Building your Affordaplane Part 3

[@felonebike9859]

I don't think I've ever clicked on a video so fast! I've said it before but I'm so excited about this series!

[@affordaplanestore]

Another great video Jon, for the viewers, I have found that a thin kerf 80 tooth or better miter blade cuts these tubes like butter. The thin kerf allows the blade to penetrate with less resistance.

[@steveukman]

Thanks for the guidance Terry. Is there a type of material that the blade should (or should not) be made of? I just wondered if there is a risk of the blade catching (or breaking) if I use the wrong type of wood blade on metal or the speed is wrong.

[@felonebike9859]

Appreciate the tip.

[@bigdaddy4027]

@@steveukman I believe The answer you are looking for would be a carbon tipped thin kerf blade. The 80 tooth version of this is for a 10" diameter blade. If I remember correctly I have a thin kerf 60 tooth 7 1/4" blade on a skill saw which I used along with some cutting fluid to cut out all my gussets. The blade came from lowes and the cutting fluid from tractor supply. Slow and steady wins the race when cutting aluminum with a carbon tipped blade.

[@steveukman]

@@bigdaddy4027 Thanks ... I appreciate the guidance.

[@Designer103]

I'm glad that you mentioned this. One other thing. Make sure that you've fully withdrawn the blade from the aluminum before releasing the trigger. Some miter saws have a significant breaking action when you release the trigger. Due to gyroscopic forces this can cause the blade to twist. The blade will then dig into the side of your cut. You will then have a nasty gouge in your aluminum and you can even break a carbide tooth off the blade.

[@AzTrailRider57]

Did anybody else notice the measurement at 4:20 is 14 inches and the measurement at 4:45 is 13 inches? Did I miss something? And Magically at 7:00 it fits the plan. Cool

[@alabamadeep4471]

I just bought my plans today. I can not wait to build and then fly. This will be my first attempt at flying other than when I was ten years old with my Pappy

[@JohnHernandez-mc8kk]

🎉 congratulations happy building this video series is superb. Can't wait also to get my plan set

[@LTVoyager]

This is a great series, Jon. Hopefully, many will find it useful. I’m building a “not all that affordable” S-21, but it is still fun to watch a simple plane go together.

[@JMOUC265]

Thanks for Part 3. Appreciate your time and effort!

[@jerrynakoja4331]

Thanks so much for helping. You are helping me quench my natural desires to know how planes are built.

[@boviac]

Thanks for this series

[@MrToddsCorner]

Just a note and nit-picky really - the weight is "less" than 254Lbs. Yes it can be 253 and 15oz and be legal, but you don't want to be at 254 or above. Good series. When I build my ultralight (different make/model) I'll also be posting the build. Lots of good information here so far. Enjoying the series.

[@Designer103]

Yes. I sometimes say it wrong even though I better.

[@indykurt]

3 years, did you not build it yet? I don't see it on your channel

[@philwood1956]

Thanks keep the video's going, I want to build one now.

[@commentatron]

Nice job as usual, Jon. Thanks!

[@bearhawk503]

Great job with the videos.. This project is shaping up nice !

[@jbl7092]

Such great, clear and concise instructions. I can't thank you enough!

[@peterlastrucci324]

Cant wait for the next part!

[@flyod26]

I am loving this series! Thank you so much for posting these videos!!

[@LTVoyager]

I was surprised when I first heard that a carbide tipped saw blade would cut aluminum. However, I tried it and it works great as you showed. I high tooth count blade is helpful with an 80 tooth plywood blade being best.

[@gyrojeffro2263]

just be sure what ever method you use to cut aluminum, the metal doesn't get too hot! it will change the temper of the metal.

[@LTVoyager]

@@gyrojeffro2263 Almost no chance of that while cutting with a saw. And even if the temper is lost, it would be only for a few millimeters near the cut which has zero structural impact.

[@gyrojeffro2263]

@@LTVoyager yeah I was mostly talking about cutting with a grinding wheel instead of a blade with actual teeth. just as a test, take a piece of aluminum and grind on it with a bench grinder, the metal will be so hot you can't touch it and after it cools it will bend so easily you would never use it in a aircraft.

