jablackwell

Hi Mike,
I got a bit confused as to why the ailerons (i.e. the control surfaces on the wing tips) are connected to the rudder, so I did a (very short) bit of searching on google.
This picture is the closest I could find to a restauration of a Sopwith camel.
 


 
I have labelled the individual controls.  As you can see, the Rudder controls are attached to the rudder itself, the Elevator controls are a closed loop system, apparently attached to 2 pulleys just above the rudder controls.  It is not 100% clear, but I think that the rudder pedal can rotate, whyle the pulleys are attached in a fixed position on the outer shaft of the rudder assembly (a bit like fitting a light on your bycicle, you do not attach it to the shaft that connects your steering bar with the front wheel, but with the shaft housing).
 
As I understand it, the elevators cables are not shown in this picture.  They should be attached to the grey 'handle' seen just above the 1st ''R' from 'Rudder-Right', and are also in a closed loop system.
 
Please, anybody,  feel free to correct me if I am wrong in my perceptions.
Hope this helps,
L.H.
 
P.S. I have re-read your previous post, and my reason for confusion is your use of 'tail aileron' to indicate the 'elevator'.  My bad.
 
P.P.S. Link to the pictures above: http://www.johnsshawaviation.co.uk/wordpress/sopwith-camel-f1-2/sopwith-camel-reconstruction/sopwith-camel-metalwork-parts/sopwith-camel-construction-upper-wings/

Not entirely correct, but sufficient for purpose of explanation.
Asume for a moment that an airplane can rotate along three axis that converge to a single point located where the pilot sits.  Let's call X-axis the one running along the centerline in a fore-aft direction, the Y-axis running perpendicular in the horizontal plane and the Z-asix runs perpendicular in the vertical plane.
 
In order to rotate a plane along the X-axis, the pilot operates the ailerons by moving the stick sideways.  If turning left, the stick is moved left which in turns moves the ailerons in different directions: the right hand aileron will go DOWN (to increase the lift on the tip of the right hand wing) while the left hand aileron goes UP (to decrease lift on that wingtip).  The resulting forces around the centre of gravity(the point connecting the three axis of rotation) will mean that the aircraft will rotate to the left.  The speed of rotation is directly proportional to the size of the stick movement.
 
Similarly, rotating along the Y- axis means the stick is pulled back/forward which in turn moves the horizontal stabilizer (the flat part of the tail structure) up/down.
Rotating along the Z axis is done by pushing the rudder pedals left/right as eplained in your post.
 
Now it gets a bit more complicated:  Each action of ailerons and rudder produces a secondary effect (a side effect if you will).  When using the rudders each wing tip of the main wing is now subject to different airspeeds, resulting in different amounts of lift.  This causes the plane to start rotating along the X axis as well as the pimary goal: rotating along the Z-axis. Similar but reversed for the ailerons because of a very subtle change in airflow around the rudder.
 
Now, it is much easier to control the heading (direction of flight) using the ailerons than it is using the rudder.  Thus a pilot will change his heading by moving the rudder left/right, and gently counteracting the secondary effect with his rudder.
 
On other thing where the rudder is vitally important is when increasing/decreasing power of the engine.  On a single propellor driven aircraft the rudder is turning in a single direction.  This introduces a torque along the  X-axis making the aircraft turn away from its course along the Z-axis (this is called precession, and is used to great benifit in systems such as navigational instruments but also in steadying guns on a modern warship).  So a pilot taking off will need to press a particular ruder pedal harder (depending on which direction your propellor turns - this should not make a difference when modelling the plane except when telling the story as in a diorama) in order to keep a straight flight path (as in along the length of the runway).
 
Hope this helps.
Slainte
L.H.

They call them Pulleys, yes.... but they are more like nubs or extrusions, or something.... 

Hi Mike,
 
I started in the front for all of the control wire rigging. Getting the elevator and ailerons fixed in a level position was easy with some spare sewing thread to tie them in place. The control stick I secured using a jig made out of spare single-strand copper wire... a little flimsier than a paper clip. I then sat the plane on its nose on a block of 2x4 into which I had drilled a hole and placed a rod that fit into the engine mounting hole at the front of the plane. I didn't want the thing to fall over while rigging, and that nearly happened a couple of times anyway! In the instructions note the way they cable over/under the little protrusions on the control stick. This just will not stay put no matter how much you try. You could, I suppose drill fat holes there and thread the cables through them, but I didn't go through this level of care. It will depend on how much you actually intend to move the controls once the model is complete. Mine is for display only, so .... each to their own ;-)  
 
~john
 
 
 
 

Hi Mike,
 
That would work, yes, but there is some concern that CA will make the line brittle with age and cause breaks later in the model's life. Quite a few people here on MSW use a thinned PVA glue instead, and a toothpick or tiny brush to apply to each knot. 
 
