And it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that all rivet holes should be drilled with a new bit, or one that has been accurately sharpened and will drill on-size holes.īefore you start drilling that hole, be sure the drill bit is the correct size! If you err on the small size, no harm is done. It has a very limited reach.įor the most part, rivet holes are drilled either with a hand held electric or pneumatic drill, or on a drill press. Ah, that's the primary limitation to this handy tool. A built-in adjustable margin stop allows holes to be punched in exact alignment along the edges of a part. It can accurately punch the correct size holes, and do it quicker. The Whitney punch is a small hand held lever type punch with interchangeable dies. Drill them or punch them out with a tool. This generally means that the drilled rivet hole will have to be either machine countersunk, or compression dimpled to provide the proper nest for the rivet head.īut, before we get into countersinking and dimpling procedures, a few important comments regarding the drilling of rivet holes may be useful. The additional work generated by the use of flush rivets stems from the requirement to modify the drilled rivet hole to accept the cone shaped head of the flush rivet. Still, it is well for the first time builder to be aware that extra, time consuming, preparatory steps will be required if he elects to go all the way with flush riveting.Īs in the installation of conventional protruding head rivets, flush riveting starts with the drilling of the correct size hole for the rivet selected.
However, extra work for a good purpose doesn't seem to deter most builders as they are more apt to be freer with their time than with their money. While labor costs aren't ordinarily a matter of concern in the construction of a homebuilt, the extra work could be. This is understandable for the extra labor costs could outweigh, by far, the slight performance gain realized from the extensive use of flush riveting. Unfortunately, since flush riveting is an expensive process, most manufacturers of general aviation aircraft have long limited the use of flush rivets to as few components as possible. The sleek smoothness of flush riveted skins is considered to be an essential factor in obtaining the maximum performance expected of high performance aircraft. Flush rivets are used, primarily, on external metal surfaces where good appearance and the elimination of unnecessary aerodynamic drag are important.
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