Aircraft drill bits are normally 6-inches long rather than jobber drills which are 2 - 3-inches. The reason aircraft drill bits are longer is to provide more control when drilling. The longer drill bits allow the operator to flex the bit in order to move it a small amount in any direction. This is important when drilling out rivets. The longer bit is much easier to move the bit to the center of the rivet.
Another advantage is that spring type drill stops are easier to install and adjust on the longer bits.
The Isham Inc. RV Aircraft Tool Kit includes the required range of 6-inch aircraft drill bits for building the Van's RV airplane. You may check out the complete tool kit at the link above.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Thursday, October 4, 2007
RV Aircraft Tool Kit 1/4-28 Threaded Angle Drill
About 15% of all RV Tool Kit buyers also purchase the 1/4-28 threaded bit air angle drill. This drill is a very high quality clone of the DOTCO angle drill. The head is about 1-inch deep so with a short drill bit installed one can get into an area with less than 2-inches of space to drill a hole.
The aircraft angle drill also has optional heads including a 45-degree head and an long 90-degree head for other hard to reach places.
This is a great addition to the RV Tool Kit, but many builder's find way to work-around the need for this type of drill. One method is to use the 12-inch extended drill bits and come at the hole from the opposite side.
Visit the RV Aircraft Tool site at www.PlaneTools.com for a full line of aircraft tool kits.
The aircraft angle drill also has optional heads including a 45-degree head and an long 90-degree head for other hard to reach places.
This is a great addition to the RV Tool Kit, but many builder's find way to work-around the need for this type of drill. One method is to use the 12-inch extended drill bits and come at the hole from the opposite side.
Visit the RV Aircraft Tool site at www.PlaneTools.com for a full line of aircraft tool kits.
RV Tool Kit for building Van's Aircraft
The RV tool kit used by Mike on his RV-7 is the Isham full tool kit. Mike has done an excellent write up of the differences between RV tool kit providers and it will be worth your time to study this analysis. The Isham RV tool kit is available at www.PlaneTools.com and includes the DRDT-2 dimpler and the pneumatic squeezer.
In addition to doing a great job on the RV tool kit decision process, Mike has one of the best websites for building the RV-7 airplane. His attention to detail is great and this is probably one of the best websites for a new builder to visit.
For the very best RV tool kit study Mike's analysis and visit the aircraft tool website at www.PlaneTools.com for more information.
Good luck on choosing your RV tool kit.
In addition to doing a great job on the RV tool kit decision process, Mike has one of the best websites for building the RV-7 airplane. His attention to detail is great and this is probably one of the best websites for a new builder to visit.
For the very best RV tool kit study Mike's analysis and visit the aircraft tool website at www.PlaneTools.com for more information.
Good luck on choosing your RV tool kit.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
RV Aircraft Tool Kit Options
Many RV Aircraft Builder's ask what optional tools are needed to build their airplane. The basic RV Tool Kit includes everything needed. There are some tool kit options that some builders elect to purchase.
Additional squeezer yokes in the Longeron style and 4-inch thin nose (no-hole) yoke will get into more places than only the standard 3-inch yoke. About 20% of builders purchase these additional yokes. Without them the builder can always use the rivet gun and bucking bar for those rivets.
Angle drills that use 1/4-28 threaded drill bits are purchased by about 10% of builders. This drill will get into spaces as small as 2-inches. As an alternative, use the 12-inch extended drill bits and come in from the other side to drill the hole.
RV Quick Build kits require less clecos than the full build kit. About 20% of the builders build the quick build and opt for the reduced number of clecos.
The best way to determine your options is to decide if you want to use the rivet gun and bucking bar more and come up with some other methods to make a few holes by using the extended drill bits.
Good Luck on your RV airplane!
Additional squeezer yokes in the Longeron style and 4-inch thin nose (no-hole) yoke will get into more places than only the standard 3-inch yoke. About 20% of builders purchase these additional yokes. Without them the builder can always use the rivet gun and bucking bar for those rivets.
Angle drills that use 1/4-28 threaded drill bits are purchased by about 10% of builders. This drill will get into spaces as small as 2-inches. As an alternative, use the 12-inch extended drill bits and come in from the other side to drill the hole.
RV Quick Build kits require less clecos than the full build kit. About 20% of the builders build the quick build and opt for the reduced number of clecos.
The best way to determine your options is to decide if you want to use the rivet gun and bucking bar more and come up with some other methods to make a few holes by using the extended drill bits.
Good Luck on your RV airplane!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
RV Tool Kit Detail Components
RV tool kits have several options depending upon the RV aircraft model being built and whether the airplane is a quick build or a "slow" build kit.
The basic kit includes the pneumatic squeezer and DRDT-2 dimpler which are considered must have tools.
In the options a builder may select the quick build option which deletes one-half of the clecos.