[@LTVoyager]

@@gyrojeffro2263 An abrasive wheel would not be my preference for cutting aluminum, but I think you would be hard pressed to heat damage enough of this rectangular or square tubing to make a difference. Aluminum is such a good conductor of heat that the temperature gradient is very steep. Even if you got above the 390 F temp where 6061 losses significant strength, you would have to maintain that temp for 12 hours. Even at 425 F, it takes 4 hours for appreciable loss of strength. And given the design of the Affordaplane, the gussets will transfer most of the force to the tube at least half an inch away from the cut end and it is highly unlikely that you could drive a temp above 425 F that far from the cutting line. So, while I agree that this is a theoretical possibility, it is a practical improbability. I am not sure that even cutting the tube with an acetylene torch would damage enough of the tube to cause a structural deficiency given the location of the rivets in the tube. digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=duckduckgo.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1132&context=matesp

[@ToyManFlyer1100]

M. U. G. A.....Make Ultralights Great Again 👍 👌 👏 😀 🙌 😊

[@rustusandroid]

What would you think about welding the frame and get rid of the weight of the bolts?

[@richardflaherty2373]

good progress.

[@shanakaliyanage6875]

Great video again, thanks!

[@donjennings2975]

Thanks Jon !!!

[@nalakadisanayake5559]

Thank you sir

[@leeroyholloway4277]

Aluminum will eventually just gum up an abrasive wheel. Use the carbide.

[@mikesmith1550]

On your cutoff saw you need to add a piece of wood across the entire width behind your workpiece. See the four holes drill in the backstop? Put a 2" piece of wood all the way across the saw and secure it from behind. Now cut through it with the carbide blade. This essentially gives you a zero clearance throat and you can cut short pieces and stop wasting material.

[@perrycorn2789]

In Thialand a part 103 ultralight aircraft can gross empty weight is 160kg or 352.7 lbs which is a good thing as you have that extra to allow a few lbs that you may need for an engine or some extra flught instruments and it would make for a perfect ultralight like the Affordaplane for the little extras for say the undercarriage brackets to make them a bit stronger and stop som we of the problems and they dont make the rotax 447 anymore so the engines that can be used are a few kgs heavier so it would work out great .

[@Al-hayat83]

Nice

[@donaldelrod9172]

a vixon file works very well on aluminum for many procedures and doesn't clog easily.

[@Al-hayat83]

Greetings to you, I am Aqeel from Iraq

[@josephbarker91]

Is there a full materials list in the plans? I've been reading through, and I can only find materials in each section.

[@bennietipton2820]

Awesome

[@flyingkub]

A simple structure but it looks to have a lot of weight to it, I know there a a lot out there flying as Part 103 but do wonder how many are legal, I shuld imagine it is a close call like witha lot of part 103 aircraft.

[@gyrojeffro2263]

thats what I was thinking also, it just looks really heavy and weight is the number one enemy of aircraft. Drag reduction will do wonders to improve performance. building as light as possible and streamlining will make a humble aircraft perform like a totally different airplane.

[@robertripley1000]

Jon do you have a full cutting list of required aluminium tubes / plates materials etc

[@HomebuiltHELP]

Did you miss this in the plans?

[@danielsmith2447]

I wonder about tig welding all the joints instead of gussets, would that be stronger and lighter?

[@AlFastguy]

Hi! I wonder if it is easier to build affordaplane with tail boom like kolb firefly? What thickness boom do I need?

[@evansquartz4268]

Sir can full vw engine air-cooled power up this aircraft or weight should be considered?

[@johnreed8872]

Hey Jon... I probably missed an episode, why the ultralight version vs the LSA? Thanks for documenting and sharing, looking forward to following the process! Blue Skies!

[@HomebuiltHELP]

Hi John, The very important reason is outlined in the video prior to Part 1, entitled: "You're going to Build What?"

[@johnreed8872]

@@HomebuiltHELP Thanks!

[@SoloRenegade]

Building the LSA version is essentially the same process though, so by building the Ultralight, the videos are still good for the LSA version, but the Ultralight is potentially accessible to everyone, where as the LSA is not as accessible.

[@ericneiman5556]

How much does it cost to build?

[@Lancaster7]

Jon, what engine are you going to use?

[@FradyKatt]

suppose to be 6063 T5

[@rmm9676]

Jon... Your lines are marked by a fairly wide Sharpie. Do you have to consider the line when making the actual cut? Means do you cut down the middle, or down the outside / inside edge of your line? Is this tolerance factor an issue or can it be ignored?

[@bigdaddy4027]

After you trace out your gussets with a sharpie, make your cut as to remove the line your sharpie made and you will end up with the perfect gusset. Same for cutting your tubes.

[@arthursoutham9046]

Maybe it would be easier to mark and drill the fixings for the diagonal tubes in the rear fuselarge at this stage rather than doing this once the gussets are installed. The attaching of the fittings can be done later.

[@ryoungatlmidotnet]

Why not use a finer Sharpie? That fat line seems to introduce ambiguity in just where you are actually cutting.

