In a message dated 08/09/00 4:09:55 PM Central Daylight Time,
panzera@... writes:

<< Accuracy is totally in question, and without it, the whole exercise if
for not. The template is of the foam core, and does not allow for the
multiple layers of glass, nor the overlapping of it. >>

I was concerned about whether my wing and canard were angled properly. To
check, I used pieces of poster board. I drew lines parallel with the tops of
the boards through the centers of the boards. I used these lines as the
water lines as I traced the 48.8 foam cutout template drawings onto the
boards. I also traced in the slot cores and the elevators/ailerons.

I then cut out the outlines using an exacto knife, thereby producing forms
that I could slide over the wing and canard. Naturally, the heights of the
cutouts were too small because many layers of glass had been added to the
foam. However, the lengths of the cutouts were almost adequate since little
glass had been added to the leading edges and none had been added to the
trailing edges. It was easy to keep the waterlines oriented correctly. When
the tops and bottoms of the forms engaged the airfoils, I would mark the
necessary shape modifications with a pencil. Using a motor tool and a
sanding drum, I would enlarge the openings as required. Eventually, I was
able to slide the forms to the 48.8 positions on the wing and canard.

Since the tops of the forms were parallel with the waterlines, it was easy to
determine if the angles were the same by using a level. I my case, the wing
and canard proved to be at exactly the same angle. This suited me all right,
although some builders believe that the canard should be angled upward
slightly (1 -2 degrees) relative to the wing.

This procedure worked fine for me because I'm building a Tri-Q-200. If
you're working with a tail dragger, you would need to slice the canard form
from the trailing edge to the edge of the form. The form would be slipped on
inside of the wheel pant and then rejoined with duct tape.

Al Medley
almedley@...