XL-Seat: Cutting & length

[Brock]

I know this is a very simple task, but still, I'm curious what you minalists out there have used to cut your sheet metal into strips for the seat.  I don't have access to a sheer and don't want to cut the metal with manual snips but I see this at HF...
https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/power-saws/metal-shears/5-amp-14-gauge-metal-shears-64609.html
...another option would be to use the band saw however it's hard to keep long straight cuts.  What are your recommendations?

Secondly, and I'm just waiting for someone to say "follow the plans", is the seat strips (vertical) length in the plans taking into consideration the wrap around the tubes at the top and bottom.  I fear cutting then finding the strips too short.  Seems pilot size comes into play here.  I'm not real tall (~5'10") but want to make sure I don't run out of head room and end up making the seat twice.

[pappyadkins]

On my first one, I just used a razor knife & straight edge, worked great...  (Second one I made from 1 solid piece of metal & punched holes (sharpened 1" square tubing) drove into a 'receiver'... or one could drill holes, waiting to see someone try that...)

As far as length, make it extra long, you can also shorten... When I get home I can measure or I may have said how long in my video, don't remember....  < >

[Kamcoman77]

I used a knife called an Olfa. I placed a straightedge on my aluminum sheet and scored it. The Olfa knife takes a tiny sliver of metal out of the cut line. After about 10 passes, the strip just pops loose. You could probably use a hook-nosed carpet knife to score the aluminum. I made the vertical strips 48" long so I could adjust the amount of "sag" during install.

[Brock]

On my first one, I just used a razor knife & straight edge, worked great...  (Second one I made from 1 solid piece of metal & punched holes (sharpened 1" square tubing) drove into a 'receiver'... or one could drill holes, waiting to see someone try that...)

As far as length, make it extra long, you can also shorten... When I get home I can measure or I may have said how long in my video, don't remember.... 

Thanks, I enjoyed watching that video, again.  Did I see push/pull controll tubes heading back toward the tail?
Since you made the two seats, do you find the second one as comfortable as the first one?  I would think the original design would take more of a shape after being sat in.

[pappyadkins]

If there where tubes laying in there on the video, it was probably just used for alignment for placing the guides... I built as Leonard & used the cables for controls... Back to the seat, I really couldn't tell any differences in comfort (the new may have been slightly more comfortable, because it is smooth without seams or rivets) Keep in mind the only purpose of the horizontal webbing is to keep the vertical ones from spreading apart... the rivets keep it from 'moving' (Once the original was completely riveted and installed, there's no lateral movement at all)... All the vertical webbing still contours to your body great with either method (IMO)... And I'm not knocking the original either... Good luck & keep us posted... Good thoughtful questions BTW...

[Chuck in Indiana]

Brock, I know I made a seat.  Somehow. I thought I'd documented it, but searching didn't find it. I did find this:

Everyone's seat is different.      From reading of people feeling they were sliding forward using the stock dimensions, I added a couple of inches (or more)to each end. That is working well, with none of that feeling. That said, from the top of my longeron to the bottom of the seat unloaded is 3 7/8 to 4 inches. There is plenty of clearance if the stick assembly is made per drawing..