Making an aircraft from plywood

Aeromodelling is a favorite hobby of many adults and children. Its significant advantage is the simplicity of work, because even a novice modeler can handle the construction of a plywood aircraft.

Before starting the construction of an aircraft from plywood, it is necessary to prepare the starting materials and a number of tools. The main work is usually done with a hand jigsaw on wood, and the burrs are removed with a piece of sandpaper and a square file. It is most convenient to markup using an ordinary pencil and a ruler, and it is better to glue wooden parts together with either PVA glue or an adhesive substancedesigned specifically for this material. Some craftsmen use a conventional glue gun. The aircraft will be manufactured from model plywood, ideally BS-1 aviation plywood, the sheets of which are created from peeled birch veneer. Some experts recommend purchasing sheets with a thickness of 3 millimeters, or 7 millimeters (three-layer or seven-layer). Other model airplanes, on the other hand, lean towards the thinnest, single-layer options. It is better for a novice modeler to try out several options.

It needs to be made clear that special aircraft plywood BS is impregnated with alcohol-soluble bakelite adhesive. This material is durable, lightweight and good flexibility, but its price is much higher than that of other varieties. In the event that a three-layer aircraft plywood has been purchased, it is important to remember that phenolic adhesives are often used for its manufacture, which makes it impossible to store the finished airplane in a bedroom or children's room.If the thickness of the selected sheet is between 1 and 3 millimeters, the plane will be able to fly.

If the thickness of the sheet is not so important, then you can take another grade of FC, safe for storage at home, or FSF, not so environmentally friendly, but completely not afraid of moisture. It is more rational to choose either the first or second grade of wood and try to choose a surface with the most attractive appearance. When purchasing plywood, you need to check that the sheet thickness is uniform over the entire surface. It is important that there are no defects, cracks or delamination.

Experts adhere to the point of view that the drier the plywood, the easier and more efficient its processing is. If raw sheets are purchased, then they will need to be kept for about a month in a room with low humidity, where a constant temperature is maintained.

We immediately notice that work with a jigsaw can only be carried out with a serviceable, securely fixed handle. Before starting the process, it is worth checking the reliability of the attachment of the sawing stand to the work table, as well as the files in the frame of the device. When sawing parts, you should keep your left hand away from the cutting tool, do not bend low, avoiding sudden movements. It will be correct to sweep the emerging sawdust with a special device. During the period of operation of the jigsaw, it is important to change the blade, if necessary.

Some modelers prefer to come up with airplane designs, relying only on their own imagination, without creating preliminary drawings and templates. The only thing they need is to take into account the specific parameters of the wingspan of the plywood device. As a rule, the average value is called a length equal to 30 centimeters. If the span is lengthened, then the size of the aircraft increases. A more correct solution, of course, is to draw invented or copied drawings from somewhere on paper, or immediately on sheets of plywood. Construction begins with the outline of the hull, fenders and stabilizer.

It is convenient to fix the finished drawing, printed on paper, on plywood with pins, and then make a series of punctures along the contour of the model using a thin awl. Then the resulting holes are connected with a pencil, after which the finished part can already be cut out. For example, it can be a model of the legendary military aircraft Pe-2 from the times of the war. Instructions for making it can be found in the appendix to the second issue of the magazine "Young Technician" for 1980. The working drawing can be done independently, focusing on the photographs. The aircraft body is drawn on a 32 x 32 millimeter grid, and the wing end rib is drawn on a 10 by 10 millimeter grid. The structure is formed from plywood with a thickness of 1.5 to 4 millimeters.

Having prepared the raw materials for making a model of an airplane from plywood, it is necessary to print a suitable drawing at the desired scale. For a novice modeler, it would be more correct to use carbon paper and transfer the image to a wood sheet. The cutting of parts is carried out in such a way that on each part of the plywood there is either one large or several small elements. Parts are cut with a jigsaw taking into account an allowance of 0.5 to 1 millimeter. In principle, you can also use a laser for this purpose. At those points where it is necessary to cut through the plywood blade, you must first work with a drill, drilling the starting grooves, and then, having placed the jigsaw blade inside, cut it through.

As a rule, the creation of blanks begins with the fuselage, the length of which is approximately 10 millimeters longer than the length of the wings. You can experiment with the airplane body by giving it any shape you want. On the fuselage, spike joints are immediately made for the wings. It is customary to make the wings themselves 30 centimeters long and with a width ranging from 8 to 10 centimeters. If two pairs of wings are made, then the lower ones should be about 10 millimeters shorter than the upper ones. We must not forget about the struts, which are the elements of support, and the stabilizer.

The edges of the cut elements must be sanded. Suitable sponges for this are 60 and 180 grit. When grinding, follow the sectional shape. To get rid of sharp corners, you can additionally remove a small chamfer. The components are connected in accordance with the diagram, connecting the protrusions and openings. As a rule, first, a stabilizer is attached to the tail of the aircraft, after which the upper wings are installed.

For a secure hold, the plywood pieces are lubricated with glue and clamped with clamps to prevent them from shifting. Additionally, you can grease all the joints of an already assembled structure and leave it to dry. If this is included in the instructions, then the motor is mounted inside the housing. Upon completion of the hull assembly, the aircraft cockpit is covered with a special hood made of plastic or any other transparent material. The chassis is assembled from aluminum rulers or spring wire, as well as a pair of wheels from children's toys.

A more or less serious design will also not do without an elevator. When assembling this part, it is important to remember the need to strengthen the connecting jumper with a thin aluminum strip or carbon pipes. In the first case, the amplifier can be put on glue, and in the second, additional use of scotch tape will be required. It will be possible to align the elevator by using struts, the role of which is played by thin spokes. The bonnet can be constructed from cut-out rectangular ceiling tiles with sides of 7 and 30 centimeters. The resulting fragment is applied to the nose of the aircraft, wrapped around and glued with tape.

As a finish, modelers are encouraged to carefully grind the entire structure, remove the remaining glue and treat the surface with a primer. Then you will need to paint (2-3 times) the body in some basic shade. Using bright colors, it is recommended to decorate the surface of the plane with abstract lines, or copy the drawing of a real-life model. Accuracy and evenness of the lines can be achieved if you use paper tape.

The simplest model of a plywood airplane can be made even without any drawings. However, the result is an excellent toy that attracts with its natural appearance. A special "highlight" of the design is given by the absence of sharp corners, as well as the rotating propeller and rolling wheels.

The IL 2 attack aircraft, assembled from plywood, looks very impressive. A large number of small details, including cut windows, make the "picture" complete. The plane is not painted and only covered with colorless varnish, but on the wings the drawing of a real model is copied.

Another plywood plane, completely painted with bright colors, and even a cockpit is drawn on its surface. Despite the fact that the design of the model is the simplest, such a craft looks quite impressive.

For information on how to make an airplane from plywood, see the next video.