Let's see your Jawstand - Rail adapters

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Flyfalcons

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I have a jawstand and a couple 6' 1010 rails. Sadly, I have no really good ideas on how to make tab A fit into slot B. I'm looking for a solution that keeps the rail as close to center as possible, and leaves as much of the rail as possible usable by the rocket. Pictures or plans are appreciated!
 
Chuck, have you heard anything from GSS / Black Sky launch pads?

He hasn't visited TRF since last fall. Was wondering if he was still building launch pads.
 
Ryan, we just started using our new Jawstand MPR pad at the last launch. The method of mounting was to remove the rubber pieces on top of the rails and mount the rail directly to the flange on top the jaw stand using three of the nuts that go inside the rail and short screws from the back, to install the rail simply loosen the screws and nuts enough to slip the rail on and tighten. To clear the fins we actually cut away part of the opposite side of the jaw, it turned out to work really well. I will see if I can get Dave to send me some photos of the way we have ours configured, since we only use them for MPR pads the jaws can be modified however we want. Jawstands make really cost effective MPR pads.
 
Geez,

I took off the little plastic bumpers , cut aluminum plate to fit, used bumpers to mark drill holes and drilled.

Plated mounted where bumpers were using their mounting screws and 2 holes drilled in the center of the plate and 2 carriage bolts and washers added.

If you flatten the sides of the head of the carriage bolts they will slide into the rail.

Did not have to cut Jawstand up at all, and did not 'wedge' anything into the jaw to hold the rail..breaks down in 1 min, 2 wing nuts on carriage bolts loosened.

Kenny
 
Ground Support Systems or Fade to Black Rocketry mad our low power and my personal high power pad. They make great stuff.
 
Flyfalcons,


Let me first say thank youto all of you who have posted your own plans and photos of the Rockwell Jaw Stand.


It’s no secret that theRockwell Jaw stand makes for a pretty cool launch Pad when coupled with 1010Rail or fitted with various size steel launch rods. I too first saw the idea here on the forumand really liked the features it provided and the cost was reasonable (at leastin my mind).So, after finding a prettygood deal on Amazon and a nice place to buy an 8 foot piece of 1010 rail; https://www.8020.net/T-Slot-4.aspI decided to build one of my own foreverything from low to high power models.

I’ve built mine so that therail is fully adjustable up and down on the stand. The rail is attached to a piece of Oak I madeby sandwiching two 1x6 boards together.I then drilled and cut angled slots which fit down onto the three weldedcross tubes of the jaw itself, thus placing all of the weight of the rail andthe model on the jaw of the stand.Theclamp feature of the jaw does not hold any weight at all; it merely positionsthe oak board and secures it in the center of the jaw. 100_9763.jpg
There are two 5/16” lagbolts 6” in length that attach the rail to the Oak board. Hand knobs on the backside can easily beloosened to adjust the rail up or down even with the board clamped inplace.The hardest part about it so farwas getting the hole all the way through the 6” of oak.I learned very quickly that despite the fact Imeasured twice when I marked both sides of the board, and the hand drill has alevel on it; you WILL NOT get the holes on opposite sides of the board to lineup with each other drilling it by hand.I bought a long ¼” drill bit and had to get creative just to get theclearance to fit it all in my friends’ drill press. The6” wide oak board allows the rail to be positioned out far enough from the jawin an attempt to provide fin clearance.
It worked, because if younotice my 4” diameter 63” tall Archer could be launched from the bottom of therail with room to spare on the fin clearance.
100_9756.jpg
I am still working on attaching the three differentlaunch rods I have but that could be as simple as another board with threeright sized holes in it to hold the rods. The other thing I am still working on is the design of a blastdeflector.I had a piece of steel inwork recently but that got lost.I havebeen entertaining the thought of using a ceramic floor tile as they seem prettydifficult to burn through.
 
Here's my parts list, build steps, and a few photos. This mount is for a 1010 rail, I have a second mount (very similar) for 1/4 rod. The jawstand is perfect for this combination as it takes only seconds to switch from rail to rod.

