Sheeting a fuselage or wing panel doesn't have to be an impossible task. Many people with myself included have had bad experiences with the final results of a sheeted structure. Problems with sheeting structures include anything from uneven surfaces to whole structures thrown out of alignment. Over the years I have found some effective techniques for sheeting surfaces which has made life a little easier.

Lets begin by examining the structure that needs to be sheeted. A structure with a shallow radius curve like a wing panel is not as difficult as a more rounded structure like a fuselage. If I am sheeting a shallow curved panel like a wing, I could probably get away with using wood as it comes without much modification since the bend isn't as drastic. In the case of a fuselage, some additional wood prep may be in order.

Before I go on, wood selection also plays an important part. Low density wood is much easier to bend and therefore a better choice for sheeting tighter curves. Also, it is important to make sure the wood selected is uniform in density. This is fairly easy to determine by just looking at the grain and doing a little twisting. In a normal batch of wood, you can find all sorts of different densities. Some wood panels may even start off with one density at one end and end up stiffer or softer at the other end.