The Pedal Gee Bee

Time Spent: 2.25
Total Time: 4.5

Second night of dedicated work on the Gee Bee and I’m feeling pretty good about it. Built a plan board which allows me to keep the full sheet plans out and visible for reference without searching through pattern cut-outs. Cut 11 more plywood pieces consisting of most of the internal doublers, panel caps, and one of the wheel cover outer-layers. I would have cut out the next three, but it was getting late, and my band saw is LOUD, very loud. The parts stack is getting measurably bigger. That lends at least a little sense of accomplishment. I’m getting better with the band saw. Curves are relatively easy once you learn to anticipate the flex of the blade and know how to pivot the piece using your hands independently. What’s difficult is trying to cut a straight line on a tool designed for curves. I suppose I could use a straight edge and my cordless circular saw but that would be time consuming and tedious. From what I can gather from the plans there is enough “open end” to handle the variation.

Time Spent: 2.25 hours
Total Time: 2.25 hours

It has been said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That’s how it felt tonight as construction officially began on the Gee Bee. I cut out the fuselage, seat, seat back, and wings tonight. I started with the jig saw, but found that the band saw does better, more even-radious curves. DUH!… That’s what it’s made for.

So. It begins. Whether it will be done for my children or my Grandchildren is yet to be seen. I so desperately want to do this. Not Only for Sydney, but for me. I need a “win”, something tangible.

Hopefully, somewhere up there, Grandpa’s smiling. Thanks Grandpa.

Jig building is something that you don’t really appreciate until you gain little experience woodworking. You’ll realize that all woodworking is simply variations on one of 5 themes. You’re either drawing, cutting, routing, gluing or finishing in some manner. And a lot of times your doing the exact same thing on this project that you did on some other project. Then it becomes painfully obvious when, where, and why you need them. To make it safe, straight, square, exact and quickly repeatable, you need a jig. I built a couple for this project that the plans don’t mention. These along with the ones already in my shop greatly enhanced the build. You’d find all of them hanging somewhere in every woodworkers shop.

• Dado depth jig – Man, this one’s so simple you’re crazy not to build one. It lets you quickly adjust your router’s depth to precisely what you want. It’s simply a piece of hard maple routed to successively deeper depths. Each one is marked. Set you router on top of the depth you need, adjust the plunge mechanism on your router until the bit bottoms out, and away you go.
• Dado straight edge guide – This jig comes in so many flavors and shapes that a pro woodworker has a lot of them. I have the flip-top version, and it works great for me. Mark both shoulders of your dado on the work piece, place the flip top edge of the jig exactly on the far dado shoulder, clamp, flip the top, and rout away.
• Router table – OK, this isn’t really a jig, it’s a tool, but it fits the above “jig” definition. Mine’s come in extremely handy for three things: 1. Rounding the edges of the pieces that need rounding (a lot) ; 2. Chamfering the pieces that get a 45 degree chamfer; 3. Template routing identical pieces for everything that’s layered-up or sandwiched.

You’ll be able to cut and assemble the entire project with a jigsaw, an electric drill, a circular saw, Philips screwdrivers, a socket set, various grades of sandpaper, and glue. This should be considered the minimum you’ll need. Quite frankly, as I’m building this project, I don’t think I’d finish satisfactorily without a few more to either speed up/secure the assembly process or ensure a little more accuracy in the cuts. I didn’t need to buy most of what I suggest here. I either inherited it or already owned it. Do not feel that in order to complete this project, you’ll need $2,000 in woodworking equipment. You don’t. (But it will sure help!) What I suggest in addition to the above tools are the following:

