[plasticuser]

Today I made good use of my templates.

First, I made three copies of my main curve. This creates the two hinged sides. I pinned them together and sanded them to be uniform and match the first piece.

Next, I used the roof contour template to make a few cross-pieces. These will be used to make the opening hatch. I was careful to mark the centerline, then I pinned them together and sanded them to be nice and even.

Then I pinned the main curves into pairs, and using a temporary block, I put them in position. I made eight side templates, then positioned them and cut them to fit. That gave the curve from the bottom. I then positioned them against the main curve and made a consistent curve from the top. Now, I have all the framing needed for the aerocap.

The next step will be to glue, pin and screw the side pieces, sand them, then assemble the lid section. I'll need to go get some hardware to make the hinge/pivot - a 2 1/2" bolt, nut, and some washers for each side. The interesting part is that the bolts need to be aligned to each other, which is NOT parallel to the wood they're mounted in. I'll need to watch that carefully when I get to that stage of construction.