You asked for ’em, we’ve got ’em! Here are four terrific shop tips you can use this weekend to make your time in the workshop easier and more enjoyable. Don’t forget to send us your favorite tip!
MEASURING UP Did you ever find it difficult to take inside measurements in confined areas, such as the inside of a fuselage or between wing ribs? You can make a simple measuring gauge using two pieces of telescoping brass or aluminum tubes. Cut suitable lengths of ¼- inch-o.d. and 9/32-inch-o.d. tubes, and insert the small-diameter tube inside the larger one and then collapse the mechanism. Place the gauge in the area to be measured, and pull the tubes apart until they touch both sides. Mark and withdraw the gauge, and measure its length. You now have the inside measurement that you need.
If you are drilling balsa, you don’t need the drill bit in the end of the brass tube. Just sharpen the end of the brass tube and add a few small teeth and you will get a cleaner hole than using a twist drill bit. If the balsa is soft, harden it with a drop of thin CA first for a cleaner hole. Rather than using a dowel to prevent crushing the tube in the chuck, insert one or more piece of the next smaller (telescoping) brass tube in the end and solder it in place. Don’t fill the tube completely, as you need a place to insert a piece of wire to poke the balsa “plug” out when you complete the hole.
Jim
In the brass that is chucked, just insert a drill bit in the brass to fill it rather than bslsa
Jim
In the brass that is chucked, just insert a drill bit in the brass to fill it rather than balsa
If you are drilling balsa, you don’t need the drill bit in the end of the brass tube. Just sharpen the end of the brass tube and add a few small teeth and you will get a cleaner hole than using a twist drill bit. If the balsa is soft, harden it with a drop of thin CA first for a cleaner hole. Rather than using a dowel to prevent crushing the tube in the chuck, insert one or more piece of the next smaller (telescoping) brass tube in the end and solder it in place. Don’t fill the tube completely, as you need a place to insert a piece of wire to poke the balsa “plug” out when you complete the hole.
In the brass that is chucked, just insert a drill bit in the brass to fill it rather than bslsa
In the brass that is chucked, just insert a drill bit in the brass to fill it rather than balsa