It was now time to move on to rolling of the fuselage side skins. All four side skins are shipped completely flat and require the bottom section that curves around the fuselage to be rolled by the builder.
The plans begin by fabricating a clamping block to be used to hold the skin firmly against the workbench. I instead decided to use a
4ft length of steel angle that I had seen another builder use, so skipped creating the wooden block.
I did, however, have to fabricate the roll construction angles. The plans don't specify which particular thickness of angle to use, but it turns out that a 6ft length of 3/4"x3/4"x1/8" angle is the one required.
 |
| 6ft length of aluminum angle cut into two equal 3ft lengths and marked for cutting and drilling as per the plans |
 |
| Roll construction angles clamped together, ready to drill the initial #40 hole (after carefully marking its location) |
 |
| #40 holes drilled |
 |
| Remaining holes being match drilled from the skin into one of the roll construction angles, after the angle had been carefully aligned with the previously marked roll lines |
 |
| Holes being match drilled from one angle into the other |
 |
| Roll construction angle ends trimmed as per the plans |
 |
| Roll construction angles deburred and ready to use to roll the side skins |
 |
| Test fit of roll construction angles to aft side skin. All holes and roll lines aligned perfectly with the angles |
Prior to starting the skin rolling, I decided to quickly knock out the baggage door seal angle construction, and countersinking of screw holes on the mid cabin decks
 |
| Baggage door seal angle parts cut to length |
 |
| Match drilling the baggage door seal angles to the aft longeron holes previously drilled, making sure the angle was positioned and clamped 1/16" in from the edge of the longeron |
 |
| All holes drilled into the baggage door seal angle |
 |
| Smaller baggage door seal angle section positioned adjacent to longer section, and match drilled through the longeron, seat back brace and gusset |
 |
| Trim line marked across both baggage door seal angle pieces at 3/8" down from the base of the longeron |
 |
| Baggage door seal angles trimmed on the bandsaw |
 |
| After trimming and deburring, everything fit well |
 |
| Countersinking screw holes in the mid cabin decks. Here I used a scrap piece of 0.063" aluminum to help stabilize the countersink cage while countersinking the screw holes near the corners of each mid cabin deck |
 |
| Using an additional piece of scrap aluminum to add support for the countersink pilot and prevent any chance of chattering |
 |
| All mid cabin deck screw holes countersunk |
I also took some time to cut and fit the baggage door angles and shims. There was nothing tricky here once I found all the parts.
 |
| Baggage door angles and shims pulled from the shelf and ready to cut and debur |
 |
| Baggage door angles and shims ready for dimpling and priming |
Now it was time to jump back a few pages in the plans, and start bending the aft fuselage side skins. After positioning the skin on the workbench with the "Start of roll line" along the edge of the workbench, I positioned the steel angle along the roll line and clamped it down securely. I also taped the edges of the steel angle to prevent scuffing of the skins placed under it
To prevent any chance of the skin moving while rolling, I also clecoed the skin directly to the workbench at several locations as other builders have done. I then clecoed the roll construction angles in place, orienting clecoes as shown in the plans, attached vice grips to the angles, and began rolling.
Being careful to push forward and down while rolling, I saw a curve start to form gradually in the skin. It was very subtle at first, but the more I rolled, the more the skin started to give way to increase the curvature.
 |
| Right aft skin clamped to workbench and ready for rolling to begin |
 |
| Roll forming nicely in the skin. I used an electronic angle finder to check the angle of the curve, and gradually saw it increase towards the 60 degree recommendation in the plans |
 |
| Vice grips were repositioned as the curve angle increased to improve leverage while rolling |
 |
| After using a rubber mallet to form a tight bend at the forward end of the roll, I remove the steel and roll construction angles, and checked the curve. I was happy to see that it matched what was shown in the plans. |
 |
| Right aft skin test fitted to the fuselage after rolling |
 |
| Skin clecoed around the bottom of the fuselage. All clecoes went in easily, and the curve matched perfectly |
 |
No puckering seen along the skin after clecoing
|
 |
| Skin edge sits perfectly flat along the bottom of the fuselage |
 |
| Ready to roll the left aft fuselage skin |
 |
| Left aft skin roll complete. Once again I was happy with the 60 deg. curve |
 |
| After completing the roll on the left skin, I noticed a small crack in the bend at the fwd end of the roll. Apparently this is somewhat common when rolling the side skins. I'm not sure what caused it, but it may have been due to striking the contruction angles somewhat forcefully with the rubber mallet |
 |
To prevent further cracking, I stop drilled the end of the crack with a 1/16" drill and deburred around the crack
|
 |
| Both aft side skins clecoed to the fuselage to ensure everything aligned after rolling |
 |
| Once again, no puckering along the edge of the roll... |
 |
| ...or along the curve |
 |
| From the inside, the roll looks even with no sharp bends, both on the left skin... |
 |
| ...and on the right skin |
Build Hints
- When attaching the aft side skins to the fuselage, use (Knipex?) pliers to slightly squeeze the rear spar attach bar ends that stick out of the sides of the fuselage. The opening in the skins through which these bars pass is barely wide enough for the bars, and if you don't squeeze the bar ends together a little while passing them through, you risk the bars getting stuck in the openings and bending or tearing the skin while trying to free them.
Fuse Side Skins Time Taken: 9.8 hours
Dates: August 7 2025 - August 14 2025
Fuse Side Skins Total Time: 24.6 hours
RV-10 Build Total Time: 1111.1 hours
Priming Total Time: 134.8 hours (not included in build time totals)
