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SkyHog

SkyHog

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Feb 23, 2005
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Castle Rock, CO
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Everything Offends Me
The rest of my tools are on the way (ordered earlier this week), but today I went to Harbor Freight and picked up my new air compressor....in a few weeks time, I'll be ready to order the first part of the RV7A.....

This bad boy is 21 gallons large, with around 5hp if I remember correctly. I also bought a bunch of pneumatic tools like an impact gun, a ratchet, a hammer, etc. Much fun coming in the few weeks until I start to form an airplane in my garage.

I need a name for my workshop. My friends recommended "Drunk Works" but somehow I don't think that's a very worthy name (I don't plan on working on my plane while drunk). That'll be next (after finishing up cleaning out the garage).
 

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I'm sure I missed it but what did you do with the other kit you purchased and started?
 
Nice first step, Nick! You will soon learn to love the sputter sputter of the air compressor in your ears at night. :) We, too, made our first 'workshop' purchase to be a H.F. air compressor.

I know I will get flamed for this, but I really don't care -- it worked for me: Harbor Freight will be your friend through the process. Yes, I know they are selling "cheap chinese crap", but it all has the same warranty as the "expensive U.S. crap" these days. I have busted more Craftsman ratchets in the past year than any of the H.F. 'Pittsburgh' lines of tools. BUT, not to get off topic -- H.F. is a great stop for those 'just need to use it once' type of tools - weird sized vice grips, 3' skinny center punch, weird magnet things to help pick up dropped pieces inside the wing, etc. etc. While you can get better quality "use it for 30 years" tools, H.F. is a great inexpensive place to get the tools you'll only need to get you through the next step of the build process. Oh yeah, and their HVLP spray guns are great and highly recommended by me AND the body shop that painted our plane.

Can't wait to follow the build process!!!
 
CJones said:
Nice first step, Nick! You will soon learn to love the sputter sputter of the air compressor in your ears at night. :) We, too, made our first 'workshop' purchase to be a H.F. air compressor.

I know I will get flamed for this, but I really don't care -- it worked for me: Harbor Freight will be your friend through the process. Yes, I know they are selling "cheap chinese crap", but it all has the same warranty as the "expensive U.S. crap" these days. I have busted more Craftsman ratchets in the past year than any of the H.F. 'Pittsburgh' lines of tools. BUT, not to get off topic -- H.F. is a great stop for those 'just need to use it once' type of tools - weird sized vice grips, 3' skinny center punch, weird magnet things to help pick up dropped pieces inside the wing, etc. etc. While you can get better quality "use it for 30 years" tools, H.F. is a great inexpensive place to get the tools you'll only need to get you through the next step of the build process. Oh yeah, and their HVLP spray guns are great and highly recommended by me AND the body shop that painted our plane.

Can't wait to follow the build process!!!
Click to expand...

I always tell owners to buy cheap tools,, I'd rather they break the tool / it's cheaper to break the tool, than than the aircraft.

Buy the very best ratchet screwdriver you can find, and the best replacable tip you can. because the tip will wear, and strip screw heads, then replace the tip.

I have
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=13204&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

with various tips.
 
Nick,

Coming from someone that's seen the process all the way through to the end (if there really IS an end) I suggest calling it.....


"The Torture Chamber!!"


(Be sure to include the exclamation marks.)
 
kevin47881 said:
I'm sure I missed it but what did you do with the other kit you purchased and started?
Click to expand...
:(

I broke it, badly. Combination of wood working, and plans building vs. Kitbuilding, methinks.

FWIW, though, I noticed even after i built it that it was not very sturdy (my doing probably), and would have likely broken up in mid air.

I like "Torture Chamber!!!!," and I like "Nick's Nook"

We'll have to see what name sticks to the wall.
 
The place with the broken Harbor Freight compressor.
 
Dr. Pepper Air Park
 
Ditto Tom's comment about cheaper tools. Plus, if there's anything worse than breaking or having a cheap tool not work well, it's breaking an expensive tool or not having it work well.
Compressorwise, the paint company recommended about a 300 pound, 6' high, expensive and cumbersome monster for proper painting. I said to myself, WT_?!?

And then I called a guy with waterborne paint experience who said a 5 gallon one like I got at Shucks would be fine, and it has produced excellent finishes on the tail feathers for 1/7th the price, can be quickly rolled with one hand to outside the shop for noise reduction, and can be replaced in an hour if it ever breaks. It was the same type of scenario leading to the eventual satisfactory use of a cheaper model paint sprayer from Home Depot.
 
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Move the compressor outside... :D

I've got a dual stage compressor from Lowe's that I picked up a couple years ago... it was the largest 110V one they had... it's fairly nice and quiet, but after a while I get sick of listening to it and roll it outside of the garage.

The best part is you can now scare your neighbors by hammering rivits as they walk past... :D
 
SkyHog said:
The rest of my tools are on the way (ordered earlier this week), but today I went to Harbor Freight and picked up my new air compressor....in a few weeks time, I'll be ready to order the first part of the RV7A.....

This bad boy is 21 gallons large, with around 5hp if I remember correctly. I also bought a bunch of pneumatic tools like an impact gun, a ratchet, a hammer, etc. Much fun coming in the few weeks until I start to form an airplane in my garage.

I need a name for my workshop. My friends recommended "Drunk Works" but somehow I don't think that's a very worthy name (I don't plan on working on my plane while drunk). That'll be next (after finishing up cleaning out the garage).
Click to expand...
Nick's Hog Pen
 
I know you have your reasons for selecting the airplane you did, but my money would go for an RV7 over a 7A. Tailwheels have so much more panache!
 
Ken Ibold said:
I know you have your reasons for selecting the airplane you did, but my money would go for an RV7 over a 7A. Tailwheels have so much more panache!
Click to expand...

Seconded. And, while we're at it, make mine an 8!
 
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