Spar splicing

[Peterross]

Hi all
I'm ready to order my wood for the wings. I know that the plans say the spar caps can be spliced. What are the advantages and disadvantages of splicing? Is there a shipping cost difference? A strength difference?
Thanks

[Murray Randall]

Nobody has responded!?!?!?     No life left in the site?        Anyhow Spar cap splicing is not the best place to be implementing cost savings!!!!    A proper splice should include a ply doublers that would make assy of the ribs difficult.   FAA AC 43.13 1B gives guidance that should be read carefully when messing with splices.

[Steve]

Nobody has responded!?!?!?     No life left in the site?        Anyhow Spar cap splicing is not the best place to be implementing cost savings!!!!    A proper splice should include a ply doublers that would make assy of the ribs difficult.   FAA AC 43.13 1B gives guidance that should be read carefully when messing with splices.

Spar splicing has appeared in many group "Conversations" the flavor of which can be sampled with a Group Conversation search on the yahoo Group... This is the resulting search argument Link: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/EaglersNests/search/messages?query=spar%20splicing

[Murray Randall]

Yeah, we've beat the spar WEB splice issue over and over. But if your trying to save material cost and shipping cost you have to talking about the spar CAPS, 5/8 X 3/4, 3/4 X 3/4 150" or so inches long.  Splicing the caps is not a good idea.  Splicing the webs is a far more debatable issue.  Yes I spliced my webs but happily adimit its certainly not necessary.    Of interest maybe.  The Fleet 16 B's upper wing spars were originally manufactured using 16 pieces of spruce in four laminations and four splices in each lamination.   It was a 28 foot span w/ no center section. 

[Steve]

Yeah, we've beat the spar WEB splice issue over and over. But if your trying to save material cost and shipping cost you have to talking about the spar CAPS, 5/8 X 3/4, 3/4 X 3/4 150" or so inches long.  Splicing the caps is not a good idea.  Splicing the webs is a far more debatable issue.  Yes I spliced my webs but happily adimit its certainly not necessary.    Of interest maybe.  The Fleet 16 B's upper wing spars were originally manufactured using 16 pieces of spruce in four laminations and four splices in each lamination.   It was a 28 foot span w/ no center section.  

I get a kick out of Robert S Hoover's Chugger concept - you've probably have read this a number of times but at the risk of repetition:  http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/flying-on-cheap-wood.html I particularly like the smell of pine, shavings, sawdust & epoxy that just lets you place the pieces in the same neighborhood... Another of Hoover's cheap ideas was to get the GM EcoTech 2300cc 4 cyl Commercial service motor in a crate and limit it to 2700 rpm on a direct drive long wood prop making 60 HP at the mid-section of it's torque curve rise... That engine in my Saturn Vue Crossover cruises the car 70 mph at 2600 RPM without the Chugger Commercial cam... Runs 4 hours on 12 gallons of gas...