knew if I didn't, the first time I needed one I would be mad at myself. The only bad thing was hauling it around the show. :biggrin:

[Steve Pierce]

Wing racks that take up less room than the sling type. Copied these from Smith Cub folks who used to make the experimental Super Cub kits. They attach to the strut attach fittings and the wing attach fittings.

[Steve Pierce]

Rib repair jig. Went to a Forum at Sun & Fun put on by Paul Babcock on the repair of Piper ribs. Amazing how you can straighten out those low spots in the jig with a plastic hammer and a paint stirring stick.

[Steve Pierce]

Van White, who is 84 years old gave me this tool. It is used to tap holes for sheet metal screws. Keeps from wearing out the screw head on the first installation. It is made up of a rod with the end threaded, a long nut used to connect threaded rods with one end brazed almost shut and a long #4 sheet metal screw. There is a little old fashioned hardware store where my folks live that had the #4x3/4" long screws so I bought a box of 100. Can't find them at Lowes or Home Depot. I use it when I am installing leading edges and false spars to tap the holes.

[Steve Pierce]

My wing rotator I built from pictures I saw in Sport Aviation that Hale Wallace built when he was building his Knight Twister several years ago. A friend gave me the wheels with a groove in them and my Dad got the hoop formed by someone in Memphis.

[Steve Pierce]

My Dad built these rotators for the tail feathers when he was here in 2004 finishing the rebuild of his Clipper. They are made out of pipe nipples and bell flanges with various pieces of scrap steel for attachment.

[Steve Pierce]

For those times when for some reason your new spar comes with out the tips bent. :eek: Fabricated this tool off one I saw at the Legend Cub factory. Worked great.

[Steve Pierce]

A fixture I made to hold the lift struts while painting. I haven't perfected these yet. They work but take a while to set up. I always epoxy prime over the red oxide primer that Univair uses. It tends to let rust bleed through over time.

[skydogk]

Great ideas Steve. Thanks. For over ten years I've been primarily a metal plane guy and now that I have a "ragwing", I must learn some of those tricks of the trade. I must confess I've made some mistakes working on my Pacer, but now I know which questions to ask. You all are a wealth of knowledge.

skydogk

[tnowak]

Any tips or special tools that could be used to apply the beads/flutes to a new Vagabond parcels shelf and floor?
Tony Nowak

[captbill1956]

Re the wing stands: If you have a few spare minutes. I would like to get the dimensions and materials sizes for the wing stands. I'm fixing to pull the wings on my TriPacer and will need something to hold them. I was gonna build the old sling type, but these look mucho better. If you're too busy, I can pull the dimensions from the CD drawings.
Thanks for your time and this forum.
Bill Meredith
N7749D

[d.grimm]

Those leading edge clamps are great. I tried most everything I could think of and just couldn't get that last little bit. If Steve is using his I have three you can borrow.
Dave

[mdcf18]

Steve.... We are ready to attach the L/E sheetmetal to the wings of our PA-22/20. I really like the tool shown in the first pictures. Do you still pratice a lend-lease policy?

Chuck

[Steve Pierce]

Chuck, They are in Memphis being used on some Super Cub wings but should be able to be drop shipped to you next week.

[Steve Pierce]

Bill, I used 1 1/4" square tubing for mine. The two horizontal tubes on the root end are 31" apart with a hole drilled in the bottom horizontal tube closest to the end which will be your front spar bolt. I drill the hole in the upper tube after I install the wing and mark the rear spar hole. The stand that attaches to the lift strut fittings use 3/4" tubes for the horizontal members 31" apart. The overall height is 46 1/2" for the wing root stand and 46" for the lift strut stand. These were made in a hurry so you might get a little more accurate. The thing I like is no paint is touched and they take up less room stored or loaded with wings than the sling type. Let me know if you need more dimensions and I will mark them and take photos.



Re the wing stands: If you have a few spare minutes. I would like to get the dimensions and materials sizes for the wing stands. I'm fixing to pull the wings on my TriPacer and will need something to hold them. I was gonna build the old sling type, but these look mucho better. If you're too busy, I can pull the dimensions from the CD drawings.
Thanks for your time and this forum.
Bill Meredith
N7749D

[captbill1956]

Ok, thanks for the dimensions on the stands. I think they're the best design I've seen.

[captbill1956]

What was the wing in the wing strap pictures primed with? Looked good!!

[Steve Pierce]

That is white Polyfiber epoxy primer. I etched, alodined and epoxy primed all my aluminum parts and blasted, epoxy primed and paint with catalyzed polyurethane all my steel parts. I hope that Lee will only have to recover this in 20-30 years. :wink:

[Steve Pierce]

Someone asked me about wing rotators yesterday. I have a hoop that attaches to the lift strut fittings but this is one a friend built.

[Steve Pierce]

Here is a Wag Aero root end that someone gave me. I have a similar one I built years ago.

[captbill1956]

Someone asked me about wing rotators yesterday. I have a hoop that attaches to the lift strut fittings but this is one a friend built.

What did the rotator attach to at the tips in the pictures? Screwed into the tip bows?
Thanks.
Bill Meredith
Kingsland Texas
N7749D

[nicka]

The original tip bows have a small fitting screwed to both spars that the rotator picks up.

[Steve Pierce]

Was reading the latest copy of The Cub Clues when I saw a neat article by Marvin Hoppenworth who is the guy behind the pedal planes like a built Lee several years ago. He had some pictures of his fuselage mover, wing rotator and tail feather paint fixture. I had been looking at different designs of tail feather fixtures and liked his the best. Dana at the Cub Club sent me a picture and I worked off of that. Got it finished today and it works really nice.
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[Tadpole]

Love it! :D

[Curly]

Me too!:-P

[jay heil]

Steve or anyones else ever seen some sort of tool , home made or otherwise that could be used to straighten the ribbed or corregated skins on cessna control suraces?

[Steve Pierce]

Someone makes one. AC Spruce used to sell it but I no longer see it. Might check with Cessna pilots Association.

[Bob Mac]

Steve, you are a "tool artist"!
One practical question: How many pairs of hands to safely put the wings in the rack?

Bob

[Steve Pierce]

Two people is usually no problem but there are always padded saw horses handy.

[at7615]

Got my fuselage rotator together, works great, 360 degree by myself.

[Stephen]

Nice work, I love your stands.

[at7615]

It beats the hell out of sawhorses!

[walt.buskey]

What, no grease fittings? ;)

[at7615]

Only on the turbocharged model!

[Tailwind_Fan]

Got my fuselage rotator together, works great, 360 degree by myself.
And more!! 720 degrees are no problem either I’m sure?

-Alana

[at7615]

This is a bad ##s tool!

https://www.toolsid.com/performance-tool/1-4-1-2-stud-collet-extractor-mpn-w83203.html (https://www.toolsid.com/performance-tool/1-4-1-2-stud-collet-extractor-mpn-w83203.html)

[at7615]

Got my fuselage rotator together, works great, 360 degree by myself.

Got some time to put castors and a connection bar on the jig! Moves with 1 finger! Pretty good considering the floor!

[swhitaker12]

Wanted to share the tool I used for bending the u-channel..I went with 1/2” channel but it could be modified to work with any size. It worked well to bend about a 7” radius without crimping. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200725/6b698dfe4a6cf45c7ea64ad2fe1495ce.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200725/6c7b4e5c05b563fa83e93ca3d7078945.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200725/afedc2b50620bd766c98f71ab16c6844.jpg