| ZENITH AIRCRAFT KIT ASSEMBLY |
Getting Started
Tools and Workshop
Following is a brief summary of the required workshop,
workbench and tools required to build your Zenith Aircraft kit:
[Tools available from Zenith Aircraft Company]
YOUR WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP SPACE: Basically, all you need is a strong
level workbench, with work space around the table. A basement or single car garage will
provide plenty of room for most assemblies. Prepare the workshop before you get started,
and clear away other clutter from your workspace. You don't need a temperature controlled
or dust-free environment - just an area you can comfortably work in. Assembly of a kit is
a fairly quiet process (you won't drive your family or neighbors away).
| Recommended table size: 12' x 4', which will
fit in a single-car garage or basement workshop. You can easily build a workbench with
particle board or plywood (3/4" thickness) and support beams. Make sure that the
workbench is sturdy and flat and level so that you can use it as a flat reference.
Supporting the table on "saw-horses" is simple and portable. |
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REQUIRED TOOLS
Following is a basic listing of the required tools. This
section is by no means meant to be exhaustive, as volumes have been written on aircraft
tools, materials and procedures. It's meant to be a useful outline of which tools you'll
need and how to use them effectively for this project.
TOOLS YOU NEED TO ASSEMBLE THE KIT:
Only basic tools are needed to assemble a Zenith
Aircraft kit. You probably already have most of the required tools in your workshop, and
need to purchase only a few affordable tools specific to sheet-metal construction. You
don't need a bending brake or sheet metal shear, and you don't have to learn about solid
"conventional" riveting. You may be tempted to buy an air compressor and
pneumatic tools (drills and riveter), but you really don't need them.
| Electric Hand Drill: You'll need a standard
"hardware store" electric hand drill. Preferably, use a high speed drill (2,500+
RPM), which makes drilling quicker and easier. A variable speed drill is often easier to
use. Place a Rubber Washer at the drill bit shank - this way when you drill through a
hole, the rubber washer will protect the material from being dented by the steel
"chuck" of the drill. |
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Drill Bits: You'll need a number of drill bits: Use
the "numbered" drill sizes for rivet holes (which provide a slightly larger hole
than the rivet size): Most drilling requires the #20 and 30 drill bit sizes, so get a few
of each. Quality bits will stay sharper longer (making drilling easier). |
| DRILL SIZE |
DECIMAL EQUIV. |
RIVET / BOLT |
| 3/16 |
0.1875 |
3/16" BOLT |
| # 20 |
0.1610 |
5/32" RIVET |
| # 30 |
0.1285 |
1/8" RIVET |
| 1/4" |
0.250 |
1/4" BOLT |
| 5/16" |
0.3125 |
5/16" BOLT |
| 3/8" |
0.3750 |
3/8" BOLT |
| Measuring Tools: A ten or twelve foot METRIC
tape measure is required. Some hardware stores don't carry metric tape measures, but
they're available in many stores. A steel ruler is also required, as well as a square. A
spirit level and plumb line will be useful to assure that your workbench is flat and
level, and to make sure that your parts (assemblies) are straight and level. |
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CLECOS: These fasteners allow you to temporarily
hold your sheet metal together without having to rivet. After drilling a hole, you insert
the Cleco (with the pliers), and it holds the material together firmly while you drill out
more holes. Taking them out is as easy as putting them in. They're an excellent and vital
tool while building. Generally, CLECOS are only available through aircraft tool supply
shops. Remember: You need a set of Cleco pliers to use them.
- Click
here for recommended quantities to
build the kit.
- Click
here for recommended minimum
quantities to build the Rudder Starter Kit.
|
| Hand Riveter: For riveting, you only need a simple
hand riveting tool. You do not need a pneumatic riveting hammer and bucking bars, as all
riveting is with blind rivets (that means that riveting is very easy, quiet, and only a
one-man job). If you don't already have a "pop" riveter, purchase a light-weight
heavy-duty professional model. If you have an air compressor, you may want to use a
pneumatic rivet puller. |
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| Riveter Heads (changeable Nose Bushing
piece): Zenith Aircraft Company has developed a unique process for setting blind
rivets, which requires custom rivet heads. The process uses flush-type rivets, where the
flush rivet head is formed into a domed-head by the riveting process. This provides an
permanent tight finish to all set rivets. To accomplish this, the riveter heads must be
ground (machined) with a concave dome (see diagram). Only 1/8" (A4) and
5/32" (A5) rivets are required to assemble the kit.
|
| Sheet Metal Snips: Good sheet metal snips make
cutting and trimming sheet metal nearly as easy as cutting paper. We recommend
"WISS" brand, which is readily available. You'll need a pair for left-hand cuts
(Red Grips - M1) and a pair for right cuts (Green Grips - M1). Both pairs will also make
straight cuts. |
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HAND Files: An assortment of small files for
de-burring and filing edges is required: FLAT, HALF ROUND, and ROUND files. Use sheet
metal or "machinist" files, with a "SMOOTH CUT." |
| HAND HACK-SAW: A simple hack-saw with
fine teeth (24 teeth per inch) is required to make straight cuts in extrusions and thicker
aluminum. If you have a band saw, you can use it instead of the hack saw. |
| OTHER TOOLS: For building the complete airframe
kit, you will also need the following: a set of standard wrenches / ratchet set,
screwdrivers, etc., hammer, various clamps, and other miscellaneous home shop tools. You
will also find it useful to have a drill press and a bench vice (don't fasten aluminum
aircraft parts in the steel grips: change the grips to aluminum, or cover the grooved
steel grips to avoid damaging the parts). If you don't already have a specific tool, see
if you can borrow one. |
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TOOLS YOU DON'T NEED TO ASSEMBLE THE KIT: You don't
need a bending brake, a sheet-metal shear, a press, and so on. All major bends and cuts
have been made to the materials provided in the kit, all welded parts are supplied
"ready to assemble" and the wing spars are factory solid-riveted. You also don't
need flanging tools, as all lightening holes are pre-cut and flanged.
- Click here
to order tools online from Zenith Aircraft Company.
- Click
here for details about recommended quantities to build the kit.
Related Topics:
|
Zenith Aircraft
Company
1881 Airport Road
Mexico, Missouri, 65265-0650 USA.
Tel: 573-581-9000 (Mon - Fri, 8-5 Central),
Fax: 573-581-0011
Comments or questions? Click Here |
© Zenith Aircraft
Company: 2014-04-14
