Match Drilling Right Wing Skins - 4 hours

In all my measuring and fit-ups I notice that the spar wants to bow slightly nearest the inboard side. When clecoing the skins eveything fits really nice with the exception of the last three outboard holes on the spar. So I decided to use another jack on that end. Once set up the alignment was much better.

I re-strung the lines. Looks good.

I then cleco'd the skins on to make sure the wing was aligned (ribs are at right angles) then I re strung the plumb bobs to ensure there was no twist.

I began clecoing on the skins and started to match drill. In my haste, I was not paying attention to the depth I was drilling and I did this on the rear spar rivets. Crap! I might have to replace some.


Update: I called Vans and they felt that this is not a cause for concern for this particular instance. Better to leave this one alone then mess with it. Vans support is so good. Very easy to run questions by the folks who know!

Cut and match drilled wing walk doublers - 3 hours

I measured the wing doublers according to the plans and narrative. 26" x 9 3/8". I looked at how it would sit in relation to the wing. From reading all the build logs, it was obvious that it wasn't going to sit "about an inch" over the rear spar. It was conceivable that it was going to sit around the 5/32" mark that everyone seems to mention. So I started to cut them on the band saw.
 
Once they were roughly cut. I went to work with the files and slowly worked them down to the finished dimension. Once I was satisfied with the edges/measurements. I set them on the wings skins and checked alignment. Ensuring the skins sat back the 9/16" from the top edge, I clamped the doubler. I then taped all edges, removed clamps.



Carefully flipped the assembly over and started to match drill.


I cleco'd them onto the skins and It appears that I do have overlap, not the 5/32" more like 3/32". I still have good edge distance so I will carry on.

Aligning wings, lessons learned - 2 hours

So happy with the alignment and level, I cleco'd on the top of the wing skins to the spar. Overall the alignment is good, just tough the get the holes closest to the inboard side of the spar to line up. I appears that there is still an amount of bow on that side. I will have to address that somehow.

Then, it became very clear that the wing skeleton was not square as it was skewed like a trapezoid and the rear spar holes were about 1/2" out. Haha...I spend quite a bit of time to remove the skew out out of the wings and clamp the rear spar t have to remove it and do it all again.

I also noticed that the level was just ever so different on the inboard end of the wing spar. According to my measurements....The thickness of the Main Spar doublers are different. I see on the build logs that everyone places a level on the top. However on my spars, the thickness of the spars are not the same, so the bottom if the spar (or aft face of the inboard end) is the best place to represent level. The forward face of the outboard end of the spar is the best place to check level though.

More adjustments where made. I reset level and decided to call it. I'm becoming irritated.

Aligning the wings...more - 1.5 hours

I decided that hydraulic bottle jacks are too unreliable to maintain the level needed for the wings. So I exchanged them for screw jacks which are mechanical and will not sag. So I set them back up and checked the lines for level. Much better. I then hung the plumb bobs looking to eliminate twists. This is not a quick process as it is a wait for the bobs to settle, they are easily disturbed with movement and adjustment.

Aligning wings - 1 hour

I exchanged the bottle jack that was not holding and I brought home a new one. Set it up and began to string some lines. Crap...The new jack sags too.

Put the final touches on the wing stand - 2 hours

Just a quick evening tonight. Managed to build some jack supports and also the support brackets for the rear spar. Tried to level wings from the middle of the spar but it works much better (more straight) to lift a bit closer to the thick part of the spar. 
unfortunately one of my brand new bottle jacks wants to sag. I will have to sort that out tomorrow.

Build Wing Stand - 10 hours

Managed to put in a really big day. Started the morning by going out to home depot and picking up all the needed supplies to build the wing stand. I decided to go with 2x4's and sandwich the layers with glue and screws. I thought that would be the best defense against twisting short of going with steel. Everything was checked with a level as I went. Wow my floor is uneven. Had to account for that by shimming the stand. The frame ended up extremely sturdy.



I managed to get the end supports up using 2"x2" aluminum angle and 1/2" ready rod. Very thick, but heavy duty for sure. Once the supports where leveled and an tightened. I hung the wings.

EDIT: (July 9, 2016) Having worked with the stand for some time now this is my thoughts on the wing stand structure. It's not the most efficient setup...I have to climb under the structure to access between the wings. Access to the end (inner) ribs is limited, I have to drill with the 90 degree attachment and use stubby cleco's. I also have to take the wing off the stand to countersink and dimple those end rib locations. However....given that I need the space in the garage, this is a totally workable situation.