StarCad - Wattflyer Scratchbuild Contest #3

[starcad]

I've been looking at this design for a long time now and thinking about it. I've been wanting something that I could just take out in the front yard and toss in the air and just bore holes in the sky with.

So far it seems like we may all be doing something different this time around and my vow is to finish this contest.

This is an old design that has been around for awhile. I've had the plans now for almost three years and every now and then open them up and look at it and think I can build that in Fan Fold and have a blast.

It's called the Floppy Disc 2 and was was designed by a guy named Dave at
Davew@telerama.com He had a web site for awhile but I'm not sure what happened to it or Dave. Dave if your around or here about this build please feel free to jump in with your comments.

[smokejohnson]

Looks interesting

[Larry3215]

Thats a project Ive been wanting to do for a long time myself!

All the variations Ive seen - JAR, pizza boxes, UFO, snowball, etc etc - seem to fly very well and look to be a real hoot.

[CHELLIE]

That looks neet Guy, good luck to you, Take care, Chellie

[starcad]

OK, so I thinking here ( smoke pouring out my ears ) I've been reading a lot about many people here and on other forums wanting to go to Kinko's $$$ and have them plot out a full size plans $$$ that they down load from the Internet. My question is, "Why?" You really don't need to do that if you have a printer and some tape. You only need to plot the parts you need to get the basic structure for the design.

So, I thought with this thread I would explain a little more in detail about how I go about building a model from plans I've downloaded.

As you can see in photo 1 I have the plans in my CAD program. I'm not going to suggest any one specific program, however, I use, Drawing Board, as my primary design tool only because it is a very simple and easy to use product.

At this point I'm just looking over the drawing and maybe adding dimensions here and there to get an idea of what I need to cut out. Sure, every piece has to be cut, but most designers draw on every bit of real estate and put parts all over the paper space. What your looking for are the formers, the fuse sides, stab, fin, and wing. Now what you want to do is use your "Copy/Paste" functions to group the parts you need into one area so that you can plot them on sheets of paper from your printer. If the CAD program you are using allow you to tile print your in luck. Fortunately, Drawing Board allows me to plot as many sheets as I can hold in my printer. ( Humm! Wonder how many sheets of paper it would take to plot a 747 full size )

Photo 2 shows where I've copied and grouped the parts I what to plot and cut.

Next post taping and cutting.

[Larry3215]

Thats exactly why I hate working with plans - especially tabbed plans. All that taping, cutting and fiddling drives me nuts. Its probably because I dont have a good plan for getting thru it so Im paying attention

I have to warn you though - I usually only use the plans as a rough guide

[starcad]

Originally Posted by Larry3215

Thats exactly why I hate working with plans - especially tabbed plans. All that taping, cutting and fiddling drives me nuts. Its probably because I dont have a good plan for getting thru it so Im paying attention

I have to warn you though - I usually only use the plans as a rough guide

I think that also is probably the hardest part for me to Larry. That's why I only print out just what I need to get the basic design and then the rest is just taking the dimensions off the design itself. I try to cut as little paper as possible as my wife can go through a ream in about a week. Toner and paper are a regular on my monthly budget and we have to track it's use because the company she works for reimburses for it.

[Alpea42]

A guy at our field flys one called Nut-Ball. It has dihedral in the wing tips. Your plans dont show the wing tips angled up.His flys great.

[Alpea42]

His latest variation is elevator and rudder

[starcad]

Originally Posted by Alpea42

A guy at our field flys one called Nut-Ball. It has dihedral in the wing tips. Your plans dont show the wing tips angled up.His flys great.

That's assume and look fun. My plans don't call for dihedral but I fly planes with out all the time so this one shouldn't prove any more difficult, just different.

[starcad]

Originally Posted by Alpea42

His latest variation is elevator and rudder

Cool!

[fr4nk1yn]

I hate these "ultra" detailed planes of mine.
They either are destroyed trying to maiden or take a beating doing so.
This new foam worries me too for that very reason.

The plane was finished yesterday and started getting detailed.
Not expecting the batteries until Sat at the earliest *sigh

[starcad]

Hahaha! Fr4k1yn I know just what you mean. My knees used to shack like jelly. Then one day I really didn't care if it flew or not, I was just going to have fun. It flew great and after that, no more jelly knees.

[starcad]

I have everything cut out now and getting ready to assemble just have to wait for the right time. Hopefully, maiden next weekend. Think I'm gonna through a 2808 on the bugger and really have some fun. Haven't decided if I want rudder yet or not.

Pictures soon.

Guy

[pd1]

A person I fly with has a Nutball. It too is rudder and elevator only.
It flies very nicely, I think it can loop in it's own length.

This is similar, should fly nice too.
I like the CAD work. Someday I have to learn how to do that.
Paul

[fr4nk1yn]

Wow I totally posted that last comment in the wrong thread (:

[starcad]

Wow, since we started this contest, it's been nothing but honey do this, honey do that. Along with 5 signs and two banners for the Corner Store. Should get caught up sometime this evening and have the last banner tapped and ready to lay out. I didn't expect there business, but the owner caught me the other morning when I was getting coffee and wanted me to come back later that day. Glad I did as this will be about $250 job.

Humm! I have some scrap vinyl left over, I think I know where it will be going.

[smokejohnson]

Any progress starcad?

[starcad]

Originally Posted by smokejohnson

Any progress starcad?

Yeah, but to my wallet. What started as a few signs and a couple of banners has lead to a lot more. I had to dig six holes, no big deal as I've dug holes before. Well, while digging the third a person approached me and ask if I would do some signs for his business. Sure, I said. It's kinda funny in this little side sign business as you go from feast to famine. Those six holes have turned into 54 holes and ten banners plus signs along with business window graphics. I've had to order supplies twice now and have blisters on both hands. 18 holes dug so far as I'm waiting on Vinyl and banner material to arrive today. My goal for today is to dig four more holes by noon and then cut vinyl later this evening. Talk about getting buffed, I'm sore as heck. Wish I had time to play but these seven jobs should land me around, well, a good profit. Glad it's been cool here the last couple of weeks.

I'll be around just not as active as I wish I could.

Guy