Balsa+me=no bueno

[dudeincolorado]

i normally use pins and a foam bord but the no pins method seems intresting

[carneyf1d]

it can possibly leave an uneven frame if you dont let it set flat before you glue. but luckily Scioly planes are bulky enough where you can just play with it a little until you get it where you want and it wont break.

[dudeincolorado]

ok dosnt seem that bad ill give it a try

[jander14indoor]

DON'T DO IT!! Use jigs and patterns, you won't regret it.

Building freehand is a good way to get in trouble unless you are very experienced and skilled.

And while you might get away with it in Wright Stuff which is way overbuilt, bridges, towers & boom are VERY unforgiving. These structures are tested to the breaking point at every contest. A small assymtry that can be compensated for in Wright Stuff during trimming will cause premature failure in a bridge.

So, learn to test wood so the matching pieces on the two sides of a structure are the same. Use a jig or patter to make sure the sides assemble the same. Use a jig to join the sides evenly. And so on.

Note on time. You will spend extra time on the jigs, but the speed and accuracy in assembly will more than make up for that. When I build indoor planes, I spend a lot of time on wood selection. Slightly less time making my jigs, many are reusable and adjustable. Assembly is almost an afterthought at that point and takes only a few minutes for a complete wing frame. I typically make several wings and tails which I can use interchangeably because they weigh the same, have the same strength (due to careful wood selection), and are shaped the same (due to jig use).

Jeff Anderson
Livonia, MI

[dudeincolorado]

ok ill use a jig thats what i didwith mytower and bridge anyway. hmmm any have sugestions on EV or eggonaut?

[rocketman1555]

for egg-o-naut i would suggest building it so you can get maximum height and still have the egg survive, i don't have much else to tell anyone yet, as i haven't had a chance to build a good rocket yet.

[andrewwski]

ok ill use a jig thats what i didwith mytower and bridge anyway. hmmm any have sugestions on EV or eggonaut?

Check the respective threads. There's already an Egg-O-Naut one in the new forums, and read the EV ones in the old.

[dudeincolorado]

yeah
the eggo naut ledto a bottle rocket one oh well alot of it crosses over
hmmm Ev seems tough

[andrewwski]

It really isn't. In my opinion it's one of the easier events.

[dudeincolorado]

hmmm seems impossible to me (i dont really have all that money to spent onan EV)