(Carving Fuselages For Dummies... pg.2)
Areas of sharp transition from one direction of
cut to another, such as when the nose meets the
cockpit, often result in unwanted cuts into the
fuselage. This can be avoided by making a smoother
transition in the template and later sanding in
the correct shape.
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The nose of a Junkers F-13. To avoid cutting into
what will become the fuselage, cut the template
so that the transition from cockpit to nose becomes
less acute (blue line). Also note that the radiator
front end (i.e. the nose block to be) is omitted
since I made that part from balsa.
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Step two
Use a block of the material of your choice. Make
sure that at least two of the adjoining sides are
at 90 degrees angle to one another; preferably the
block should have all square corners and flat surfaces.
It’s easier to split the block in two pieces
lengthwise now than splitting the finished fuse.
Try to make the cut as narrow and straight as possible.
Whenever you cut foam, use a slicing motion and
let the edge do the work. If the blade starts to
”stutter”, immediately stop cutting,
carefully slide the blade out and use a sharper
blade.
Tack glue the two pieces together again using very
little glue, especially towards what will be the
tail end. The glue spots should end up within the
fuselage. The seam is to be the centre line of the
fuselage.
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Some small glue spots on one half of the fuselage
blocks. Use very little glue to tack the halves
together - especially towards the tail end - and
make sure that the glue will end up within the
fuselage outline. |
Place the fuselage top and side views on the block
using double sided tape. Make sure that the front
ends align and that the top fuselage centre line
is along the split in the two blocks.
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The templates laid out on the joined fuselage
block. Note that the carving will be much easier
if the block has at least three sides at 90 degrees
angle to the adjoining sides (front surface, and
two adjoining sides lengthwise). A pin is stuck
through the template into the foam to mark the
rear position of the landing gear.
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If the foam you will be using has a nice flat surface
and isn’t much thicker than a “half
fuselage”, you can skip the splitting described
above and do one of two things: either cut two half
fuses to shape and then tack them together, or start
by sticking two blocks together and then cutting
the fuselage shape. I’ve used very thick,
dented foam, which is the reason why I’ve
had to cut the mating surfaces by hand.
It is a good idea to use a pin to locate struts,
wings and similar when the templates are still on
the block. Mind that you stick the needle in at
right angles to the template and deep enough.
Step three
Cut along the either the top or side template with
a slicing motion without applying to much pressure.
Try to keep the blade at right angles to the plane;
otherwise the fuselage will be warped. I don’t
cut all the way through at first, that way I can
cut the other elevation from a flat surface, which
helps to keep the blade at right angle. Then turn
the block and do the same thing along the other
template.
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Cut with a slicing motion and the blade inclined
in the direction of the cut but perpendicular
to the template surface. You can also see that
I cut both plan views more or less at the same
time. I think this makes it easier to cut the
shape true to the templates.
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Now finish the cuts and you’ll have a rough
fuselage. Tack glue the front former (“fire
wall”) to its correct position, but only on
one of the block halves. This isn’t necessary,
but it will help when forming the fuselage later.
At least draw the front cross section to guide you
when shaping.
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Two very rough fuselages. On the fuselage to the
right, pinpoints are used to mark various shapes
and locations for struts, wings e c.
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