PARTS LIST:

QTY ITEM
1 1010 Rail. Recommend minimum of 72 inches.
2 1010 corner braces. Used to attach the rail to the 2x4 “head”.
1 Package of 1010 2-screw bolt assemblies. You will have enough with a few spares. Used to attach the rail to the corner braces attached to the 2x4 head. Also used to attach the blast deflector.
1 Rockwell Jaw Stand
1 4” corner bracket. This needs some bending, cutting, filing to create the blast plate attachment.
1 Aluminum or other metal blast plate. Whatever you have that is sturdy and will stand up to the blast. Roughly 6 - 8” in diameter should do.
2 Machine screws with washers and bolts to attach the blast plate to the 4” corner bracket. Maybe half inch long.
3 1” conduit clamps. These take a little bending to create the hooks that support the 2x4 head. I think they come in packs of 8.
1 2x4 24 inches long.
2 1” wide strips of Luan or other thin plywood. Some old fin stock would probably work. Something to take up some of the slack in the Jaw Stand for a tighter grip.
12 About a dozen wood screws or drywall screws to attach angle brackets, clamps, and Luan to the 2x4 head. 1” to 1.5” would suffice.
3 8 or 10 inch spike … giant nails … to anchor the Jaw Stand. There are holes in the feet.

Misc: I added some thin weather stripping and tape to the conduit clamps to give them a bit of cushion in the Jaw Stand. If you are worried about protecting the wood … some sort of weather treatment. Since I only fly on nice days … and it sits in my garage when not in use … I didn’t bother.

Basic assembly … see the attached photos … really pretty easy. If you can build a rocket … this will be a piece of cake and take maybe a couple hours … tops.

1. Get the wood bits cut to size and sand the rough edges. Weather treat and let dry if you want to do that.
2. Attach the two 1010 corner braces to your rail with the 2-screw assemblies and then fit that to the 2x4 to ensure it runs true up the center of the 2x4. Mark the drill points for the wood/drywall screws.
3. Drill small pilot holes for the 1010 corner braces … this will help ensure you keep the rail properly aligned. Then attach the 1010 corner braces.
4. Use a vise, hammer and pliers to open up the 1” conduit clamps for the hooks that will help support the 2x4 in the Jaw Stand.
5. Attach the weather stripping and tape to the conduit clamps if you choose to do this. Not really needed, but it does make it easier to get a snug fit.
6. Attach the conduit clamps to the 2x4 so that they align with the three tubes at the back of the jaw. You can attach the top one and then hang it in the jaw to mark the spots for the other two.
7. Attach the Luan/thin plywood strips to the sides of the 2x4. Again, this is just to take up some of the slack and create a more snug fit in the jaw.
8. Cut your metal deflector plate to desired size.
9. Bend and cut the 4” corner bracket to the desired shape for the blast plate attachment. File any sharp edges. For mine, I bend the bracket to add a stand-off about 2.5 inches above the blast plate and I have the plate at a rough 45 degree angle.
10. Drill holes in the blast plate for the machine screw attachment.
11. Attach one of the 1010 2-screw bolt assemblies to the part of the blast plate bracket that will be mounted to the 1010 rail. Get the screw plate aligned with the bracket, snug it down and then mark the drill hole for the other screw. The holes most likely are not centered. If you want to get slick, you can drill two brand new holes dead center in the bracket. I didn’t bother … it’s only slightly off-center and the blast plate is certainly big enough that 1/16th of an inch won’t matter.
12. For step 11 … since the 4” corner brace isn’t as thick as the 1010 rail you may find that the screws are just a tad too long. I just added a couple washers to take up some slack.
13. That should do it … ready to put all the pieces together. When you break it down, just loosen the screws enough to slide the rail off the 2x4 head and to slide the blast plate bracket off the rail … leave the screws and back-plates attached to the 1010 corner braces and the blast plate bracket. Everything should easily slide together.

