Bent Elevator Trailing Edges

I fabricated a simple bending brake out of a 2x8 and a bunch of hinges.  I've heard other builders complain that they didn't get a crisp bend between hinges, so I went a little overboard on the hinges.  They were on sale for 96¢, so it didn't cost much.



After reading the experiences of others on vansairforce.net, I put the trailing edge up against the hinges and bent the skins basically flat (until the stiffeners were touching the opposite skins).  They spring back to roughly where they will sit once the spar is attached.  You have to put a surprising amount of force on this.  I basically climbed up on top of it and bounced (and I weigh 230lbs).  The whole process for both skins only took about 5 minutes.



Here's what you're looking for.  The skin stays flat right up until the trailing edge radius.