Steve's Shavings for August 2013

Where were you on Saturday, July 20, 2013, from 6:30-8:30? If you were not at the special Toys 4 Tots Pig Picking organized by T4T Chair Fred Ford with BBQ pork and all the fixings provided by Pete Hodges in Bond Pard, Cary, NC you missed a most special occasion. Many thanks to Fred, Pete, and others who helped setup, provide desserts, Show & Tell, and cleanup. Maybe this should become a TWA/T4T tradition?

Schedule of Upcoming TWA Events
August 20, 2013, Tuesday @ 7-9PM--TWA Regular meeting at Klingspor & Election of New Board Members
August 22, 2013, Thursday @ 7-9PM--TWA Board of Directors & Committee Chair Meeting at home of Fred Ford, 902 Queensferry Rd., Cary, (TWA Members welcome) Election of Officers, Budget Review, Program Planning and other business
DUES ARE NOW DUE for FY 2013-2014, see Kay Baker to renew your membership.

Woodworking at Oshkosh AirVenture 2013
One item that has been on my bucket list for decades has been to travel to Oshkosh, WI for the internationally famous EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) AirVenture. During the last week of July and first week of August, 2013 I was able to travel over 2300 miles in our, new to us, motor home to AirVenture (#60) 2013. Oshkosh is truly the Mecca for any aircraft and flying enthusiast. For eight days we dry camped in the world’s largest (200 acres) temporary campground (Camp Scholler) and watched thousands of every type of aircraft imaginable land at the world’s busiest airport. What does all this have to do with woodworking?
    The original Wright Flyer Aeroplane structure was constructed of wood as were many other aircraft from the biplanes of the barnstorming era to the famous Hughes Aircraft “Spruce Goose” that continues to be one of the world’s largest airplane. [Note: The “Spruce Goose” was constructed mostly of birch.] I’m sure many will remember putting together and throwing a balsam wood toy plane kit in our youth. Even today, one can obtain plans to build an experimental aircraft from wood. While attending AirVenture, I was able to take in some workshops on using wood when building an aircraft.
    

    My first stop was at The Acro Sports, Inc. display and construction demonstration. I have always been fond of biplanes and now I have a favorite; The Acro II, an open cockpit aerobatic two seater biplane that is constructed of chromoly steel, spruce, and fabric with a laminated maple prop. It turns out that the Acro Sports Biplanes were designed by EAA founder and long time president, Paul H. Poberezny. Spruce is used to give the fuselage graceful lines and to construct the spars and ribs used in the wings.
    Why has Sitka Spruce become the preferred wood used in aircraft construction? There are multiple reasons including: light weight and high strength (high strength to weight ratio), very uniform, reasonably available, easy to form and shape, ability to handle bending loads during aerobatics, and it resists fatigue better than metal. Aircraft grade Sitka Spruce is less plentiful today and some aircraft builders substitute Douglas Fir, White Pine, and Western Hemlock. However, since these substitute woods have different strength and weight properties, design adjustments are required. Wood used in aircraft construction usually must comply with Mil-Spec-6073. Aircraft wood must be; free and clear of any defects, contain at least 6 rings per inch, straight grained, and quarter sawn.
    While attending a wood wing spar workshop, I found it quite interesting that almost exclusively, the preferred or recommended adhesive for joining and laminating is System Three T-88 Structural Epoxy Adhesive that is readily available from most woodworking suppliers. T-88 is a two part epoxy with good adhesion; unaffected by water, oil, gas, and most chemicals; immune to fungus and rot; cures without shrinking; requires light clamping pressure; and remains non-brittle. Gussets, cut from 1/16 inch baltic birch plywood, are applied to reinforce all wood joints using T-88. Strips of wood required for bending are simply soaked in a water bucket overnight and clamped in a wooden form until dry.
    Tools typically used include; bandsaw, belt and disc sander, snips/knife, many small clamps, and lots of patience. I found it quite amazing to see teenagers and adults alike building wooden spars during the EAA workshops. Seems wood is still being used and to some, the preferred method of aircraft construction.
    It was most interesting to observe the construction and shaping of wooden propellers. Wooden props are typically made from 1/16 inch laminated maple and shaped using a bandsaw, spokeshaves, and various sanders that follow patterns developed decades ago. Not once did I observe the use of a handplane when constructing the parts of a plane, go figure. Of course there are many more stories about the 2300 mile trip to Oshkosh, WI but I will save that for later.

Thanks!
It has been an honor to serve as your TWA President for the past year and I look forward to continuing to serve TWA as a board member. Due to a scheduling and travel conflict, I will be unable to attend the August TWA Regular Meeting or the Board of Directors Meeting but Jeff Leimberger, V. P., will provide most able leadership at these upcoming meetings.
    I will continue to contribute an occasional TWA Newsletter article entitled “Members Corner.” There are two article almost complete and if you would like to participate, please let me know.
    As always your comments, suggestions, and recommendations are welcome; just send me an email: stevejsteinbeck@gmail.com.

Now let’s get busy making some wood shavings.
President: Steve Steinbeck