Here's How We Are Building Our Nieuport 11s, Page 6 -- We finish the fuselage pieces.
      
While Ray Trenter makes the chromoly hinges, others cut, use a jig jointer, shape, bend and fashion all the fuselage pieces. Also the gusset plates are made. Leroy and Ralph made a fuselage forming frame so that the complete fuselages can be constructed perfectly level and straight in all dimensions.
  
A complete fuselage side on the fuselage jig table.
Stacks of fuselage pieces in their bins.
A complete fuselage side laid up on the fuselage layout table.
After being cut, jig jointed, deburred, cleaned and tested, the fuselage pieces (for five Nieuport 11s) are placed in their appropriate bins.
Cutting gussets is faster using an inexpensive cutter.
Using a big paper cutter to cut gussets to an exact size.
Ralph, Leroy, and John cut out the gusset pieces using an air cutter obtained from Harbor Freight at a reasonable price. Here John uses an ordinary paper cutter to trim the gussets to the exact size.
A simple press forms the gusset angles exactly.
Fuselage sections being laid out in the jig.
Ralph put together a gusset bending press using an ordinary hydraulic bottle jack along with some forming rods the same diameter as the tubing the gusset will be on. Ralph and Leroy made this fuselage forming frame in which to build each fuselage perfectly straight and level in all dimensions.
Ralph's fuselage
Nieuport fuselage at Wrens Fly-in
Ralph's fuselage coming together. View from the rudder end. The fuselage on display for all to see at the Wrens Fly-In. It's the one on the right.! The wheels aren't on it yet and the front of the cowling (obtained from Dick Hartzler) is put there for effect.


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