: I've got one sleeve to fit without cutting it off so far. I took a small
: steel pipe and ground the inside end sharp and was able to cut out the
: excess epoxy. The next tube is cleaned out but it's not sliding in without
: binding. Didn't make since. I checked the insert tube and found it is out
: of round by .004 thousands. I'll have to file this round then polish it.

: John

One thing the guys with ultralight aircraft used to do was make a fishmouth at each end of stiffening tubes so there wasn't a sharp edge where the strength of the stiffener ended. Just basically a V cut into opposing sides. The ends then can deflect slightly for imperfections inside the tube.

It is possible if the tube is used near the limits of it's strength that it could fold at the point where the stiffener ends as there's a stress riser there.

Bill H.