I never thought it would take this long to get to this stage. Anyway, the kit should start moving out of the trailer and into the shop next week. Those are 1.75 X 7.5 X 14' LVL longitudinal supports with MDF on top. You don't need them that stout. I'd suggest the 1.75 by 5.5 LVLs instead. This table is HEAVY. The drawers in the ends and the carpenter's vice came to me in a flash of insight. I can free up a couple of large drawers in my tool chest with those. If I had it to do over I'd make it 12' instead of 14'. It's a monster. If I get some excess energy I'll shorten it one of these fine Saturdays. The center legs do not touch the floor....the garage floor is that dippy. I have 1" captive ball bearing casters on each leg. They won't roll over the seams in the floor but they otherwise move the table extremely well. I have leg leveler's to install to pin the table down and make sure it's all straight. There is one eights inch difference end to end on the diagonals. Not bad.

Wow! That is a fantastic table!

G44

Very well done. The drawers and vice are a great idea...you might end up liking that extra 2'...when I built my plane ( not my current flyer). I had a 12' table and always needed another small table to assemble, fabricate and otherwise get ready, other components of the plane...you can do that on the end with your drawers and vice.

I have another kit on the way, deposit paid for a Zenith CH 750 CruZer...with a couple of modifications...I'll be using the CH 750 STOL version landing gear and VG's on the wing and under the H Stab...should have the best of both worlds...a little speed and still some off airport use.

Good luck with your project...building an airplane is amazingly fulfilling.

Don...

Jeez dude... why you buildin' a metal airplane... looks like you already just built a Falco

Excellent table. Looks like it would be good for several aircraft projects. You know what that means ~

Take the vise and round off the upper edges of the jaws to a 1/8" radius. Or make up some jaw inserts that have a radius. There will probably be dozens of little parts that you can bend right in that vise with your hands or a little mallet, in less time than using a larger brake.

Excellent plan, excellent EZ! I've been puzzling a small brake. I may draw those up and send them out to a machine shop. For a few bends though, I think a slab of Beech or Hickory might work too. I can make those in the shop.

I have to say that a Falco has always, as in as long as I've been flying, been on my list of favorites. I'm equipped for it except I need maybe another thousand clamps. The one car side of the three car garage has the Powermatic 66, DeWalt RAS, Delta jointer, planer, and drill press. The 1923 Boice Crane 14" band saw, and the disk and belt sander. All of my tools are as old as possible except the planer. I had a 1952 Powermatic mod 72 14" table saw that was a real joy but it was just too big. I had to trade it for a modern mod 66. There is no comparison. For those looking to acquire a good table saw look for a pea green model 66 Powermatic or a Unisaw with a cast iron base from the '40s or '50s. That's when American tools were at their best.

Anyway, I've got the components gathered for a pair of Altec Voice of the Theater speakers to keep things rocking out there. I'm going to knock together the boxes before we get filled up with airplane parts. They put out 101db SPL at one watt one meter so I'll be able to hear Pink Floyd ok. You know?

Now what I'm about to tell you is definitely cheating, lower class, wrong side of the tracks, and will absolutely piss off a LOT of people who actually went through sheet metal layout class...

When you're making little brackets, and tabs, and other minor parts with bends or flanges in them, here's a trick to save you some time. Time that adds up on a large project.

Save all your scraps, put them into different size categories. Palm sized scraps in this box, book sized scraps in that box, etc..

Make the bend first, lay out the part second. As an example, take one of your scraps, and put a bend in the middle of it, 90 degrees, 1/8 radius, pretty standard stuff on a Zenith. using a carpenter's square or T-square, you can hold the square against the bend, and easily measure out the "developed length" or "finished dimension" with a marker directly on the part. The T-square will measure out the part, inclusive of "bend allowance", and without having to fiddle with the "setback" adjustment on the brake. You also won't ruin one or two parts before you get the finished dimension right.

Of course, this will only really work on 90 degree bends, and only in places where you don't need to put a bend in a part that already has been drilled or fit on the other end. It's best for making up smaller, simpler parts. But imagine if you had 20 or 30 little scrap pieces of various sizes and thicknesses, all with ready-made 90 degree bends in them... you could save significant time and make better use of the scraps.

Great table! I built a couple 8 footers about 20 years ago, when I was doing a set of Gullwing Stinson wings, and made provisions for them to bolt together end to end for a 16'. One of the handiest things I ever did! They're still in use to this day, one on each end of my shop, and both together if I have something long to work on. When screwed to the floor, they become pretty rigid, and have been used that way for a J3 fuselage "jig". (wooden floors in the shop have many advantages!)
Another "tip" to add to EZ's bend allowance tip is to save those scraps and use them as a "bull nose" in your break to provide a more generous radius to the bend you're doing. Lots cheaper, quicker and easier than messing around with extra brake noses and plates.
One thing that I did on a few tables like that was to mark a center line from one end to the other as well as a few from side to side, marking them with an ink line, and then putting a finish like varathane over the whole table top. They're sure handy to have and will help with lining stuff up and measuring, and the finish keeps them fresh and sharp.
Can't wait to see progress on the project!
John

Mister701 wrote:
I have to say that a Falco has always, as in as long as I've been flying, been on my list of favorites. I'm equipped for it except I need maybe another thousand clamps.

One of my favorites too. That's why I'm building one. You might need a longer table though, in addition to those 1000 clamps. Otherwise whats stopping you? The plans and construction manual for the Falco are now FREE. Alfred Scott has made them available for free download. Check em out at http://www.seqair.com

Of course, you will be flying that 701 long before I fly my Falco...