Ernest Christley wrote:
I've got to cut slots for the rudder cables in both the floorboards and
the rear skins. Are there any tricks for locating the necessary slots
in a way to keep them as small as possible?


Do it by semi-mockup.

1. Make a dummy floorboard that indexes accurately to the real one using
tooling holes or some other index holes, but with roughly located
oversize cutouts for the cables.
2. Install the dummy floorboard and the cables so they pass through the
oversize holes as they would in the finished installation.
3. Cut a piece of cardboard for each cutout hole in the dummy panel, big
enough to overlap the holes by an inch or two.
4. Make a hole in the cardboard piece in the center where the cable
should pass with a slit to let it fit around the cable.
5. Fit the cardboard so it's flat over the hole with the cable passing
through the hole in the cardboard.
6. Set the rudder control to full travel one way.
6. With the cardboard located on the dummy panel by the cable, push a
few push pins through the cardboard to tack it to the dummy panel as
locator pins.
7. Remove the pins and move the rudder controls to full travel the other
way.
8. Repeat step 6.
9. Remove everything.
10. Clamp the dummy panel over the real floorboard, accurately located
by the index or mounting holes.
11. Put the cardboard where it was on the dummy panel and align it on
the first set of tack holes with the tacks.
12. Index the cable passthrough point through the hole in the cardboard
onto the real floorboard with a pencil.
13. Move the cardboard and pin it to the other set of tack pin holes
representing the other end of rudder travel.
14. Index the cable passthrough point through the hole in the cardboard
to the real floorboard.
15. Remove the dummy panel and complete the layout of the required slot
on the real floorboard, with the necessary clearance allowances, based
on the index points made.


John