Build Jigs> Calling Steve Birdsall...

[DryMartini]

Steve,
In your research, have you come across photos of build jigs
for the B-17 rear fuselage? Hang and I were discussing that subject
last night, and neither of us have seen a good, close up picture
of a rear fuselage in a build jig.

Can you (or anyone else) help us out?

[Steve Birdsall]

Sorry Bill, I went through all my stuff and there's nothing there that would help.

[cvairwerks]

Bill: I believe that I found a couple of pictures online. I'll post the links in the morning as I want to look at them on a bigger monitor than my phone screen first.

[cvairwerks]

Bill: Here are the ones that I found:

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/fsa.8b05341/
This one shows horizontal mate jigs for the afts

http://thesciencebookstore.com/2012/02/ ... tle-19412/
Scroll down to the picture with the code D-8218 on the border. This one shows vertical jigs for I believe the aft fuselage.

Some interesting reading and a couple of pictures:
http://legendsintheirowntime.com/Conten ... ouglas.pdf

This has a couple of staged shots:
http://www.taphilo.com/history/WWII/USAAF/Boeing/B17/

Hope they help.

[hang the expense]

It sure has.just knowing where to start looking is a really big. Thanks a bunch

[cvairwerks]

Hang: Glad they can help.

A couple of thoughts for you on the jigs.... Vertical jigs are easier to build, but require lots of headroom. If you have to go vertical, then design around a three+ post system for holding your bulkhead locators. Unless you have at least 2-3 times the height of the built section length, you will have to make at least one leg of the jig removable to get the assembly out. Then you have to deal with a 90 deg rotation of a sometimes very floppy assembly. That's going to require two seperate hoisting rigs and some care to not tweak the assembly during the rotation.

Conversely, horizontal jigs are a bit harder to make and require quite a bit more structure. They also require much more thought in how to construct them so as to be able to remove the assembly after completetion. Once completed, it's easier to handle the assembly with a single lifting rig, utilizing a spreader bar and numerous attachments.

I've worked on assemblies in both types and each has their place in production. The more that you can complete on the assembly, structure and skinning wise, in the jig, the better off you will be. Also, think about access for doing the work when you design. I've used jigs that access stunk, but built geat parts. A better design could have cut production time, but new fixture designs were expensive and very long lead items for us.

I built lots of F-16 and F-22 parts and assemblies over the years and got to tell you that tooling design is sometimes a black art and you have to make the appropriate blood sacrafices for the tools to work as intended I'm looking forward to seeing what you conjur up.

[Steve Birdsall]

Bill, this is the bottom right quarter of a Boeing photo I dug out. If it looks like it might help PM me with an email address and I'll send a high-resolution scan.

[05564]

I am not currently building a B-17 nor do I intend to in the near future, but those are some darn fine photos. The articles that go along with them are great also, some very good reading. I thank you very much for posting them for all of us to enjoy.