Shop Talk

The reality behind this pretty but high-maintenance material.

Taking that first cut into the sheet metal of an aircraft panel can be daunting, and being as precise as youd like is even more so. Author Bob Fritz eases your anxiety about the process with some tips about how to use the right tool for the right job, so that the hole you get is the one you wanted.

This month, author Jim Weir lays the groundwork for a solar battery charger, complete with preliminary circuit board considerations drawn from a rats nest and details about how to order a pre-fabricated board.

In our continuing series, author Bob Fritz explains how to use a boring head to drill odd-size or big holes. Hint 1: The bigger the hole, the slower the going. Hint 2: The traveling rest, which moves with the cutting tool, braces the material in two directions to minimize flexing.

You have your off-grid hangar on a solar array, but how to harness its power? Thats what Columnist Jim Weir tackles this month, with an array that tracks the sun to maximum effect.

You're not alone if you've been flummoxed or frustrated when trying to decode technical drawings or blueprints. They seem to use a language all their own, one that many of us are not privy to. Fear not. Author Bob Fritz will give you the tools you need to visualize the item being described, and hell make such documents intelligible to the uninitiated.

Columnist Jim Weir reminds us that its good to laugh at ourselves once in a while, and, to that end, he acts as an unofficial translator between pilots and the FAA, construing what they mean by what they say, and what they mean by what they don't say. He also details the latest contributions to Murphys Law from the world of aviation.

If parts that don't quite fit are grinding you down, author Bob Fritz has a solution: Use a lathe to create a smooth finish on a precisely proportioned piece. While hes at it, hell demonstrate two ways to use the machines calipers to measure necessary offsets.

Columnist Jim Weir offers his annual awards for the best products or services seen at Oshkosh/AirVenture 2007.

In his continuing series, author Bob Fritz discusses the ins and outs of threads including how to avoid seizing, types of threads, sizing, drilling holes, using a tap-drill chart, and matching fastener dimensions.