Things are looking up! Though I'm still pretty pissed about my major brain fart with dropping the compressor, I've accepted it and am moving on. I have been researching the replacement of the motor and flywheel. The motor and flywheel together pretty closely come to the cost I paid for the compressor to begin with. I ended up calling US Equipment Company, which is south of me about 90 minutes. I spoke with Eddie in the parts department and he said he doesn't have a replacment motor in stock (seems nobody else does either) but that the cost for it would be $459. YIKES!!! The flywheel is a moderate $121. That's $580 to fix this thing. He said he thought he had a new compressor that he would give me for $712. Turns out that it's a 3hp compressor (SS3L3). I have a 5hp compressor (SS5L5). I said that the cost of a new compressor is pretty damn close to the cost of just the couple replacement parts. He agreed. Their company is moving it's location and he finally talked me into taking the SS3L3 (3hp) compressor. He's giving it to me out the door for $646!!! I'll Take it! They don't want to have to incur the cost to relocate it to their new warehouse. It's brand new, unwraped from the factory. He said it would cost him the same either way by shipping it to their new location or me so I got a nice deal. Thanks Eddie! I'll take my time reparing the other one and resell it later down the road. So, if anyone is interested, let me know. I don't have a clue what shipping for it would be but just figure what it would cost sending a 450lb unit via freight.
Yesterday saw the arrival of my tool kit from Isham as well as my bench belt/disc sander. I inventoried the tool kit and there are a couple things back-ordered a week. No worries, don't need them right now. Quite a complete kit, I must say. One of the extras I purchased was an in.-lb. torque wrench. Just imagine, except for the air compressor, this kit includes almost all the tools you'll need to build your plane, which come in a 65lb box. *WHEW* I think the bucking bars and Clecos weigh half that! I looked at Sears for a belt/disc sander and thought they wanted too much for it. So I went to NorthernTool to check them out and found they had basically the same item for $40 less than Sears. At Northern, they're sold as Klutch. It's identical to the Craftsman brand except the Klutch item doesn't have the word CRAFTSMAN emblazoned on the table. I physically looked at the Craftsman sander today and yes, they are identical.
I have a small air compressor, a Harbor Freight 5 gal, 2hp compressor that I've had for the last 15 years. It's been a little trooper. It still holds up to the small jobs. Tonight, the empennage was finally started. I began with the HS-609PP rear spar reinforcement bars and HS-603PP rear spars. I cleaned up the edges on the bars, Cleco'd them into the rear spars and match drilled with a #30 bit using my little workhorse compressor.
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| Beginning the Horizontal Stab Rear Spar |
I stopped here as I remembered I want to build my Van's tool box and the sheet metal training project from the builder's workshop. The training project is also available at Van's. I want to work on these two to hone my riveting skills. I haven't done any riveting since the workshop back in October 2011. I'm sure I'm a bit rusty and want to start off doing this project right the first time. So, the Cleco'd and drilled HS rear spar will be something to look at as the start of good and FUN things to come! I'd much rather have the new compressor in place and ready to go anyway as it will definitely be better up to the task of drilling and riveting than my little guy.
Well Folks, that's it for now. I'll check in with ya later! Take Care and Thanks For Reading!
HOBBS Meter 3.0 hrs
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| Isham Tool Kit |
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| Another Item for the Power Tools Table!! |
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| The Finished Tool Table, Vacuum Included. They All Connect to One Power Strip. |
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