Centering rings or bulkheads

[JP Morgan]

Got a project that needs one more centering ring or perhaps a bulkhead?
Can't wait days on an order? Don't really want to order just that one piece!
Go to WallyWorld, they got light plywood back there in the crafts section, only 97 cents each!
7 inch in diameter, a fraction over 1/4" thick. Problem solved!


JP

 

[sodmeister]

Well there you go, that should work just fine ,and you really can`t beat the price !

Nice find old chum !


Paul T

 

[JP Morgan]

Well there you go, that should work just fine ,and you really can`t beat the price !

Nice find old chum !


Paul T

You guys got a Wally World way up there Paul?

JP

 

[sodmeister]

You guys got a Wally World way up there Paul?

JP

Yessir ,my city has 4 or 5 of them and now we have 3 Target stores ,4 Home Depots ,4 RONAS (Canadian version of Home Depot) Cabelas and soon a few Lowes.

We got it all baby ! LOL


Paul T

 

[aditat2]

Get a Hobby Lobby and a Michael's and you'll be just another "merican town"

 

[BABAR]

'Cept you don't have pennies anymore

 

[sodmeister]

Get a Hobby Lobby and a Michael's and you'll be just another "merican town"

Got Michaels already ,but they don`t have anything rocketry.

Thankfully we have plenty of hobby shops though.

Paul T

 

[sodmeister]

'Cept you don't have pennies anymore

Nope ,no more of those buggers ,but I have hundreds to roll up and bring to the bank.


Paul T

 

[GDJ]

I've done similar from Michaels: their 3" 1/8" birch circles fit the Estes Pro-series II rockets just nice!

 

[soxfan121]

Got Michaels already ,but they don`t have anything rocketry.

Thankfully we have plenty of hobby shops though.

Paul T

micheals used to carry small motors (a- e) and a few kits by me in chicago but i've been going there recently for xacto knives and balsa and they don't carry em anymore D: what gives!? they where always good for some on the side rockets

 

[JP Morgan]

So I'm going to do a couple of 3" scratch built rockets in the near future. I'll be using the
material I got from Wally World, as posted here.
I'll use 29mm motors for each one. For right at $2.00 I'm going to have 6 centering rings!

I'll use my Dremel circle cutter with a Multipurpose Bit # 561. * It screams when it cuts so use hearing protection. NOTE: Hold the Dremel tool stationary and rotate the wood piece you are cuting Clock-Wise (slowly), that produces the cleanest results. I may try a drill bit just to see if it cuts just as good...
Multiple holes will be drilled for the inside cut and finished up with a Dremel barrel sanding attachment.

JP

 

[sodmeister]

Jeeze, 6 CRs for 2 bucks ,can`t beat that.

I`ve never seen the Dremel circle cutter ,you have a picture of that ?

Paul t

 

[JP Morgan]

Jeeze, 6 CRs for 2 bucks ,can`t beat that.

I`ve never seen the Dremel circle cutter ,you have a picture of that ?

Paul t

Because the cutting bit leaves the edges a little rough I thought about all that time I spent with my T Sander and
constantly looking for the right amount sanded down to the marked lines, then this hit me! Use another tool in the same
circle cutter, such as the barrel sander! Nice edges now and precisely done because you still have the center hole in the wood.

JP

 

[JP Morgan]

Here's a few more shots. There may be a better cutter than what I'm using but it works well.


I bet somebody a nickel that Paul goes out real soon and gets him a Dremel Circle Cutter!

JP

 

[sodmeister]

Heck ,that seems to work really nice ,and if it works ,that`s all that is important !

My tool budget is almost used up for 2013 already ,I need to save for a wood lathe.

For CRs I use my drill press and circle cutters ,or hole saws or Forstner bits or my router table and jig/fixtures.

I haven`t bought a CR for years :wink:

I never knew Dremel made that circle cutter ,and that`s strange for me !

The Dremel tool is one of my most often used and useful tools.As a matter of fact ,I just used it to cut down some SS 4-40 machine screws ,an 8-32 threaded rod and a piece of 1/8" brass strip.Those little sanding drums are worth their weight in gold !

I wish I had stock in Dremel !!

At one time ,Dremel used to make a hobby sized table saw ,but stopped making it years ago.I wish I that one, although you can still buy the drive belts.Man that would be a handy little tool.


Paul T

 

[Gary Byrum]

I keep that same WW plywood around for other projects but recently used it to replace the aft CR in my PML MR1 that I had to repair. A fin broke loose inside so I had to extract the original CR. That was a job. The WW ply made for a great replacement piece of wood though.

 

[soxfan121]

Here's a few more shots. There may be a better cutter than what I'm using but it works well.
View attachment 118346 View attachment 118347
View attachment 118348
I bet somebody a nickel that Paul goes out real soon and gets him a Dremel Circle Cutter!

JP

Nevermind paul, i think i'm going to have to go get one! it's so difficult to cut perfect centering rings with just an xacto and drum sander.

 

[JP Morgan]

Circle cutter
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HI5WTY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Another purchasing option if you can't find it local...
https://www.widgetsupply.com/product/XSU2-678-01.html?gclid=CJfY04PlvrUCFQ3NnAodRmsASg

The bit I used. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004UDIB/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

NOTE: the cutting bit will vibrate some, so slide the circle cutting tool all the way up. This makes the cut nearest to the collet and not cutting out on the end of the bit where it vibrates the most.
I also make a notch cut up to the marked line before attempting to cut the circle. Drill the proper size hole in your wood, you want it tight and not vibrating. Make your cut larger than desired, hand sand it to the line or use the small barrel sander like I did to finish it up.
NOTE: I placed 2 pieces of thin plastic between the circle cutters black collers to reduce the play/slop. See photo below, that's where I put the plastic shims.



Here's a photo of the centering rings almost finished. I'll finish these up by using the same cutting bit, carefully cutting in the drilled holes and then use the barrel sander to smooth up to the marked lines.


I changed out to the new Dremel bit this morning and now I'm getting a much cleaner cut. I don't know if the other bit was an off-brand or what but it had a bad vibration and left rough cuts, but they got sanded out. Maybe the older bit lost it's temper being used allot. They aren't cheap, you might want to pick up 2 if this is the route you take. I'll try and make my own from here on out. There's nothing wrong with Wally World light plywood, although I did purchase some Baltic Birch from Hobbylinc that I better use for the Top Centering Ring, where all of the stress will be from the shock cord and all that stuff pulling on it!


JP

 

[JP Morgan]

Well the plastic shims didn't tighten up the slop very well. When the height adjustment
screw gets tightened down it tends to take things out of square. So I taped the inside
tube with a wrap and a half and then 2 more short pieces opposite of the set screw. This
should makes things a little more accurate. Left alone it works, but some of us just got to
tweak on things ya know!


JP