~john
 

They call them Pulleys, yes.... but they are more like nubs or extrusions, or something.... 

Hi Mike,
 
I started in the front for all of the control wire rigging. Getting the elevator and ailerons fixed in a level position was easy with some spare sewing thread to tie them in place. The control stick I secured using a jig made out of spare single-strand copper wire... a little flimsier than a paper clip. I then sat the plane on its nose on a block of 2x4 into which I had drilled a hole and placed a rod that fit into the engine mounting hole at the front of the plane. I didn't want the thing to fall over while rigging, and that nearly happened a couple of times anyway! In the instructions note the way they cable over/under the little protrusions on the control stick. This just will not stay put no matter how much you try. You could, I suppose drill fat holes there and thread the cables through them, but I didn't go through this level of care. It will depend on how much you actually intend to move the controls once the model is complete. Mine is for display only, so .... each to their own ;-)  
 
~john
 
 
 
 

Hi Mike,
 
That would work, yes, but there is some concern that CA will make the line brittle with age and cause breaks later in the model's life. Quite a few people here on MSW use a thinned PVA glue instead, and a toothpick or tiny brush to apply to each knot. 
 
~john
 

That does look wonderful.  Great job putting it together.  I hope you have a lot of fun with it.  I do agree with what you said as well.  These tools should be fun to use and hopefully fun and interesting to look at.
 
I am using the same style on my "Syren Rope-Rocket".   I just finished up some retooling of the design and have been subjecting it to rigorous testing for the last week or so.    I am hopeful that I will be able to get this on my site for sale by the end of the year.  I didnt bother cleaning the laser char off it but I should have in hindsight.   But this one was really the prototype to abuse for a few weeks.

 
This latest version is all cherry as well and will handle 3 strand and four strand rope.   You just need to switch out the wheel on the one end and switch and move the smaller gears on the other end to change the configuration.   This is easy to do and just requires the loosening of a set screw.  It was important to me that it look FUN to use.....but it also has to work well....which it has.  This particular rope walk has already made more rope than the usual model builder will make in ten years.    I will let everyone know when its available.   
 

 
 
 
 

Howdy all.  My modeling time is currently in short supply thanks to my three-month-old baby.  Even though I don’t have the time, energy or concentration to really dig into a model I’ve still had the urge to work on something.  ANYTHING.  I had recently purchased a Serv-O-Matic from Syren and the cherry it’s made of was so beautiful I decided to make it my project. 
I don’t think I need to do a review of the project as I see so many of them in use on various build logs, but I’ll just say to anyone debating about getting one – Get it!  The quality is terrific, and Chuck’s service can’t be beat.  Mine had a very minor issue when I received it and Chuck had it corrected wicked quick.
I followed Chuck’s instructions and spent a goodly amount of time removing all the char from the pieces.  Time consuming but worth it.  I used a true sander as much as possible to avoid rounding the edges too badly.  After sanding to 220 grit I assembled everything but did not affix the gears or end pieces.  Then I rubbed in by hand a coat of 100% pure Tung oil, wiped off the excess after an hour or so and then repeated the oil coat the next day. 
After that I allowed the unit and all the pieces to sit in the brightest window of the house for about a week turning the pieces each day to make sure they got even coverage.  As most of you probably know Cherry darkens and reddens naturally and that process can be sped up by exposing it to bright natural light.  Once I figured the Tung oil was as cured as it was going to get (not really at all but it’ll at least stop seeping) I applied two coats of semi-gloss water based polyurethane with a careful sanding between coats.  Lastly, after allowing the poly a week or so to cure I applied a coat of past wax to get that soft burnished look.
So below you see the result of me turning what most people would do in a few hours into a two or three week project.  In one of the pictures you can see an untreated piece of cherry which gives you an idea of just how much a little work will bring out the color and character of the wood. 