The RV-10 airplane option adds clecos, a special RV-10 bucking bar and additional squeezer and dimpler die sets.
In the area of air drills a builder may select between the standard 2700 RPM pistol drill or upgrade to a Sioux 1412 3600 RPM palm drill. Another drill that is optional is the 1/4-28 threaded angle drill. This unit is designed to fit in tight areas -- about 2-inches is enough room to drill with the angle drill.
The rivet gun has optional sizes. The 3X is by far the best choice for the RV beginning builder. The 2X gun hits too fast and is too hard to control. The slower blows-per-minute of the 3X rivet gun allows the builder much better control when riveting.
A great way to decide on which options you will need is by talking to other builders or discussing this on the forum at www.vansairforce.net. With many user groups for RV aircraft builders you will find many suggestions for your own unique configuration of your RV tool kit.
The basic kit includes the pneumatic squeezer and DRDT-2 dimpler which are considered must have tools.
In the options a builder may select the quick build option which deletes one-half of the clecos.
The RV-10 airplane option adds clecos, a special RV-10 bucking bar and additional squeezer and dimpler die sets.
In the area of air drills a builder may select between the standard 2700 RPM pistol drill or upgrade to a Sioux 1412 3600 RPM palm drill. Another drill that is optional is the 1/4-28 threaded angle drill. This unit is designed to fit in tight areas -- about 2-inches is enough room to drill with the angle drill.
The rivet gun has optional sizes. The 3X is by far the best choice for the RV beginning builder. The 2X gun hits too fast and is too hard to control. The slower blows-per-minute of the 3X rivet gun allows the builder much better control when riveting.
A great way to decide on which options you will need is by talking to other builders or discussing this on the forum at www.vansairforce.net. With many user groups for RV aircraft builders you will find many suggestions for your own unique configuration of your RV tool kit.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Cogsdill Deburring Tools
Many RV builders ask about the Cogsdill Deburring Tools for 3/32 and 1/8 inch rivet holes in their airplane projects. The RV tool kit does not include these deburring tools. The reason for this is that the rivet holes can be easily over-deburred with these tools. This causes the cleco temporary fasteners not to hold after the rivet hole is countersunk. For a better explanation of this issue see the link in the title of this writing.
Most RV tool kits are based on Van's Aircraft recommendations. Van's often over-emphasizes the deburring of holes on the RV airplanes. The fact is that unless you are building a pressurized aircraft you do not need to worry about having perfect rivet holes. A hole drilled with the appropriate aircraft drill bit and wiped off to remove any burrs is adequate.
Deburring does not mean having round and smooth holes, only removing burrs -- if you do not understand what a burr is, consider it a hang-nail inside of the rivet hole. If you don't have any of these "hang nails" then don't deburr. Your airplane will look highly professional and you will be glad your clecos all held in place after you dimpled your parts.
Most RV tool kits are based on Van's Aircraft recommendations. Van's often over-emphasizes the deburring of holes on the RV airplanes. The fact is that unless you are building a pressurized aircraft you do not need to worry about having perfect rivet holes. A hole drilled with the appropriate aircraft drill bit and wiped off to remove any burrs is adequate.
Deburring does not mean having round and smooth holes, only removing burrs -- if you do not understand what a burr is, consider it a hang-nail inside of the rivet hole. If you don't have any of these "hang nails" then don't deburr. Your airplane will look highly professional and you will be glad your clecos all held in place after you dimpled your parts.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Performance of Sioux Air Tool Products
We have handled Sioux air tools for several years now. The most popular is the Sioux 1412 palm air drill. About 20-percent of RV aircraft builders purchase this drill. Over the past 3-years there have been two drills, that we are aware of, returned to Sioux Service Centers for warranty work. One drill had a defective body casting. The second has a leak when the drill is off.
Sioux rivet guns are a different story. In the past 3-years we have had very few satisfied customers. The Sioux rivet gun seems to always leak air when connected to an air supply. The Service Centers and the Sioux factory have been unable (or unwilling) to correct these defective rivet guns. We stopped carrying the Sioux rivet gun because the lower cost import rivet gun is just as impressive for riveting and has very few problems. About the only thing I can say that is positive about the Sioux rivet gun is that it has a nice red powder coat finish.
When you purchase air tools for your project you may want to do some research to make sure you are getting a good durable product.
Sioux rivet guns are a different story. In the past 3-years we have had very few satisfied customers. The Sioux rivet gun seems to always leak air when connected to an air supply. The Service Centers and the Sioux factory have been unable (or unwilling) to correct these defective rivet guns. We stopped carrying the Sioux rivet gun because the lower cost import rivet gun is just as impressive for riveting and has very few problems. About the only thing I can say that is positive about the Sioux rivet gun is that it has a nice red powder coat finish.
When you purchase air tools for your project you may want to do some research to make sure you are getting a good durable product.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)