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etingey(at)rogers.com
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 Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 4:57 am Post subject: Canopy instalation |
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frank.hinde(at)hp.com
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 8:54 am Post subject: Canopy instalation |
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Eric I have built an HDS (sideways opening) and have just finished a
forward opening canopy on an RV 7.
Here a few of the basics when working with plexi aimed mainly around
avoiding the biggest issue...i.e cracking.
Cutting and grinding...Do not try to use any kind of saw with plexi,
instead use a metal cutting or gringing disk on an electric drill or
angle grinder. The disk is will make very nice cuts as it grinds/melts
its way along the canopy.
The above tools are a little big, the best way I found is to get a die
grinder ($10 on sale at harbor freight) and the 3" cutting disks that
Van's aircraft sells. Use a 1/4" arbor (can be a 1/4 bolt threaded to
the end with a nut to clamp the disk...not perfect but will work if you
can't find an arbor)
Similarly sanding the edges can be best achieved using 3M Roloc wheels
(look on Ebay) with the special arbor...Use the coarse disk, great for
sanding plexi, aluminium and steel, all of the custom fab shops use
these now...work very well.
The above disks will also work just as well in a high speed air drill. I
also sanded the bottom edge of my canopy with a belt sander...But its
big and unweildy, the roloc wheels are much more controllable, more
accurate and therefore much faster to get the work done.
Warm up the shop if posible, I never did anything on my canopy below 75
degrees.
Use proper plexiglass drill bits, they are cheap...At a pinch you can
grind down standard drill bits like ZAC recommends.
Do not use rivets ANYWHERE on the plexi...Sure fire way to crack it.
Use slighlty oversize holes in the plexi to allow for
expansion/contraction.
Good luck
Frank
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larrymc(at)qconline.com
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 12:38 pm Post subject: Canopy instalation |
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Eric,
Canopy fitting is perplexing because you need to know how much trimming
is correct before the fact. All the cutting information
you'll receive is more than adequate. Grind, do not saw cut. Radius
all edges ever so slightly by hand and the screw holes
need to be larger by 50% to allow adding small rubber hose segments that
will fit under the washers, around the screw threads
and protect the plexi. Make the hose segments 25% longer than the
thickness of the plexi. For the fitting, leave all the protective
skin on the canopy even after you have the canopy set upon the skins,
bows and structure. You'll have to use a compass
with an ink marker to sweep the front and rear edges to get them marked
progressively until the canopy sets as shown
in the guidance. Final trimming of the front and rear edges will place
the canopy on the bows. Do be carefull to get
the front and rear edges trimmed so they are no more than a quarter of
an inch above the forward top skin and the rear top skin and just
touching all way around the sides of both bows. This is the hardest
part of fitting, but if you go slowly, you can put the canopy on with no
more
than rubber edger on front and back, get a sealed fit that requires no
flashing to compensate for over-cutting.
Do take a look at my canopy page and note the progression of the canopy
pictures. They tell the story of how the structure is first put together
and the steps of trimming and fitting the front and back edges. Once
the perimeter is in place with correct bow contact and gap front and
rear, you fit the rubber trim to check the set on the skins. Then
proceed to mark the bows for screw holes with the ink marker and then copy
those thru the plexiglass for the drilling. Take the time to examine
contacts all round and fit front and back many times as you prepare for
drilling.
From there out, the progression is intuitive. I always found it takes
two sets of hands to place the canopy with the wings off held at the sides.
You'll probably put it on and take it off a dozen times or more over a
period of a couple of weeks before drilling any holes.
I hope this is helpful, but if you have questions, please ask. (sample
links below)
http://www.macsmachine.com/images/canopy/full/cnpyrailcover.gif
http://www.macsmachine.com/images/canopy/full/canopyframeup.gif
http://www.macsmachine.com/images/canopy/full/canopyset.gif
Larry C. McFarland - 601HDS at www.macsmachine.com
ERIC TINGEY wrote:
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