Wing building table size

[Onex107]

Here's another way. I went to a local second hand store and bought two office desks. Very heavy. For $35 a piece. They have adjustable legs so they can be leveled and drawers to keep tools in. Put end to end they are the right size. And when I drilled the spar, I set my drill press in between the two and leveled the drill table with the desks. Worked great and when I was done, I donated the desks back to the store. Nothing left in the garage.

[Bryan Cotton]

also meant I didn't have to build a precisely flat and level table just to build up 2 wings.

Nor did I - I shimmed my spars where they contacted the boards screwed to my table for cleco clearance. I will confess I dinged the wingskins a couple times when flipping. Schweizer built wings vertically too. Either way will work.

[allenmader]

I saw that method demonstrated by JM in 2006. That is 11 years ago already! I also watched from the side at AirVenture 2015 a 2 day wing build. Start to finish.

[rizzz]

I did not use the table either, even though I did build it large enough & perfectly level for that purpose,

[DCASonex]

Built on large horizontal table, but with wings resting on two 10 ft. sections of 2" x 2" x 14 ga. square tubes, covered by duck tape to prevent scratches, and shimmed with wood wedges cut at angle that matched angle of rubes' contact with skins. Made to very accurate base and the 2" provided clearance for clecos. Also used the plastic protectors on ends of those clecos, they really do prevent smileys when accidentally tweaked. Buy one small (pricey) bag of them, then find same plain tube end caps (cheap), buy in bulk and punch or drill holes in ends yourself. Now have those on all clecos.

David A. Sonex TD

[allenmader]

All good ideas, and I really appreciate the photos. When the spar is resting on the horses and the ribs are attached, is the wing sagging. Looks like you take care of that when the skin is attached.

[n982sx]

I don't think you can go wrong either way. I chose horizontal for the Sonex wing even though I also saw JM demo the vertical build in 2006. My earlier post about the pros and cons wasn't meant as a ringing endorsement of either method. It was the method I was most comfortable with.

I am finishing up my RV-14A build now and I built that wing vertically on my now shortened old Sonex table with no care taken to make the table flat and level. Just shimmed and clamped the spar too it.

The difference this time for me was that the RV kit had all the components match drilled, so I just clecoed it together. Having already built an airplane, what seemed easier had changed a lot and I made a lot of different choices.

On the Sonex, I was afraid of misalignment when I drilled the ribs. Like most things I did on both of my airplanes, a lot of things have multiple ways of doing them and it becomes a matter of which seems easier at the time. On reflection, some things that looked difficult turned out to be easy and vice versa.

What looks simpler and easier - or gives you the most comfort - with your skill set and available tools now? That's the answer. Either way works very well.

[allenmader]

Thanks again Bob. We probably met if you were at Sonex in 2006. I also appreciate everyone that has responded. My Sonex is like the RV in this months EAA Sport Aviation. I am the 4th builder and lots of distractions in the way of getting it done.

Yesterday the wing hardware kit came, but I noticed that there were no SS pull rivets. I am trying to have everything on hand so as to keep going and not run out of hardware.

In the back of my head is the realization that the Sonex will not operate on my home grass fields that is 1700 feet long with obstructions on both ends. I have the stock AeroVee. Presently l fly a challenger II
which works well.