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Drilling canopy

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steerr(at)bellsouth.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 1:51 pm Post subject: Drilling canopy

I'm drilling the canopy for my 601HD.  The instructions say to drill the 

holes slightly larger than 1/4".  What have folks been using for 

"slightly larger?"  The next size after 1/4" on my step drills is 

5/16".  Is that acceptable?



Thanks for any information.



Bill

annken100

Joined: 15 Nov 2007
Posts: 62

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 3:16 pm Post subject: Re: Drilling canopy

Bill,



5/16 works just fine.



Ken

_________________
601 XL / Corvair

amyvega2005(at)earthlink.
Guest

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 3:23 pm Post subject: Drilling canopy

Bill, drill hole so that the washer  literally floats in the hole, if you are going to screw the canopy in place.  if you drill too small and the angle of the washer catches the glass, it will crack it.  the key is to use a high spead dremmel sander bit, preferably a cone shaped one, and burn the hole to size.



email mail me direct if you need to at amyvega2005(at)earthlink.net



Juan



--

naumuk(at)alltel.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 3:34 pm Post subject: Drilling canopy

Just a thought, because I'm agonizing over cracking my canopy while drilling 

myself. Why not heat up a rod of the correct size with a propane torch and 

just melt through in the first place?

                                                            Another Bill

---

psm(at)att.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 3:41 pm Post subject: Drilling canopy

I just finished drilling my canopy with a step drill operating at low 

rpms.  This worked just fine.



I started each hole with an abrasive (diamond) tool in a Dremmel.  I 

used this to mark both the hole in the bubble canopy and the aluminum hoop.



Paul

XL nearly done

At 04:31 PM 9/15/2008, you wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  Just a thought, because I'm agonizing over cracking my canopy while 

drilling myself. Why not heat up a rod of the correct size with a 

propane torch and just melt through in the first place?

                                                            Another Bill

zenithlist(at)yahoo.com
Guest

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 6:46 pm Post subject: Drilling canopy

I don't think you can consistently "burn"  correctly sized cylindrical holes with the hot rod.  Try burning a few holes with scrape plexiglass and you'll what I am talking about.  I use unibit drill bit in high speed drill with good results.

 

 ---

ggower_99(at)yahoo.com
Guest

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 9:13 pm Post subject: Drilling canopy

Well in plain "metric"   the next to  1/4"  will be 2/4"  then 3/4"       

  

 Do not archive

 Saludos

 Gary Gower...   

 Sorry for the joke.



--- On Mon, 9/15/08, Bill Steer <steerr(at)bellsouth.net> wrote:



  	  Quote: 	
		  From: Bill Steer <steerr(at)bellsouth.net>

Subject: Drilling canopy

To: "Zenith_list" <zenith-list(at)matronics.com>

Date: Monday, September 15, 2008, 5:50 PM



 	  Quote: 	
		  --> Zenith-List message posted by: Bill Steer <steerr(at)bellsouth.net>



I'm drilling the canopy for my 601HD.  The instructions say to drill the 

holes slightly larger than 1/4".  What have folks been using for 

"slightly larger?"  The next size after 1/4" on my step drills

is 

5/16".  Is that acceptable?



Thanks for any information.



Bill



	
	


         [quote][b]

steerr(at)bellsouth.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 5:33 am Post subject: Drilling canopy

I agree.  The melted material will "pile up" around the edges of the 

hole and the size of the hole will be inconsistent.  I started each hole 

with a 1/8" plexiglass bit I got from ACS and then opened them up with a 

unibit in a variable speed drill.  I actually tried a 1/4" plexiglass 

bit I got at the same time from ACS, but it seemed to want to grab the 

plexiglass, so I went with the unibit.



Bill



John Smith wrote:

[quote] I don't think you can consistently "burn"  correctly sized cylindrical 

 holes with the hot rod.  Try burning a few holes with scrape 

 plexiglass and you'll what I am talking about.  I use unibit drill bit 

 in high speed drill with good results.



