It's Full Size

Tonight Sebastian and I got a start on the practice toolbox. Deburring, cleco, match drilling and more deburring. Then on to dimpling with the Numatix. It really doesn't seem fair that dimpling should be so easy and fun with that thing. Really haven't run into anything really challenging yet.

Filled and bled the Numatix hydraulic squeezer with Dextron III (automatic transmission fluid). Big mess that was expected. I knew what I was getting into and there was still plenty of mess. The only real messes happened when the fill syringe slipped off of the Intensifier bleed nipple. Also, make sure you tighten that bleed fitting before removing the syringe every time you refill it. I ran 4 x 60mL syringes of fluid through and I think that I got all of the air out. It's amazing how a few minutes will allow lots of bubbles to make their way to the high point. Bring plenty of paper towels. Everything seems to be working perfectly. The operation is super fluid and smooth. Can't wait to try it out on the toolbox project.  I do think that I need to practice my lacing on the foot pedal air hoses. 

Completed the phone stand project that was included with the Cleaveland tool kit. Lots of things that went well and lots that I'm not happy with. That's the point of a practice kit right? Sebastian was a big help with the dimpling and riveting.

I hadn't planned on buying a C-Frame, but I ran into an estate sale at the local airport and the price was right. $65

Well that didn't take long. Cleaveland included a cool cell phone holder project to practice a lot of the tools and skills that you need to build an airplane. Well the very first match drilled hole the air drill went through the aluminum like butter...and into my finger. Not bad but at least I got that over with. Now on to more flesh wounds!

Workbenches It seems that horizontal surfaces in any shop are always in short supply. The EAA standard workbenches seem to be a really good design for building airplanes. They're also really easy to build. The plans have been used hundreds of times in the last 30 years and they're really efficient as far as wood usage. They're a convenient size and building two of them out of a couple sheets of plywood and 2x4s is easy to do in a few hours. It's also a great way to get started on the build journey involving the whole family. We built 2 of the standard 2' x 5' tables with enough wood left over to build a 2' x 3' table which we'll use for the heavy tools (bandsaw, drill press, grinder and vise). In hindsight the only thing I wish we had done differently was use MDF instead of plywood for the top. Plywood isn't smooth and it splinters. It already needs sanding or maybe polyurethane. Having a both a drill and impact driver makes things faster...

We start this story where all good stories start: TOOLS! The original plan was to start down the path of building an airplane in a couple years when the kids are a little bit older. However, cronovirus, and the excesivie amount of free time from the quarantine, makes me think that we can do this and we shouldn't wate. Sebastian is old enough now that he really enjoys helping and we can really do this thing as a family. My goal is that the kids will learn some valuable lessons about dedication and hard work while learning some practical skills. There are plenty of things they can help with that will be great for confidence.  I also have a dream that we can do this together and have something they can be proud of that will last for them long after I'm gone and they can remember how good it felt to do this together and what they can do when they never give up. Which is why we get to tools! Getting a good space to work including the space and tools seems to be the first step in...