• Band saw with at least 12” capacity - Having a band saw makes the entire cutout process much more accurate, not to mention faster. Instead of one hand holding the jig saw and one on the work piece, you’ve got a stationary blade and two hands on the work piece. A correctly tuned band saw produces little if any vibration, which leads to both smoother curves and a less ragged cut. Smoother cuts mean that there’s less post-cut sanding, and therefore, less chance to remove wood that you really need to make a joint of correct proportions. Finally, without a band saw, you’ll have to improvise some jig for your router or jig saw to repetitively cut all the cowl ribs you’ll need. I’ve got a 12” Sears freestanding model that I inherited from my Grandfather.
• Drill press – A drill press ensures perpendicular and straight holes. If you haven’t looked at the plans yet, you’ll be drilling a lot of them. Furthermore you’ll be drilling a lot of them on separate pieces that can’t be drilled together, but will need to eventually line up. So accuracy is at a premium. You could probably get away with buying a press attachment for your electric hand drill but a drill press makes it immensely easier. I bought a 12” Ryobi benchtop. It’s perfect for everything in this project EXCEPT TURNING THE NOSEPLATE! You’ll need at least a 12” drill press to turn the nose plate, since the final diameter of the pine laminations is x.xx” before sanding.
• Circle cutting jig for your band saw, or better, one for your router - The cowl is EASILY the most complex part of the assembly process. If your nose plate or firewall is the least bit out-of-round, you’re going to wind up with an oval cowl. Seeing as how the bulbous, caricature-like nose of the Gee Bee is the natural focal point of the aircraft, it pays to be extra precise here. You’ll spend 10+ hours on the cowl alone. With the cutting of these parts in the first half-hour and final ‘roundness examination’ at the cowl’s completion, that’s 9 hours worth of work scrapped if it doesn’t come out right. My advice: Spend the $30 for a router jig (or build one) and remove the doubt altogether. A Jasper 230 gives you largest practical range but it’s tough to find. I settled for a Jasper 200.
• Table saw with a left tilt – My Delta 36-300 table saw, unfortunately, has a right tilt. I’ll basically have to reengineer a couple of the cowl rib fixtures to get around this. Imagine building the fixtures while looking at the plans in a mirror and you get the idea. Save yourself the trouble. If you’re buying a table saw in conjunction with this project, buy a one with a left tilt.
• Compass that can draw 14” circles – You know… like the ones you used in grade school, only bigger and beefier. There are several places where being able to draw a circular reference line of 6”+ radius is extremely handy.
• Polyurethane Glue – There are several joints that are going to receive a larger share of either the twisting or weight-bearing load. Usually these joints are inside the structure or will be hidden with the aluminum covers. There are also sections where you’ll be laminating (“sandwiching”) several layers together to build a larger part. Use the polyurethane glue in these cases. All of the major urethanes are infinitely stronger than standard carpenter’s wood glue, and they’re waterproof to boot. However, you must keep some things in mind when using them. First, they foam as they cure (by design) and will expand out of the joint no matter how well you fitted the parts. So you’ll need to be sparing in your glue-up, and sand any dried ooze afterward. Second, you’ll need lacquer thinner to get it off your hands. And finally, if you give this stuff an hour or so to cure in a correctly fitting joint, the parts ARE NOT coming apart…EVER. You’ll snap the wood itself before the joint fails.
• Clamps – You’ll need a bunch, but you don’t have to spend a fortune on them. Knock-off import clamps will do here. You’re not building Chippendale furniture. I’ve got about a dozen C-clamps of assorted sizes, 2 bar claps, 4 spring-type clamps, and 4 ratcheting spring clamps. The old woodworking maxim is “You can never have enough clamps”. I’m learning that more and more, but I’ve found the above collection adequate for this project.

On the support kits:
Unless you build aircraft, custom cars, or custom choppers for a living, GET THEM.

I’m fairly handy, and I wouldn’t find it too difficult to bend and cut the conduit to the dimensions given in the plans. On the same token, I wouldn’t have too much difficulty locating the hardware (except the bearings) in various hardware stores or the Internet. I even have a Father-in-law who could probably bend the ¾” cold-rolled steel into the shape I need for a crank. However, there is ABSOLUTLY NO QUESTION that I couldn’t fabricate the aluminum covers and windshield frame to the quality that Aviation Products, Inc. did. “Oh come on! It’s just sheet aluminum!” you say. Yeah right, the rear covers have gracefully smooth curves in two axis as it sweeps toward the tail. I can’t come close replicating that, and I bet you can’t either. Don’t fool yourself. Admit you don’t know how to work an english wheel or a hammer shaper and get the kits. Your sanity and hair will thank you.

The text of the plans is amazingly thorough. I didn’t think that at first, but now that I’m assembling the Gee Bee I’ve come to appreciate their completeness. There were numerous places (too many to count actually) where in the midst of assembly, I’d doubt a particular step, and the combination of re-reading the text and looking at the plans removed all confusion. When in doubt, step back, re-read the instructions, and ponder the drawings over a beer. Works for me, every time.

