Old School Model Works RAVEN Construction Manual page 12

center cutout in TR1.
Epoxy F1 in place making sure all the slots
are filled up with the tabs, as shown here.
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Step 78 - Fuselage (starboard fuse side)
Now it's time for one of the bigger steps in the Raven construction
- attaching the starboard fuselage side to all of the formers you've
just installed. This is going to take some time - and we recommend
a slower curing glue here, because of the amount of surfaces that
have to be attached.
So... first, let's test fit
everything. There's a
lot of tabs and slots
that all have to work
in unison for this to
happen, so take your
time to move and
caress as needed
- and make sure
nothing snaps off!
When you're satisfied on how all this goes together, you'll need to
use a combination of glues to make this work. Up-front around the
F1 former you'll need to use epoxy. Then for the rest of it you can
use your regular glue of choice.
I found it best to epoxy the firewall section first and let that cure.
Then come back and slowly work back to the trays, through the
formers, all the way to the rear - one former at a time, clamping and
making sure everything is straight along the way. You don't want to
introduce any twists or banana shapes in here - just two perfectly
aligned fuselage sides with a lot of formers in between.
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Step 79 - Fuselage (front spine)
Time to use up another piece of
scrap - this time some 5/16" square
balsa strip that was used in the wing
panels. Measure and cut a piece
that will lay diagonally in the cutouts
of F3 and F4, creating the front spine.
Glue this in place, fully inserted into both former's cutouts, then
sand the outer edges of the balsa strip flush with the formers
they're mounted to.
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Step 80 - Fuselage (rear spine)
You should have one more length
of 5/16" square balsa that can be
used for this step. Measure and
cut a piece to form the rear spine
that runs from the cutout in F5 to
the cutout in F10.
Glue this in place, fully inserted
into each former's cutout, then
sand the front of the balsa strip
flush with F5 - don't worry about the aft end just yet.
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Step 81 - Fuselage (P1)
Locate four P1s from LP1. These
are the EDF Mounting rails. Make
two thicker rails by gluing two P1's
together, stacked on top of each
other.
Then these rails will be glued to
the top of the fuselage frames,
up against the side sheeting as
shown. (Between F4 and F6.)
Make sure that both rails are
pushed up against F6, so there's
a gap between the forward end of
the rails and F4 - that's where part of
your EDF unit will slide into later.
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Step 82 - Fuselage (P2)
Locate P2 from LP5. This is
glued to the top of the rails
you just installed. Make sure
it is oriented with the large
notches towards the nose
of the plane and the cutout
circles towards the rear.
Again, this should be back
against F6, maintaining the gap for the EDF unit.
Be sure to keep glue out of the cutouts as things will go in those
holes later, so those spaces need to be clean.
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Step 83 - Fuselage (fan inlet sheeting)
I won't kid you - for most of you this is going to be the single
hardest step. It involves getting the sheeting to conform to the
inlet for the EDF unit.
Locate one of the uncut 1/16" x 4" x 24" sheets. You'll need to
make two cuts - one lengthwise (2-1/2" width), and then cut that
piece at 15" (leaving you with 15" and 9" pieces that are 2-1/2"
wide).
The 9" piece will
form half of the inlet,
so set the rest of the
sheeting aside as it
will be used on the
rear.
Now using a liberal
amount of patience
and Windex®, you'll
begin to form the 9"
piece to the curve
needed.
Just as you did for the wing sheeting, coat one side of the sheeting
with the cleaner, liberally - this will be the outer portion of the
bend, inside the fuselage. Give things a little time to loosen up the
fibers, then offer the piece into the top of the fuselage - on top of
F4 and F5.
Slowly use a little force and hold the sheeting in place while the
cleaner evaporates. To start, concentrate on the rear curvature
more than the front edge. You might have to re-apply the cleaner a
couple times to get it to finally conform to the curve.
Also note that because of the curve, the rear of the sheeting will
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