Anyone interested in studying B-17 engineering drawings with me?

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S

Sutts

Airman
45
15
Jan 3, 2019
Recently signed up with AirCorps Library and am working my way through the amazing B-17 blueprints.

I enjoy getting to grips with the intricate details and will be constructing detailed models in a 3D design package.
Would be great to find a B-17 technical discussion group or some like-minded individuals with whom to discuss the complexities and issues arising from the drawings.

If anyone is interested or knows of a B-17 technical discussion group then it would be great to hear from you.

Thanks.
 
DerAdlerIstGelandet said:
Hi, and welcome.

Just start a discussion group here.
Click to expand...

Thanks, will look at doing that once I get my act together. My only concern is sharing drawings that are obtained through my Air Corp Library subscription. I suppose if I post snippets of drawings that are relevant to a particular question then it won't infringe copyright rules.
 

Just make sure you source where you got them from.
 
I'm interested in locating a decent set of drawings of the B-17D, with the intention of building an electric R/C balsa version in 1/2" scale. I have a very old 3rd or 4th generation warpaint set, but that's the best I can find. Let us know if you happen upon anything you can share. Ole Bill
 
Greetings,

I joined AirCorps Library almost 2 years ago and I've been working on a similar goal with a B-17G.



I've spent time adding descriptions to many of the drawings so they can be searched easier.

Here's a sample of part of my workflow. I have started what is becoming a pretty extensive spreadsheet listing the drawing numbers, drawing titles, my 3D file name and the status of my files. I recommend doing something like this because there are so many drawings it is very easy to get lost and find yourself going, "Oh what was that drawing number that has the part I need right now???" Additionally notating which 3D file a drawing exists within is immensely useful.

I have drawing numbers are linked to other spreadsheet tabs for additional management.



The drawings are not organized by model. You have to pay very close attention to which model B-17 a drawing is for. Since I'm working on a 'G' drawings specific to 'E' and 'F' are not relevant to me.

If you have any questions about organization or the drawings I may be of some service.
 

Will do Ole Bill. Have you tried all the DVD drawing sets that are out there? This one looks quite complete...
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Blueprints-Digital Download
 
bse7entn said:
Greetings,

I joined AirCorps Library almost 2 years ago and I've been working on a similar goal with a B-17G.

View attachment 525224
Click to expand...

Wow, nice work bse7entn , that's exactly the kind of thing I had in mind. The chin mount is especially nice - never seen that modelled before. I guess you had to do your own research on that as I can't imagine the drawings are included with the aircraft for subcontracted items?
Are you working in Solidworks or something else?
 
[I have drawing numbers are linked to other spreadsheet tabs for additional management.

The drawings are not organized by model. You have to pay very close attention to which model B-17 a drawing is for. Since I'm working on a 'G' drawings specific to 'E' and 'F' are not relevant to me.

If you have any questions about organization or the drawings I may be of some service.[/QUOTE]

Hi bse7entn :

Wow! Very nice model! I know how much work (as a beginner in SOLIDWORKS) drawing one part is - your nose assembly looks great! And, a lot of work.

I'm building a He 162A-2 for a museum - I had NO idea what a giant research project this is: finding the microfilm & buying it, viewing & printing the drawings, filing & catalogueing the printed drawings, etc., etc. I naively thought it would be a big sheetmetal project - I'm having to learn German, translate German WWII Al alloys to modern ones, buy standard parts from Germany...

May I suggest that you use the Boeing detail part/subassembly/assembly numbers as your file names? To avoid having to cross reference? Just an idea.

Part of my parts list:




Anyway, kudos on your effort! It looks great!

Regards,
James
 

Thanks. Yes, all of the turrets are subcontracted products, just like many of the LRUs, so they do not have detailed drawings within the aircraft CDs.
I have also been collecting manuals (expensive), and using a guy from ebay that sells scans of manuals (MUCH less expensive).
If you need manuals I highly recommend him (warbird-manuals). He's been very helpful and if he hasn't had something on his ebay store, I've been able to ask for something, he's scanned it and put it up for purchase. The quality is nice and legible, no complaints. Since he's doing the work I can't share his files.

If you need something from physical manuals I have, let me know.

I am not using Solidworks, no. I am creating basically game resolution assets in LightWave 3D.

I have been concentrating on filling out Stations 1-3 for the bombardier and navigator, and the most iconic element is the chin turret so I've spent quite a bit of time on it. Pretty happy with the progress.




Wow that sounds like quite a project and quite the fun!

You know, I hadn't stopped to think about using the Boeing assembly numbers for my file names, as odd as that may sound. But yes, that will be implemented, thank you. The workflow has been a work in progress as I've never undertaken something like this on my own before.
 
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Hi all,
I volunteered a few times on a B-17 restoration in Illinois some 16 years ago. Wish I could have gone more. I'm working on a Spitfire 1:1 sim pit and also picked up drawings. Lately, I've just been making gauges and switches as they are more manageable. I have a few sheet metal frames done too.

A couple of things which might help:

Setting up a free Discord server would be nice for sharing projects. It is better suited for collaborative work, and has a drag and drop interface for files, pdfs, and images. You can also share screens (be careful! ha) and voice chat. I work as a contractor for a flight sim outfit and it has worked really well for collaborative work. I don't want to steal the thunder from here but if anyone's interested in trying it I can set up a simple server with different aircraft types, etc.

Fusion 360 is free for hobbyists making less than 100k a year (99% of users). I like it a lot better than Solidworks (more stable) and was easy to pick up. The nice thing about Fusion 360 is that you can share/collaborate on files with others on a cloud and view them on your phone. It also accurately spits out models for 3D printing (I printed some tooling from the video below).


Regards.
 


Nice work! Thanks for the tips.
 
bse7entn said:
That's pretty cool though I've never looked into anything like this. Not something needed when you're working alone.
Click to expand...
I agree. Sutts was just looking for a way to collaborate with others on his project. This thread would work just fine though as someone else noted.
 
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