 ---

goodings(at)yorku.ca
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 6:27 am Post subject: Drilling Canopy

There are many replies, and everyone's an expert!  Let me give my 

thoughts.  Consider the whole job; I haven't seen the latest instructions 

from Zenair, and my remarks may be repetitious.  Presumably, you will use 

stainless steel screws, 16 threads per inch into the framing tubes, oval 

heads with cup washers with O-rings that fit under the cup washers.  In 

the 9/32" holes, cut and insert little rings of teflon/polyethylene or 

other firm plastic cut from a piece of tubing of 1/4" O.D., about 1/8" 

I.D. that the screws will go through.  Everything is cushioned; there is 

ample clearance around the little teflon rings which are surrounded by a 

"layer of air" to allow the canopy material to move a bit.  BUT to make 

the 9/32" holes, I wouldn't dream of using a step drill.  Use a special 

plastic drill (with the corners "relieved") to drill the 1/4" holes, and 

then use a 1/4" round file to gently increase the hole size.  Finish 

sanding each hole with very fine sandpaper, and gently bevel the edge of 

each hole.  Under a magnifying glass, all the hole edges should be really 

smooth.  The entire operation of what I'm talking about would take about 3 

hours.  I did this on the advice of an expert builder.  I had seen many 

601s, nearly all of which had a crack or two at some of the canopy holes. 

There is not a hint of a crack anywhere on our canopy after 5 years, 

temperatures from -30 to +110 degrees F.  Ours is the side-opening canopy 

without a metal skirt - just tubes and lucite canopy.



John Goodings, C-FGPJ, CH601HD with R912S, Carp/Ottawa/Toronto.

Gig Giacona

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1416
Location: El Dorado Arkansas USA

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 6:29 am Post subject: Re: Drilling canopy

Where are you located Bill? What's the temp? The hotter it is the better when working with the canopy.

 	  steerr(at)bellsouth.net wrote: 	
		  I'm drilling the canopy for my 601HD.  The instructions say to drill the 

holes slightly larger than 1/4".  What have folks been using for 

"slightly larger?"  The next size after 1/4" on my step drills is 

5/16".  Is that acceptable?



Thanks for any information.



Bill

_________________
W.R. "Gig" Giacona
601XL Under Construction
See my progress at www.peoamerica.net/N601WR

steerr(at)bellsouth.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 7:19 am Post subject: Drilling canopy

You're right, Gig.  I'm in North Carolina.  Temps have been hovering 

around 80, warmer in the hangar.  The canopy is nice and flexible at 

these temps.  I'm fortunate that my warm season is longer than some.



Bill



Do not archive

Gig Giacona wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   



 Where are you located Bill? What's the temp? The hotter it is the better when working with the canopy.

n601xs(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 2:39 pm Post subject: Drilling canopy

I started and drilled all my holes exclusively with a 1/2" unibit. I have a canopy from Toddscanopies so it may be stronger that the one ZAC used to supply, but I have a separate windshield so I drilled twice the number of holes as a stock canopy and never a hint of a crack anywhere. The design of the step drill makes it perfect for plastic. Other's results may vary, but I would never consider using anything other than a unibit.

   

 Craig S.

 N601XS, inspection rained out for this week, maybe next week.



 

 On 9/16/08, Bill Steer <steerr(at)bellsouth.net (steerr(at)bellsouth.net)> wrote: [quote]--> Zenith-List message posted by: Bill Steer <steerr(at)bellsouth.net (steerr(at)bellsouth.net)>

 

I agree.  The melted material will "pile up" around the edges of the hole and the size of the hole will be inconsistent.  I started each hole with a 1/8" plexiglass bit I got from ACS and then opened them up with a unibit in a variable speed drill.  I actually tried a 1/4" plexiglass bit I got at the same time from ACS, but it seemed to want to grab the plexiglass, so I went with the unibit.

 

Bill



John Smith wrote:

 [quote]I don't think you can consistently "burn"  correctly sized cylindrical holes with the hot rod.  Try burning a few holes with scrape plexiglass and you'll what I am talking about.  I use unibit drill bit in high speed drill with good results.

 

---

amyvega2005(at)earthlink.
Guest

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:34 pm Post subject: Drilling canopy

melting does nothing to elliminate the material, you need to srill with a dull bit at high speed, then drammel at high speed, more of scraping than drilling.



Juan



--

naumuk(at)alltel.net
Guest

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:56 pm Post subject: Drilling canopy

A uni-bit it is.

                                                                  Bill

 [quote]   ---

purplemoon99(at)bellsouth
Guest

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:33 pm Post subject: Drilling canopy

[quote] ---

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