Wagabond build

[tnowak]

Your craftsmanship skills are superb.
If you can, keep all your jigs as you could have a good future business making spare parts for us Shortwing owners.
Not all of us need certified spares.
TonyN

[Wag-builder]

It sure is nice to see that you are actually building! You are doing some really nice work and the level of satisfaction you get should be really high. Thanks for sharing.

Steve

[todd2391]

Thanks guys I appriciate that. Yes I save all patterns and I really enjoy the challenges of building. This is my 3rd airplane that I have built, every time I finish one I swear up and down that I will not build another, then about 5 to 7 months go buy and I find something else I want to build.

[tnowak]

Where did you learn your fabrication and welding skills?
That rudder bar and pedals look like they came straight from Piper!
TonyN

[todd2391]

No formal training, except for a few mechanics over the years showing me a few things. I thought myself to weld. Read a few books and watched a lot of YouTube videos. I started welding small parts and the cut them up and beat them with a hammer. Satisfying that the welds will hold. I then welded up a few carts, go carts, lifts, and then welded up my sport trainer. I always tell myself while building if you don’t like the way something looks. Throw it out and do it again the right way.


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[todd2391]

So I cut out and welded up the brackets for the rudder pulleys and the trim pulleys. I also finished welding in the floor tabs in the baggage area. I also got the rudder bar mounted and welded in the left side guide and cable attach tube. The front trim bracket and pulleys were also welded in.

So here is a question. On the colt tri pacer the brackets for the battery and starter solenoid are under the pilot seat and the batter is on the passenger side if I'm correct. Why wouldn't you have the solenoids on the passenger side to keep the cables as short as possible. I was thinking of putting these on the passenger side with the battery to shorten the cables and to keep the weight on the passenger side, so when I fly solo or with my passenger, who weights less than me there is a little more balance. Any suggestions are appreciated.

[Steve Pierce]

It is a pretty short cable. I would use a SBS J16 battery on it's side and that would give you plenty of room to locate everything close by and save weight.

[andya]

what kind of jig or form do you use to make the pulley brackets? I presume you are not bending those cold.

[Stephen]

It is a pretty short cable. I would use a SBS J16 battery on it's side and that would give you plenty of room to locate everything close by and save weight.

Why not recommend an Earth X?

[mongoose09]

So I cut out and welded up the brackets for the rudder pulleys and the trim pulleys. I also finished welding in the floor tabs in the baggage area. I also got the rudder bar mounted and welded in the left side guide and cable attach tube. The front trim bracket and pulleys were also welded in.

So here is a question. On the colt tri pacer the brackets for the battery and starter solenoid are under the pilot seat and the batter is on the passenger side if I'm correct. Why wouldn't you have the solenoids on the passenger side to keep the cables as short as possible. I was thinking of putting these on the passenger side with the battery to shorten the cables and to keep the weight on the passenger side, so when I fly solo or with my passenger, who weights less than me there is a little more balance. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Beautiful work. How are you bending the 4130 sheet steel to make your brackets?