Nah ... a gift would be more appropriate. Maybe just postage. It's a hobby, what's a bit of distraction time and wood between modeller mates

Mike,
The brace rigging for the empennage is distinct enough that there would be no advantage to adding its rigging earlier.  Now, maybe you mean control cabling? That might be easier to do prior to running the whole fuselage bracing wire set.... but either way, it was not too difficult to handle with a couple of tweezers. I found the rigging of the ailerons more tricky with the plane, nose down on a jig. In fact, I really didn't like that part of the build at all.... but I suppose there's nothing one can do about it. That's just the way the bird was built. 
~john
 

Mike,
The brace rigging for the empennage is distinct enough that there would be no advantage to adding its rigging earlier.  Now, maybe you mean control cabling? That might be easier to do prior to running the whole fuselage bracing wire set.... but either way, it was not too difficult to handle with a couple of tweezers. I found the rigging of the ailerons more tricky with the plane, nose down on a jig. In fact, I really didn't like that part of the build at all.... but I suppose there's nothing one can do about it. That's just the way the bird was built. 
~john
 

Mike,
The brace rigging for the empennage is distinct enough that there would be no advantage to adding its rigging earlier.  Now, maybe you mean control cabling? That might be easier to do prior to running the whole fuselage bracing wire set.... but either way, it was not too difficult to handle with a couple of tweezers. I found the rigging of the ailerons more tricky with the plane, nose down on a jig. In fact, I really didn't like that part of the build at all.... but I suppose there's nothing one can do about it. That's just the way the bird was built. 
~john
 

Update folks,
 
The cockpit is more or less finished. There is the surround to do (I think it's called combing) and a few more pipes which have to be done later. I had a huge fight with the machine guns which took me ages to fit but got there in the end. I hated the seat which came with the kit so have customised one which I think looks a lot better. Also added a firewall that wasn't included in the kit.
 
Next stage is to tie loads of turnbuckles onto the sides before doing the fuselage cross bracing.
 
 
 
 

Mike, you can find some interesting results by searching google for "wooden model airplane prop".  Check these out for example:    https://www.hobbylinc.com/rc-airplane-wood-propellers  
 
~john
 
 

Mike, you can find some interesting results by searching google for "wooden model airplane prop".  Check these out for example:    https://www.hobbylinc.com/rc-airplane-wood-propellers  
 
~john
 
 

Mike, you can find some interesting results by searching google for "wooden model airplane prop".  Check these out for example:    https://www.hobbylinc.com/rc-airplane-wood-propellers  
 
~john
 
 

Hi Mike,
I did most of it. I skipped getting to the back of the instrument panel for all but the most visible piping (airspeed from the pitot tube is very visible, for example). The fuel lines are all visible, so important to get done. It is tedious. A pair of mini pliers and a lot of patience are needed.... but it is worth it.
 
~john

I finally found some time for modelling. I managed to finish installing all the ribs and added some floor boards.
I used some scrap .028 wire that came with the kit to use as spacers between the floorboards. I just bent them until they friction fitted over the installed floorboard. It proved to work well.
 
Also I made the tie down hooks and the hooks that will go on the davit blocks for my jolly boat.
 
Richard
 
 

Hi Mike,
I did most of it. I skipped getting to the back of the instrument panel for all but the most visible piping (airspeed from the pitot tube is very visible, for example). The fuel lines are all visible, so important to get done. It is tedious. A pair of mini pliers and a lot of patience are needed.... but it is worth it.
 
~john

I really do find the instructions for this build confusing. The five plan sheets all vary slightly in their measurements so trying to get sizes right is a real challenge. Also I realised when I started that the 'supplies' to build the plane with are less than generous and in some cases simply not enough. I have had to add some spare wood from other builds in order to make up the shortfall.
 
Anyway, enough of my whingeing, the fuselage is done and next it is on the really fiddly bits !!
 
 

what you want to determine is the pitch of the prop......the twist.   the leading edge of the prop is thicker than the trailing edge......just like a wing.  as L.H. said the root of the prop is thicker that the tip.

Popeye, I have sort of given up on my prop for now after all I won't need it until the end. The one I ordered came today ! Teensy problem is that it is 17 inches long not 17cm !!

Hi Mike,
No worries - you're not being a pain.  ;-)
The prop should be thinned equally from both sides. So if you have carved away enough from one side, then work on the other. 
The images in that link show just how thin the prop blade should be, and their angle. 
~john