1.    The materials (wood, hardware, glue and fabric) used to manufacture a Fisher Flying Products aircraft are all of aircraft quality.  “Aircraft grade” means the material is intended to be used in aircraft and subjected to the loads imposed upon it by an aircraft.  Additional material of this quality, if needed is available from Fisher Flying Products or any of several aircraft supply houses.  Do not make any substitutions where any of these materials are concerned.  There IS NOTHING ELSE “just as good”.  The safety of everyone who will ever be exposed to your aircraft is dependent on your use of the correct materials.

2.    Your work area should be approximately the size of a single car garage for most of the construction of your aircraft.   You will need to build a work table that is at least 4’ wide x 16’ long and very well supported to insure that there are no twists or sags that will get transferred to your aircraft.  Two 5/8” x 4’ x 8’ sheets of particle board or MDF joined end to end and generously supported by  2” x 4” or 2” x 6” framing works well.  One day spent building a good worktable is time well spent.  Be sure you level the table in its final location both end to end and side to side.  Use a string from end to end to detect humps or dips.  

3.    You will find the T-88 epoxy furnished with this kit to be very easy to use, practically odorless, and non-toxic in most cases. The proper mix for T-88 is 50% Resin-50% Hardener, although it is not critical in this area. Ambient temperature definitely affects dry time, and thus, pot life. In cool temperature (40° - 50°) pot life is 3-4 hours, and parts glued should be allowed 24-36 hours drying time. In more normal working temperature pot life will be even shorter, although glued parts should still be allowed to dry about 12 hours. T-88 will work as well on wet wood as it does on dry - thus ply parts that are bent wet may immediately be glued in position.

4.    While the mix ratio of T-88 epoxy is not critical it should be kept close to 50/50 to avoid using up one container before the other is gone. The part "B" brown liquid is more viscous than the part "A" clear, therefore, pours slower. When the tips are removed from the new bottles of T-88, cut the tip off the part "B" liquid slightly further down the stem than the part "A", thus making a slightly larger opening. When the liquid is poured, turn the bottle upside down and count slowly. The length of the count depends on how much glue you want to mix. The second bottle is now turned over and the same count is used. This method insures the same mix each time.

5.    Wood parts should be stapled in many cases, until the glue dries. The Bostitch "Tackier" T-11 staple gun, loaded with 5/16" staples is ideal for this purpose, since this combination will provide sufficient clamp pressure without splitting wood. These staple guns are usually found at office supply stores rather than lumber or hardware store.

6.    In certain areas of construction, it is desirable to drive small nails to maintain clamp pressure until the glue is dry. These nails should be driven through scraps of 1/16" or 1/8" plywood which will spread the clamping area. Also, after the glue has cured, lifting the scrap plywood will remove the nails. If any nails remain, you will be able to grab them as a result of gap left by the plywood scraps. Any good steel brad may be used for these purposes.

7.    Where ply parts are to be glued to each other or other types of wood, the ply should be lightly sanded before gluing, to remove the gloss finish from the plywood.

8.    Aluminum tubing is flattened and bent at the ends when fabricating tail braces and jury struts. This is best done as follows: After tube is cut to proper length, drill a 1/16" hole approximately %" in from the end. Saw slot the tube from the end into the 1/16" hole. Place slotted end in vice, flatten and bend to the correct angle. After mount holes are drilled, tube ends are rounded and dressed with a sander, never an emery wheel. Avoid sharp bends.

9.    Aluminum tubing will polish and give the appearance of chrome. This is best done with a buffing wheel and polish rouge. It can also be done by hand using fine automobile rubbing compound. If polished by hand, sand first with #600 grit sandpaper to remove any black spots.

10.    In certain areas, doublers are specified inside aluminum tubing. Be sure all doublers are riveted in place as shown on the print, otherwise, they are useless.

11.    During construction, you will varnish any areas that will be "closed". Mask off the locations, which will be the glue joint and varnish the remaining surfaces.  When assembling coat all unvarnished areas with T-88.  
*** It should be noted that you should use the varnish recommended by the manufacturer of the finishing system you are going to use.   Some finishing systems may attack hardware store gloss polyurethane lacquers.