I am done playing with my wife’s FLIR. It is time to do some work on the rocket project! Because there will be a lot of epoxy applications on the menu of the airframe build, I’ve decided to build a horizontal stand today. Indeed, once built, a rocket can be stored vertically, in which case it doesn’t take a lot of space – assuming you have the clearance under the ceiling. Most built operations require the rocket to be in the horizontal position, and to stay in place for many hours (if not days to let the epoxy cure perfectly). This means that one can glue in the evening, let cure, and resume the build the next evening. But a stand is not only useful during the build, but it is also a must-have on the launch site as well. Therefore, in addition to being steady, big enough to span the entire rocket’s length (with enough clearance for the fins), it must be easy to disassemble/assemble and to transport. I threw in an extra requirement: the ability to quickly switch between two lengths since you don’t always work on the full rocket. I’ve picked up two 2 feet long PVC pipes (1.25” inner diameter), 10 endcaps, a 2-way coupler, and two 4-way couplers. Unfortunately, I could not find 5-way couplers, so I’ve built my own. I drilled a ¼ hole thru an endcap and a 4-way coupler and assembled them together with bolt, nut, and washers. This way, the build is fully reversible and no glue is required. The variable-length can be achieved by using or not the 2-way coupler and an extra 2-feet long pipe (or less, if needed). Simple, cheap, and it fits the bill!
google.com – Redirect Notice