North American Aviation Lightening Holes

[chippie51]

Another really techie one I'm afraid, but we're after a set of lightening hole tools suitable for replicating the lightening holes on T-6, P-51 etc. Obviously there are various sizes, but is there a particular set of tools available anywhere which produce a result close to or the same as the original style?

Many thanks,

[Cvairwerks]

Have you checked Kent's dies?

http://www.tinmantech.com/html/punch_and_flare_avi.php

[chippie51]

They seem very similar to those we already have, however they don't seem to produce a comperable flange. Is anyone producing tooling to match the old NAA holes and flanges?

Thanks

[51fixer]

They seem very similar to those we already have, however they don't seem to produce a comperable flange. Is anyone producing tooling to match the old NAA holes and flanges?

Thanks

Their hole flange specs don't have prints in the T-6 or 51 blue prints that I'm aware of.
Contact another rebuilder or you could have the parts read digitally and reverse engineer.

[hang the expense]

You will probably have to make them special. I made all the correct hole punch flange dies for the Curtiss P-40 and there are a bunch. Good luck.

[The Inspector]

3/4 in MDF, a bandsaw, a good router and a hydraulic press from Horrible Freight make nested male/female patterns and get pumpin' that's how the fillet fairings on CF's White 1 Me-262 were made.

[Ashley Briggs]

We are having to fabricate quite a few of these dies for a Mustang we are rebuilding. Also the Australian Wirraway and Boomerang also used the rolled edge lightning holes tracing their ancestry back to their NA connection. We use polypropylene which we buy as off cuts from a local industrial company. It's very easy to machine and quite durable as a press tool we have yet to have one fail. A great option to alloy or steel.
Cheers,
Ash.

[rtwpsom2]

If you ever find them, please post them here. I am looking for them for a CAD project I am doing.

[lusc10]

If you had a pullmax machine you could make a die to run a bead around the hole. We made a die for the lightening holes on the aft spar ribs on a Corsair that work great. It was that or make a lot dies for each size and shaped hole.

Randy