Main landing gear mounts bushings (aka: LMGAB) (15.0 hrs)
Let me just state the obvious up front: “If you are in a hurry to complete and fly your Long EZ, DO NOT even think of machining your own parts!” (unless you are a machinist).
With that out of the way, I just spent a very enjoyable (and long) three days making my own landing gear bushings out of raw steel bar stock.
Turning a useless, slightly oxidized bar, into very useful, shiny new bushings, has been a slightly frustrating, but mostly rewarding experience. It might be of interest to know that in the process of making the LMGABs, I had to throw away two partially formed ones, because I accidentally cut them too deep. Nevertheless, Miss Lathe and I have since developed a much needed understanding of each other’s limitations.
This Spring has been unusually warm, so I have taken on the habit of working in my shop/garage with all doors open. Since I’ve been spending most of my time in there, I have become the object of many of my neighbors’ curiosity, as they stroll by my house. One of the regulars is Ralph, a 15 year old boy who lives two doors down, who has taken an interest not only in the plane, but also in the machining of its metal components.
Last night he walked in as usual, full of well thought out questions, just as I was working on my last bushing. So, I decided to let him experience what it's like, by putting him to work on the lathe. He followed directions very well, and did a great job boring the hole in incremental drill sizes, up to the 3/8” final dimension. He seemed to have had a good time; we’ll see if he ever stops by again.
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| Ralph running the lathe |
The steps involved in making LMGABs are exactly the same as those I showed in the videos of “Tooling up” - Part 3, so I’ll skip the description and go straight to the end pictures here.
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| "Quadruplets... I'm so proud!" |
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