Well, I assembled one of the wing stand base thingies this evening. It all went together as expected, though it’s worth noting that these things are pretty basic. Just two long 2x6s, connected at the ends with shorter 2×6 sections that provide lateral stability. The end sections are topped with small squares of 3/4” MDF (leftover from the workbench build), which serve the dual purpose of gusseting the corners of the structure and providing a platform for the uprights to sit on. There are also two small cross-braces at the midpoint of the long span; these are also topped with MDF. The uprights are attached with 5” lag bolts.
Here’s the finished product:
The only unexcited result of this involves that little platform in the middle. That serves a specific purpose – once the wing skeleton is placed on the stand, the spars will be supported only at the ends, so the structure will sag in the middle. Thus it’s necessary to add a third adjustable support in the middle to take the sag out. I have a couple of screw jacks that were given to me with the stands, and the platforms were intended to accommodate those. When I sketched this out, it looked like I could just have the platform run the width between the two long pieces, but now that I see it all together, I’m thinking the platform will need to project out further (towards the bottom right in the above photo). If so, it should be a simple modification, and I’ve got plenty of scrap MDF lying around.