Why is it always late in the week when I
discover problems that can’t be resolved over the weekend? Case in point, I
thought I had the dimple die issue totally resolved until I felt it prudent
to see how the new dies would work with the wing and vertical
stabilizer ribs. Previously, I tested the fit of the dimple dies using the
vertical stabilizer’s rear spar and there were no clearance issues. Much to my
surprise, when testing the clearances using
the wing and vertical stabilizer ribs, I discovered the radius of the dies were about 1/32" or so
to wide. If one were to dimple using them, the female die would mar the area on the
rib where the transition is made from the web to the flange.
Here one can see when the female die (top) is squared up with
the hole in the wing rib the female portion of the die would deform the web/flange
transition when squeezed … not good.
Bob Avery to the rescue … Late in the afternoon
on Friday I called Avery Tools and described the issue to Bob who suggested a
few fixes. Sure, I could just remove some of the metal from one side of the
female die on a grinder or bevel the base of the die … but then it becomes yet
another thing to keep an eye making sure the die does not rotate with use. The
decision was made to have Bob turn down the female dies decreasing the radius
by 1/32” or so on a lathe … no need to turn down the male dies since only the female
dies are used on the underside where the clearance issue is. Glad this is all
getting sorted out now and is only a small speed bump. There are plenty of
metal parts to prep so progress can still be made while waiting for the dies.