It is really important to remove the burrs that are created when drilling through aluminum prior to riveting. Otherwise the rivets will not get a good, strong grip and will work loose over time. The rivets shown here were at the top of a lift strut. Definitely not a good place to skimp on deburring!
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Down to Earth
Even when built from the same kit, no two aircraft are exactly the same—that’s why you need a builder’s book. By Amy Laboda.
So how do you debur the inside of tubing, such as lift struts, or the tubular spars found in many light sport kit planes?
Cogsdill company (Cogsdill.com), makes a series of deburring tools for one pass deburring of both sides of a hole, even a blind hole in a tube. The tools are sized for each diameter hole. They are not cheap, $50-$60 bucks a piece the last time I checked. Perhaps a good item for a chapter toolkit. They even make specialized bits with different rake angles for steel and aluminum.
Bill, Thanks! I’ll look into those.
Thanks for posting about the cogdill drills. I have a number of them in various sizes. They work wonderfully.