Step 3: Make the Fuselage
I soon discovered that 1ft diameter was too small - my son (or anyone else's) would easily fall out or lean over too much - At that I decided I would cut it once, and spread it out on a wood base - this again ended up too small. So the round tubing was scrapped.
On a side note - I am not that great at cutting straight lines if I 'eyeball' something, so I drew a line straight down the concrete tube and cut it - I made sure my line was straight and even by putting it next to my door jamb. I also used a dry-erase marker thinking that I could erase any markings it left on the door jamb. I also found out that dry-erase markers do not erase from door jambs...
The first part of making the fuselage was determining how long I wanted it. I settled for 48.5 inches long. This made it long enough for the parts not to be crowded together, but remained easy to tow and easy to turn.
I first laid one board on the ground and then built the riser for the seat. The seat is 18 inches long. At the 32 inch mark (measuring from the front), I affixed a 3.5 inch tall by 12 inch wide board and then I affixed another of the same dimensions at the 15.5 inch mark (once again measuring from the front). I then placed the board on top of it to make sure it was all flush and then affixed the sides.
The sides were 30 inch long and 12 inch wide boards. To maximize width, I didn't place these on top of the bottom board - rather beside. This kept the inside 12 inches, but reduced the height to around 11 inches (the boards are 3/4 inch thick and the 12 inch boards are actually about 11 5/8).
On the front of the fuselage and the back of the seating compartment, I cut two boards to fit on the ends. The front and the end measure 12 3/4 inches wide and the front is the full width of the 12 inch boards and the back is actually 13.5 inches.
Next, I drilled a hole in the front with a 1/2 inch drill bit - I measured it to drill the hole dead center. This will be where your propellor is attached.
On a side note - I am not that great at cutting straight lines if I 'eyeball' something, so I drew a line straight down the concrete tube and cut it - I made sure my line was straight and even by putting it next to my door jamb. I also used a dry-erase marker thinking that I could erase any markings it left on the door jamb. I also found out that dry-erase markers do not erase from door jambs...
The first part of making the fuselage was determining how long I wanted it. I settled for 48.5 inches long. This made it long enough for the parts not to be crowded together, but remained easy to tow and easy to turn.
I first laid one board on the ground and then built the riser for the seat. The seat is 18 inches long. At the 32 inch mark (measuring from the front), I affixed a 3.5 inch tall by 12 inch wide board and then I affixed another of the same dimensions at the 15.5 inch mark (once again measuring from the front). I then placed the board on top of it to make sure it was all flush and then affixed the sides.
The sides were 30 inch long and 12 inch wide boards. To maximize width, I didn't place these on top of the bottom board - rather beside. This kept the inside 12 inches, but reduced the height to around 11 inches (the boards are 3/4 inch thick and the 12 inch boards are actually about 11 5/8).
On the front of the fuselage and the back of the seating compartment, I cut two boards to fit on the ends. The front and the end measure 12 3/4 inches wide and the front is the full width of the 12 inch boards and the back is actually 13.5 inches.
Next, I drilled a hole in the front with a 1/2 inch drill bit - I measured it to drill the hole dead center. This will be where your propellor is attached.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpFlag this comment as:
Not NiceInappropriateSpam
Visit Our Store »
Go Pro Today »
