Inserting brass pins helps strengthen the joints.

Rather than rely on flat glue joints alone, I drilled 1.2mm holes in most small parts and matching holes in the bits they mount on so that I could use brass wire pins inside the joints. The matching holes had to be spot-on to fit and keep the model straight. My regular dowelling kit handles 3/8" dowels just fine, but not 1.2mm (~3/64") pins. I carefully drilled the small part first, inserted the two pins and pressed the ends into the main part to leave dimples I could drill into. To stop the bit from wandering, I dropped the drill deep into the chuck where the grips are on the spiral section of the drill and tightened the chuck very slightly to prevent damaging the drill bit. Using my 16mm (5/8") drill press, I had to be careful not to push too hard. Using a depth stop ensured I drilled just deeply enough, about 3mm (1/8").

Some of the parts could be finished only after assembly. The small retainers on the side of the main antenna panel would have been difficult to clamp if they were chamfered, and holding them for cutting would have been difficult if they weren't supported by the larger piece. I drilled holes through them after gluing, and then sawed them off at 45° using a razor saw. Most of the small parts connect to the main body and holding them in place using fingers or clamps wasn't easy. Pieces of coat-hanger wire worked perfectly for this. I sharpened one end and inserted it into the drilled tapered hole and bent it around so that it clamped onto the other side of the block. At the same time, some of the larger wooden bits could be pressed into place using regular clamps.

Razor saw used to trim small pieces after assembly. Wire and clamps used for gluing-up support.

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