Radical RC Workbench: RC Building Blog

Practical RC building tips, battery guidance, workshop techniques, aviation stories and hobby commentary from Dave and the Radical RC crew.

Setting Up and Outfitting the Dremel 580 Table Saw

Setup Jig Kit24-Tooth Carbide BladeMiter Gauge The little Dremel 4 inch table saw is the right size for model work. The 580, 580-2, 588 and 588-2, plus the Craftsman and Montgomery Ward saws built on the same casting, all take the same parts. Out of the box these saws...

Foam Safe Epoxy and Glue: Which One for Which Job

PARFIX 900 Foam Safe CAZ-Poxy Finishing ResinFoam-Tac Regular thin CA will eat a hole through white foam while you stand there watching it. If you build with foam you need adhesives that leave it alone, and you need to know which one suits the joint in front of you....

Picking an RC Engine Starter: Engine Size, Battery and Cones

A starter that is too small for the engine will not turn it through compression. You stand there cooking the motor and the battery while nothing happens. Matching the starter to the engine is most of the job, and the battery behind it is most of the rest. Here is how...

Choosing an RC Glow Plug: Heat Range, Length and Idle Bars

A glow plug is about the cheapest part in your airplane and the one most likely to leave you standing in the pits pulling on a prop. We sell a lot of them and we get asked about them constantly, so here is how we sort them out at the shop. What a Glow Plug Actually...

Survival Tin

The contents of my Survival tin Project Current Contents: Altoids Tin Compass Sandpaper T Pins 2 Safety Pins 2 Buttons 2 4 Neodymium Magnets Hobby Knife Blade Single Edge Razor Utility Knife Blade Reflective Mirror on Bottom 2 Alcohol Pads 2 Standard Adhesive Band...

Nice note and photo from one of our more creative local builders:

Hi Dave, I wanted to Thank you for the good $68.00 price on the Castle ECS yesterday and the advice on repairing the cold solder joint my bad one. If I cannot solve it I will hire Dicks service at RRC. Below is one of several current projects ( F-20 50” wingspan x 60”...

Discovery Lab Team Successful Flight Trials

Students from the Discovery Lab send me some links and a thank you. Heya Dave, This is Jacob, from the Discovery Lab. My team and I finally got to maiden our aircraft yesterday, and she flew great! Very docile in the air, and we got the CG spot on. More than enough...

Celina Ohio Largely Bans All Flying Toys

What follows is my letter to the editor of the Daily Standard sent 11/12/2015 Editorial content regarding the ban and profiteering on technology toys in Celina. Merry Christmas to the parents of children with dreams of the worlds latest technology boom. Celina counsel...

Look what Mark Stephens of Virginia sent me…

Look what Mark Stephens of Virginia sent me: After crashing with pusher config, I cut off the top of pusher mount to just use as perch. I’ve got three diff size battery trays, axle mounts, vertical stabilizer mount, boom mount, and a few mounting thingies on the...

The AMA goes to 12 Expiration Dates Each Year? Seriously?

Submitted to Dave Mathewson, AMA Executive Director. Concerning new membership rules which will have memberships expiring every month and not just once each year. 06/23/2015 Dave, Our club like many has an agreement with the field owners to make certain every user is...