Last updated 5 Jan, 2002

EJECTION SEAT
Originally the seat was going to be made from soft wood, but large amounts of scrap MDF provided a cheaper solution.

 Materials used:
  Scrap MDF from tub section and panels sections.
  1 sheet 900 x 600 mm Laserlite Handipanel (Polypropylene plastic)
  100 Aluminium rivets (drill size No. 11)
  1 off Aluminium 20 x 12 x 1.4mm angle (2 metre long)
  1 off Aluminium 12 x 1.5mm flat (1 metre long)
  80 off 10g x 50mm Woodscrews(Self drilling)
  1 off PVA wood glue
Create stencils
Using 3mm MDF mark out, cut and sand to shape.

Accuracy all important
A router was used for the round edges. It took longer to make the stencil than the actual parts.

Recycle
Off cuts can be easily marked and used.
Sanding.
All pieces both (12mm and 24mm) are clamped together and sanded to maintain consistency.
More sanding ...
Yeap about 60% of the time is spent sanding.
Assemble pieces.

Check all dimensions before drilling.

Drill.

Pre-drill and counter sink all holes. Then glue and fasten using wood screws.

Check dimensions.

Check again to ensure dimensions are maintained before the glue sets.

Route middle section.

Due to the weight of MDF route unnecessary material.

Top side view.
Support for seat.

Ensuring the cockpit tub is hollow as possible.Support legs are added for the seat floor.
Seat bottom.

Placing seat in the sun and with the aid of clamps I was able to shape the seat bottom by wetting small areas. It took about three hours.

Angle bracket.

Three days of frustration finally solved after purchasing a sheet of Polypropylene plastic.

Gluing was not recommended so an aluminium angle bracket (shown in the previous picture) was used to enable the plastic to be riveted.
The material just falls into place and keeps it's shape when riveted down.