[OLD PRAIRIE RED NECK]

A while ago I built up a structure to see if cedar would be suitable for model construction. I pulled it out today to check if it is still structurally sound. I found 5 small glue joints that had loosend up, not too shabby for 3 years of banging & shifting around the shop! It is still amazingly strong both torsionally and in shear!

The stats are: 48" long, 4.5" wide & about 3.5 oz, all glue joints are weldbond.

So the original idea was to do it up rubber powered as a free flight but now I'm thinking of doing it up as an old timer and putting a small 4 stroke on it to give it the shake test.

Any thoughts?

[Wayne_K]

Love it.

And if you glue a little 1/64th ply half circle shape behind each critical glue joint it will probably end up nearly indestructible.

BTW, I love Weldbond.

Let us know how it works out.

W

[cassat]

Looks good to me Merv. Doing some stick building here myself. Wayne is right about the joints...some need re inforcing and some may not . Was looking around for the A small 30 four stroke yesterday. Noticed AMR C has ther ASP 30 available.

Dave

[OLD PRAIRIE RED NECK]

Wayne, I have considered that around the nose, tail feather mount & the wing attatchment! Thanks for the confirmation!

The goal behind this project is to build a plane with zero balsa. Not because I hate the stuff or don't have any - just for the sake of doing it different!

I am thinking of blue foam for ribs with willow cap strips, spruce/cedar spars, willow again for laminated wing tips and tail feather outlines & thin birch ply for critical area's. (engine/wing mounts etc.)

The trick I beleive will be in getting the sizes apropriate to the strength needed.

Dave, I would be catious about buying the ASP .30! I haven't been able to confirm it but I believe it is the same engine as the Magnum .30. The Magnum has some valve & ring issues, ask me how I know! The price is good though!

I have the OS .30 (excellent engine) and several Saito .30's (top of the line).
Some one in his wisdom at Horizon Hobbies decided that North Americans don't want Saito's .30 but it is still available in the rest of the world!

[williame3590]

Same thing Merv.

Bill

[TLyttle]

Seems to me that Bill Northrop built one of his models from spruce, then from balsa. Not too much weight difference, plenty strong. Considering that much spruce can be found in the studs in the local lumber yard, it is an option...

[Arceenut]

Originally Posted by TLyttle

Seems to me that Bill Northrop built one of his models from spruce, then from balsa. Not too much weight difference, plenty strong. Considering that much spruce can be found in the studs in the local lumber yard, it is an option...

I suppose if one used spruce in place of balsa one could step down in dimention some as spruce can be a little stronger than balsa. ??:

[OLD PRAIRIE RED NECK]

Originally Posted by Arceenut

I suppose if one used spruce in place of balsa one could step down in dimention some as spruce can be a little stronger than balsa. ??:

My first attempt at using cedar was a Senior Telemaster fuse. I didn't downsize the wood & it came out pretty heavy! This one the wood is about 1/2 or less in dimension than one would expect on an airframe this size. Seems about right! Spruce would need to be smaller still.

[aspeed]

I have heard redwood is good for spars. It seems impossible to find now. Is redwood the same thing as cedar?

[kip51035]

A couple of years ago I built what I call my 1910 Monoplane, similar to a Proctor Antic without the wires. The fuselage is all spruce strips and mahogany door skin plywood. I also got a wing off John for an Astro Hog I built a new fuselage for it the same way. There is some balsa to round out the fuselage. Many years ago I built a control line twin all out of cedar. The spruce strips fuselages turned out light, strong and ridged. Like the guys said I used small pyramid shaped tabs to strengthen all the joints except where the two sticks over lapped. The all cedar control line A/C was a little heaver than balsa but then it had two .35 engines in it and it went like hell. Many years ago I built a small table saw and used one of those 3" die grinder saw blade with no off set. This produces a fuzz free cut. I used a vacuum cleaner motor and the belt for a sewing machine to drive it. A cut down prop cooled the motor and also blew the dust away.