welding compression tubes

[Nick]

Good Evening Gents! And the very best of the season to you all. Not much flying around here these days, too rainy! So plenty of time in the workshop instead.

I'm working on my upper wings now, and I just keep thinking there's got to be a good way to jig up those compression tube end fittings so they are properly centred and perfectly aligned, but my brain racking has come up with nothing. So I turn to you. Is there a better way? Right now I clamp a fitting on with an edge clamp, then measure, tap, measure, tap until it seems to be just right, then tack weld. Do the same thing on the other end, being careful to make sure both ends are aligned with each other. It takes forever.

Has anyone come up with a clever way of jigging this?

Nick

[Bitshifter]

Nick,
This is a very late reply but it might help someone else.
I used this method for the struts with two 3/16 holes and for the others I drilled a 3/16 hole in one end and ran the threaded rod through the 5/16 24 side and then through the 3/16 hole.
After I was done I welded up the hole.
It was very easy to clamp the brackets and the tube and I could set them on the table to get everything flat.
http://edwinwhite.com/gallery/index.php ... s/P1060466

Ed

[JBMoore]

I used the same method as Ed.
After I finished, I studied how Jim Wright did his and he used a completely different design.
On our plans, the end struts have a threaded insert in the end of the tube and the bracket isn't welded on. A bolt goes through the spar, the bracket and into the tube insert to hold everything together. He did his inner compression tubes in the same fashion using one bolt instead of the two small bolts.
Now this is a change so you'll wind up changing other things because of. The bends in the bracket will need to be closer to the tube, the angle will change, the wires will hit in places, etc. so think it through first.

Good luck,

Jeff Moore