Something that I found advantageous to do is to go through the plans and identify distinct sub assemblies beforehand. Things such as the wheel covers, the gear, the nose plate, and the firewall are assembled prior to their attachment to larger whole. Therefore, work on these assemblies can commence in parallel with the fuselage. The only thing you need to do is completely read and understand the instructions so that you’re aware of how the assembly attaches before setting out on a sub-assembly. Otherwise you’ll end up wasting wood and effort. Take notes and document your work, not only so you don’t forget what you’ve done so far, but so that when it’s all done you can take pride in the individual accomplishments along the way. My Grandfather did it, I’m doing it, and I encourage you do it to.

I do have one beef about the plans. I have two sets of them. One set of sheets hang un-cut on a plan board for reference, and the other was cut up for pattern transfer. One set I purchased at EAA in Oshkosh, the other I ordered through the website at a later date. The physical difference in the plan sheets is a full 1/8th of an inch! I didn’t realize this until some of the parts weren’t mating up like they should. Let’s just say I doubted myself, my tools, and the instructions, in that order. Once I recognized the problem, I began drawing the parts to dimension myself without using the plans as templates. Since I didn’t go back and re-cut numerous pieces, I’ve got some non-square corners and joints to show for it all. However, on the whole, there’s enough “fudge” in the entire project to make up for these minor size differences. A little sanding here, a little glue there and you probably won’t notice a difference.

I’m an IT guy by trade, specifically: web application design. I spend all day wrangling electronic bits of information into meaningful herds on someone’s screen. It’s a amazingly ethereal and modern profession, requiring a certain level of skill and artistry to pull off. I enjoy it, for the most part, but at the end of the day I’ve got nothing to show my family and friends and say, “I built that”.

I also had a grandfather who loved to work with wood. He may not have been the greatest woodworker there ever was, but as a kid I was always fascinated with the latest thing he created when we’d visit. When I showed everyone the plans for the Gee Bee, he was the only person who not only got excited for me, but wanted to help in any way he could (even though he was very ill). I wish I could have built it with him. Unfortunately, he passed away before construction ever began, and before he could build any toys for his great grandchildren.

His woodworking tools, homebuilt jigs, and creative spirit were passed unto me. For that, I am eternally grateful. While he can’t do any of the actual drawing, cutting, gluing, he’s still here in my shop… and he still lends a hand.

About this Blog:
When I first set off on this project, being the IT guy I am, I scoured the web looking for people who built this before. There were a few sites, and I’ve credited them in this document. However, none of them actually described in detail, the building, hidden gottchas, or possible improvements of the process. This document is meant to, in part, satisfy that need for anyone else who wants to build these for their kids. So if this document helps you out, or your building one of the pedal plane kits, let me know. I’d be happy to hear from you!

Since this is really a log of sorts, and you’ll notice that there are places in here where I talk about myself, my job, my family or other things. Realize that this project was as much for myself as it was for my kids and grandfather. It turned into more than a woodworking project. It was therapy. It was a place and a task to focus on, forgetting all of the things that troubled me.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE AND USAGE REQUEST
This work is, of course, copyright ã Christopher D. Engel 2005.

This blogis entirely my own idea and has in no way been sanctioned or authorized by Aviation Products, Inc. (http://www.pedalplanekits.com) or any other persons responsible for the creation, production, and distribution of the plans/kits. Any errors contained herein are entirely my own; use at your own risk.

Contacting the author: If you want to get in touch with me for some reason about this document, please feel free to do so using cdengel@gmail.com. However, before you send me email, there are a few things you can do to make my life easier. And, if you make my life easier, I'll be more likely to respond sooner.

• PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure there is a subject line to the email. There is far too much spam and viruses that are distributed through email, and unless there is a clear subject line, your email will be deleted before I even see it. Does this mean you have to write the body of the email in the subject line? No. Just ‘Gee Bee question’ or something with ‘Gee Bee’ in the subject so I know it's not malicious.
  
• On the same note, email over 20k is also deleted automatically, for the same reasons as listed above. I haven't seen any legitimate questions over 1-5 k big, so that shouldn't be a problem.
  
• If you point out something I screwed up on (which I do, on rare occasions), that's great. If I've been too vague or loose in my descriptions, making it hard to read/understand, let me know. I’ll credit you in the next version.