737NG Shell

[droddis]

I am currently working on developing a shell made from wood, i am working on the drawings in autocad. If anyone is interested i will post the 3d Model and 2D Drawings soon just for an idea of what its like heres the first draft.

[ak49er]

Excellent work, I would be interested in the plansa for your shell.

[Jackpilot]

My 2cents+ my experience
Whatever the design, has to be in metal.
Preferably welded subframes to be bolted together.

Steel is pretty cheap vs Aluminum (not being airborne= weight is not a factor)
Subframes go through doors!

Wood frames cannot support Overhead weight and have to be attached to an outside steel boxframe to be rigid enough. Once in place they cannot be moved out without heavy damage

Your design looks great..the simpler the better.
Let us know..lots of us would be interested
Jack

[Westozy]

My 2cents+ my experience
Whatever the design, has to be in metal.
Preferably welded subframes to be bolted together.

Steel is pretty cheap vs Aluminum (not being airborne= weight is not a factor)
Subframes go through doors!

Wood frames cannot support Overhead weight and have to be attached to an outside steel boxframe to be rigid enough. Once in place they cannot be moved out without heavy damage

Your design looks great..the simpler the better.
Let us know..lots of us would be interested
Jack

I agree, it has to be steel for strength. A timber construction of equivalant strength would be heavier than steel tubing anyway. My sim has a 1" square steel tube chassis and the roof is made out of 3/4" square steel tubing which is fixed to the chassis. The windshield frames and roof section is all one piece and attaches to the frames that support the ends of the MIP, the whole thing is cantilevered and very strong, it doesn't need any support behind the seats and that's with the overhead fitted. There is just one brace that goes from the 'point' of the windshield down to the lower chassis which prevents any movement. The roof section cost $60 (Aussie) and took about 6 hours to weld up. I used oxy fusion welding, it's neat, free of slag and doesn't blow holes in the tubing like an arc welder.
Just an engineer's 2 cents worth!!!!

Gwyn

[Gsey]

Having recently spent many frustrating hours taking down my wooden frame I also say go with metal. Do it once and do it right. You will be glad you did when you finally have a full operating sim. Undoing all the electrical is a nightmare.

Gary

[NicD]

Yep, steel gets my vote for sure. I used 40mm square tube for the main frame which is very strong, but in hindsight I could of used 30mm, maybe even 20mm.

[ivar hestnes]

Dont under-estimate the strenght of wood. Anyone heard of the sproose goose. If properly built, it have more than enough strenght to hold everything needed in the overhead. Wood is also alot cheaper and lighter than steel.

I have testet my construction and hooked 65kg under my roof. No problem at all. And I still have some reinforcements to do before I am satisfied to start covering with plywood. And the covering itself will help alot of the strenght.

I believe my setup can carry at least 150kg under the roof when finished.
It wont ever be that heavy with all hardware installed.

I also build my shell in modules so it can be easy dismantled for transport or moving. Cockpit split in the middle, roof, and base is two pieces. I will split up my construction in a few days when I will start covering the roof. I will upload some pictures then

[QF6228]

I agree with Ivar, if properly built it wood can hold just as much and it is cost effective.
In saying this I also agree that metal is obviously much stronger but it can cost more in regards to material and tools.

My 2c.
Damien.

[droddis]

Thanks for the response(s) as soon as complete the plans i will upload them in varous formats for all. I have read what people say about wood vs. metal, but it is an easy one for me to decide, i dont have any knowlledge with metal, and wouldn't know where to start. Where as my dad is a joiner an with enough moaning i will hopefully be able to get him to do the majority of the work. I have seen various projects made from wood and quite a few have the overhead assemblie in place.

Thanks Guys

Dave

[Jackpilot]

"I have testet my construction and hooked 65kg under my roof. No problem at all. And I still have some reinforcements to do before I am satisfied to start covering with plywood. And the covering itself will help alot of the strenght."

Ivar.
Shure about the Spruce Goose and many GA aircrafts
Steel bars are dirt cheap and any welding shop can do the assembly for about 100 dollars. The difficulty is design.
And there is no need for a skin. Just triming the inside.

This being said...we would be delighted to see a picture of your wood structure