The E-Z-JUST Story
Phillips said. “It worked okay, but I knew I could do better.
“Around Thanksgiving of 1945, Gordon Greenley and I began working on proto- types of what we hoped would be a better control handle. Using Gordon’s well- equipped shop in the basement of his house, our biggest obstacle soon reared its head: How to lock the cable in place after it was adjusted to produce a neutral elevator on the model. Gordon wanted to clamp the ca- ble down using a machine screw and flat washer, but I thought the method was too complicated.
“After some library research,” Phillips continued, “I found a simple device that was used to lock a rope on a sailing ship’s rig- ging. Although I used the idea in a slightly different way, the results were the same— the cable could be adjusted with your finger- tips, then securely locked in place by pulling the loop tight—no screws, nuts, bolts or tools were needed … thus the name E-Z- Just.”
Later, with the bugs worked out of their handle, Phillips and Greenley decided to go into the handle-making business. With each contributing $15.00, the PHIL-LEY’S Com- pany began making U-Control handles in the last week of December, 1945. Red was designated as the woodworker, while Gor- don was to perform the finishing work. Both shared the tasks of assembly, silk-screening and shipping.
Working a full 8-hour shift at Kittingers, Red would rush home, eat his supper, and work making handles until midnight. “Those first handles, the big ones (5-inch), didn’t have rounded corners,” Phillips said. “They were square edged. After I bought out Greenley toward the end of ’46, I started rounding them off.
“Funny thing,” he guffawed, “the radiuses kept getting bigger, because that’s what happens when a shaper tool is ground back for sharpening. As a result, none of those early rounded-off wooden handles looked ex- actly alike. Later, I discarded dull cutters rather than re-sharpening them!” Working part-time for the first two years, Phillips produced handles in a rent- ed 3-car garage-shop, while the screen printing, assembly and shipping were com- pleted at his residence. Early in 1948, Red quit his Kittinger job and devoted full time to the business.
As it turned-out, his timing was just right … two significant events occurred within America’s model airplane industry during late ’47 and ’48: Ray Arden introduced the glow plug for miniature engines, and Duke Fox released his purpose-built Stunt .35 en- gine that was designed specifically for glow plug operation. Without the heavy, space- consuming batteries, capacitor, coil, and wiring and switch that were previously re- quired aboard the model, modelers every- where tossed away the timers (breaker con- tacts) from their ignition engines, replacing the spark plug with the new-fangled glow plug.
Although the glow plug revolution spread across the spectrum of “gas engine” model- ing, the change was most welcomed by the emerging control-line industry, especially kit and accessory manufacturers, which in- cluded the PHIL-LEY’S Company.
52 Red Phillips’ drawing for his adjustable control line system is illustrated here. Steps for Producing a Wooden E-Z-JUST Control Handle
1. Using an aluminum pattern, trace han- dle shape onto the white pine stock.
2. Using a 24-inch jigsaw cut individual handles.
3. Using stationary disk sander, and oscil- lating spindle sander, sand handle to the line.
4. Using a drill press and a wooden block drill jig, drill the cable holes.
5. The cable slot on the rear of the handle is performed on the shaper using a “wee little cutter.” (Handle is held in the same wooden block jig that was used for the drilling operation.)
6. Use a Dremel tool to cut the radius at the ends of the cable slot.
7. Using a collar-equipped shaper cutter, radius all edges and corners.
8. Using a paddle-wheel drill press sander, remove all imperfections.
9. Stamp “UP” on the face of one end (both sides).
10. Dip handle in sealer (12 at a time).
11. After drying, smooth sealer with fine abrasive paper.
12. Dip handle in red lacquer paint (12 at a time).
13. After the paint has dried, a polished steel thumbtack is added to each “UP” stamping (for enhanced visibility).
14. Wire cable assembly:
• Cut 21-strand steel cable to length. • Slide cable lock nut-plate onto cable. • Add guide sleeves to cable. • Crimp loop ends onto cable. • Solder loop ends. 15. Final assembly:
• Push looped cable ends through drilled holes in handle.
• Slip guide sleeves into drilled handle holes.
• Position cable locknut plate into place and retain with machine screw.
• Silkscreen. FEBRUARY 2014
“In 1948, I started making a smaller han- dle (4-inch) for speed flying,” Phillips said. “We called it the ‘Hot Rock’.”
Almost in passing, Phillips mentioned he also started making two sizes of hard maple test stands at the same time.
“PHIL-LEY’S made big wooden handles from 1946 through 1949. The wooden Hot Rock units were only made for two years. Made of clear white pine, all of these were fabricated in one piece.
“There were a lot of steps to making one of these handles (see the construction se- quence box below),” Phillips said. “It took 5 minutes to do all the woodworking, and an-
other 5 minutes to finish and assemble them.”
After a moment of contemplation, he added, “We knocked our damned brains out … we worked like dogs!” “Red was always good at designing and making jigs,” Mary said. “They cut down on the time needed to make each handle.” “Look here,” Red said, pointing to a spot on one of his big handles, “I’ll bet you didn’t notice the little radius at the ends of the ca- ble slot … I wore out a Dremel tool on that job alone!”
I next asked Phillips how he used the shaper—a notoriously dangerous machine
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