[@orbitalair2103]

Are you going to follow the plans 100%, what will you do about the gear? Plans show a 1" axle but the wheels are 5/8" axle. Any other mods to lighten? I don't have Facebook, where they have the owners group.

[@kirbylee57]

facebook.com/groups/Affordaplane

[@tobylob8300]

Please How can I get the pdf ?

[@HomebuiltHELP]

www.affordaplane.com/

[@Redbird85C]

Getting way ahead of the game here, but any idea on the engine you are planning to use? Enjoy the pace of the videos having never built a plane before!

[@MrPanchoak]

Abrasive wheel cutter ain't a good idea. It heats the Aluminum up and removes the tempre from the tubing. Cut it gently with a saw instead. Even a hand saw can be used with good technique. But best leave the abrasive cutter in the Steel cutting area.

[@Icarho]

??? You measure 14" and cut 13" tube????

[@felonebike9859]

My only hope is that you build the aluminum wing and not the foam wing.

[@ToyManFlyer1100]

Me, also...Foam is good...I build model planes outta foam...But, setting up a jig for the ribs gonna be interesting 🤔 👀...

[@felonebike9859]

@@ToyManFlyer1100 In the plans it says its highly recommended to do the aluminum wings. They do include the plans for foam. But I'm not going against the builder's highest recommendation.

[@bigdaddy4027]

It looks like he is going to be building the aluminum wings because of all the 1/2" tubing he purchased and also the aluminum wings are lighter so he can make 103 weight.

[@felonebike9859]

@@electoplater Ots funny you say that. I saw a bunch of builds where they add a compression support under each rib. And all I could think about is the extra 10 holes drilled in each spar.

[@bigdaddy4027]

@@electoplater if you aquire what the plans call for they will fit just fine.

[@cdrderfyt]

The reason mitre saws only go to 45deg. because thats the largest angle you can make before you are just making a reflection cut. Remember in a right triangle half of the 180 degrees is eaten up by the 90. half of 90 is 45. so if you have to make a 53 degree cut, your really just making a 37degreee cu on the opposite corner.

[@SoloRenegade]

I would have done the same. Trim the excess off the end of the tubing if necessary to get the angled cut right at the edge, rotate the tubing on the saw and cut the 37 degree angle instead.

[@ToyManFlyer1100]

Let's Gooooo...!!!😊😊😊👍👍

[@felonebike9859]

I'm glad I'm not the only one so excited for this! 😁

[@ToyManFlyer1100]

@@felonebike9859 yup...finally getting to see a plane built. Not, just the finished project ...

[@cdrderfyt]

Diffrent question, i noticed you aren't butting up to the other pieces, leaving an effective 1/16th in gap at the joints. Is this to prevent rubbing when gussetted together? aka premature wear on the two pieces?

[@SoloRenegade]

That's a good question, I'd like to know the answer too. My first reaction though is that if the parts are held together by the gusset plates and fasteners, then what good does the tubing touching matter? Other than perhaps by having them touch more tightly, they can't rotate against each other if the fasteners become loose. But I'd hope the fasteners remained rather tight as well, would hate to have a "wet noodle" fuselage.

[@cdrderfyt]

@@SoloRenegade my thought to that is you will deburr the holes and the edges. So the flat plate of the gusset rubbing on the flat side of tube shouldn't scratch either surface and create a weak point.

[@SoloRenegade]

@@cdrderfyt yes, I'm more curious about the movement of the tubing against each other and fasteners becoming loose over time under loads. I agree the deburring should address scoring issues either way.

[@derykbeaudreau7761]

Awesome video's I'm currently building one now. Could you maybe put these video's out quicker, maybe 2-3 time s a week ;)

[@ziggy2shus624]

There is absolutely no reason the FAA doesn't set the ultralight weight at 300 lb, instead of the present 254 lb limit. It would be very easy to design little airplanes with a reliable engine if the FAA would increase the weight to 300 lb, and the planes would be safer.

[@j.o.t.u.n.n]

3500

[@jhaedtler]

Sorry but this guy puts me to sleep! I had a teacher in High School like him! I slept through his classes!

[@rndmcnflct]

Only an idiot would want color commentary when building a potential death machine.

[@commentatron]

@@rndmcnflct Ironically, that's what my late, tap-dancing lawn mower designer said.

[@abundantYOUniverse]

@@rndmcnflct 22 year perfect safety record.

[@SoloRenegade]

you're free to stop watching and just follow the plans by yourself. No one is forcing you to watch. Not everyone is equally skilled in presenting. But when no one else is providing the same content.... Also, if you think you can do better, you're free to make your own video build series.

[@Designer103]

I'm here for the content. And the content is great. if you want entertainment get a flight simulator game.