I need some "how-to" advice......

[lrogers]

.....and better place to come ask for it! As you'll recall, I'm starting a new scale helo project. The full size Sea King has the main rotor mast tipped a few degrees forward and the mast on my model will too. To get this tilt, the two main wood blocks that the helicopter's frames mount on, get beveled slightly. These "beams" are 9" long x 3/4" wide x 3/8" thick. While I haven't determined the exact amount of bevel yet (the manual says slight) I'm guessing it will be 1/8" or less over the length of 9".

Both pieces have to be the exactly the same and the beveled face has to be plumb and square to sides and bottom..

Now, what I've thought of is this:
make a sled from a scrap piece of stock
glue a "box" to it that the mounting beams will fit snuggly in
raise one end of the beams an 1/8" (or whatever it comes out to be) by using a shim
run it through the planner until the bevel is how I want it.

Am I on the right track? Is there a simpler way to do this (I usually think of the easier way AFTER doing it the hard way)? I also thought of using a taper jig and the bandsaw, but was wary of blade drift. I think the pieces are too small to even consider the BT3.

Any and all suggestions will be appreciated!

[Uncle Cracker]

You might think about using the taper jig on the BT3. No blade drift there. If small part size is a concern, you could possibly make the bevel cut on a larger, more manageable workpiece, and then cut it down to size after.

[MikeMcCoy]

Hey Larry -- If I'm following what you're trying to do ..... if you have access to a scroll saw or someone who does, what I think you're trying to do can be done with the tilting table and real accurate in the hands of someone that knows how to use it.

[crokett]

Why couldn't you use a jointer? joint the piece square on 3 sides, then set the fence for for the amount of bevel you need and joint it.

[Black wallnut]

Larry, as long as you will be planing with the grain I think your solution will give the cleanest cut. I've plenty of experience in using my tapering jig with the ts and with safe blade elevation the start of the taper is never 90° to the side of the piece.

[TCAS]

Forward mast tilt ranges between 3 to 5 degrees for most helicopters that utilize it. The tilt is there to relieve the mast moment (bending) and to prevent a large drag coefficents from a nose down attitude during cruise flight.

The amount of material you need to remove is closer to a 1/16 of an inch over the length of 9 inches. To remove this small amount I suggest that you just sand away the material using a sanding block and a straight edge.

[LCHIEN]

I think a belt sander, like the stationary benchtop 6" disk, 4" belt sander will do well for you is a small fraction of an inch is all you need to remove. That's what I'd do. Bear down of one end until the amount is shaved off.
You can mark both sides with a pencil line and sand away until it meets the line. the sander belt bed will keep the edge perfectly straight.

Another way of doing it if you're not starting from a 9" x 3/4" x 3/8" piece is to use the TS and taper jig to offcut that piece from a larger piece.

I'm getting a rise of about .628" at a distance of 9" length for 4 degrees. Not 1/16th inch (well, 1/16th inch per inch) someone stated. You can't do that on a piece 3/8" high. did I miss something?

[lrogers]

Well, this is getting more interesting by the moment! I took a protractor to the one drawing I have that shows the forward tilt and it was 3 degrees; good call TCAS!

Next I took one of the mounting beams and set a protractor on it. To get the 3 degrees I need, the back end of the beam needed to be shimmed 3/8". Looks to me like I'm going to have to take the forward edge of the beam down to about nothing! Not sure I like that!

Maybe the better course would be a combination of a lesser taper and a small shim on the backside. Or maybe better yet, since I will have four contact points between the frame and mounting rail, maybe I could just notch the forward end of the rail.
What do you think?

Good batch of ideas so far, I knew I could count on you guys!

[LCHIEN]

don't you want the motors locally shimmed 3 degrees?
If you slope the whole mounting beam with a single shim then the rear motor will set higher than the front.

Of course, I'm sitting here with no notion of what the beam looks like or how the motors mount.

[lrogers]

No Loring, that would not be the case with this model. The tail rotor will be connected via a flex drive cable, like that used in weedeaters or speedometers. Tipping the entire main frame will actually give me a smoother path for the cable back to the tail.

For a better idea of what I'm building, take a look at www.tottoshobby.net , Totto is a great modeler in Norway who has also built a Sea King (LOT's of great photos and video clips). He chose to build his with out the forward mast tilt. It will fly either way, I just want to go a bit more like full scale. His site is all in Norwegian so look on the left side for a word like "skala" and click on it.

[TCAS]

For grins and giggles cut or sand yourself a new mounting block that is 9 inches long X 3/8" thick at one end and between 1/4" to 5/16" thick on the other end. If you want a meatier block for strength start with a 7/16" - 1/2" thick piece of stock and cut or sand the other end to 3/8".

My guesstimate is that your mast will be TLAR* for scale with an approximately 3 degree forward tilt.

*TLAR = That Looks About Right

[lrogers]

I was thinking about doing exactly that! Thought I could start with larger stock so I could safely use the taper jig and table saw and then cut it back down to the size I need.

As for the "TLAR", the "Copter Doctor" (award winning scale pilot/builder, Emile Sheriff) said that was the methode he used! He didn't know how far forward it was tipped, he just tipped until "it looked right"!

He has built a beautiful Sea King in US NAVY SAR colors. He also builds some gorgous scale landing gear struts and is building a set for my Sea King. In one picture, he even has a set of scale wheel chocks in place. The paint/markings on the chocks is "beat-up", just like the full scale ones would be after several years use. He is a master!

Boy, have I got a lot to learn yet.

[TCAS]

Boy, have I got a lot to learn yet.

LOL... you think you have a lot to learn, I'm still trying to decide what my first real RC helicopter should be after countless hours flying an RC helicopter sim and messing around with a Honey Bee for the last few months.

After much research I'm leaning toward an T-Rex 450SE-V2 with a Futaba radio rig. Somewhere, sometime down the road I see a scale MD-500E and way way down the road a super scale HH-60G Pave Hawk.

... and my wife thought woodworking (or is it tool collecting?) was an expensive hobby!

[Uncle Cracker]

OMG Larry... He's one of you...

[lrogers]

TCAS, you are in luck! Align has just released a nice 500E fuselage. I think I'm going to get one as soon as I find one in stock! The T-Rex is a nice flying helo, but is a bit twitchier than the bigger models. However, if you can fly the Honey Bee, you'll have no trouble.

Uncle "C", look out man, we're everywhere!