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Here is what I came up with using a couple pieces of cut-offs from stainless sheets. I ended up ditching the deflector on the back side because it really wasn't needed and I was short on material. If I get a chance, I'll take some better photos tonight.


JawStand 1010 Concept_01.JPG JawStand 1010 Concept_02.JPG Wildchild2_042316.JPG
 
My JawStand pad is similar to Matt's but I don't have any wood parts.

PARTS LIST:

1 Rockwell Jaw Stand.
1 6' long 1010 Rail taped 1/4-20 at each end.
1 1' long 1030 triple rail tapped 1/4-20 at each end (x 3).
2 1010 corner braces. Used to attach the 1010 rail to the 1030 beam.
12 1/4-20 screw bolt assemblies. You need 8 screws to attach the angles to the rails, 3 screws and nuts to attach the 1030 rail to the jaw stand, and 1 screw to attach the blast deflector to the 1010 rail. You'll have extra nuts and washers left over.
1 Stainless Steel blast deflector. Roughly 13" long x 7" wide x 3/32" thick. 1" bent to a 135 degree angle and drilled in center for a 1/4-20 screw to attach to the bottom of the 1010 rail.
3 10" long heavy duty tent spikes to anchor the Jaw Stand to the ground. Each Jaw Stand leg has a factory drilled hole for fastening.

Fabrication and assembly was quick and easy. The 8020 rails were purchased in the proper lengths. An inexpensive 1/4-20 tap and handle was used to thread the end bores of the 1010 and 1030 rails. The stainless steel plate used for the blast deflector came from my company's scrap bin. I used our shop's Powermatic drill press to drill the 9/32" mounting hole and a sheet metal break to bend the steel plate.

The Jaw Stand has 2 plastic jaw covers: 1 with a level and the outer does not. I unscrewed and removed the jaw cover without the level and inserted 3 1/4-20 screw, washer and nut set thru 3 of the cover mounting hole. The screws are loosened and the 1030 rail is slide over the screw heads, centered and tightened to fasten the 1030 rail to the Jaw Stand.

A 90 degree angle is attached to each end of the 1030 rail for the 1010 rail attachment. Each 90 angle had 2 bolt holes on each surface, so 4 screws hold the brackets to the 1030 rail. 4 more screw sets: screws, washers and nuts; are attached to the other side of the angle brackets with the heads up. The 1010 rail is slide over screw heads and hand tightened to hold the rail in place temporarily. The blast deflector is then attached with a 1/4-20 screw and washer and tighten to the rail. The Jaw Stand is raise up and locked, the rail is raise vertical, and the rail is loosened and slide to a position where the head can be rotated 360 without hitting the legs, and then tightened down to complete the assembly.

The pad breaks down into 3 pieces for transportation.

1.) Remove the blast deflector from the rail and reinsert the screw into the rail so you don't loose it.
2.) Loosen the3 bolts that hold the 1030 rail to the Jaw Stand, slide the rail assembly off the Jaw Stand and retighten the screws to you don't loose them.
3.) You now have 3 pieces: the Jaw Stand, the Rail Assembly, and the blast deflector set for transportation.
4.) Routine setup is simply done in reverse.

Photos are shown below.
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Bob
 
Bob, I had a setup similar to yours. I found that bolting a rail to one of the jaws results in setup that can twist. I was also too lazy to align the three t-nuts every time I took the launcher to the field.

So I bought some cable clamps from OSH and attached a 3/4" square tube to the middle of my JawStand. Then I attached a 5/8" rod to the bottom of my rail. An advantage of this setup is that I can use my rail with my club's 5/8" tripods, so I only need to carry the whole setup if I launch by myself. My rail is has extra outriggers hanging from it to stabilize gliders in roll, so even when I launch with my club, I still bring my own rail.

Ari.

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This was my idea for a Jawstand adapter-

A length of 2x4 with a plywood plate attached. That plate would have holes for bolts on one side that would slot into the 1010 rail and then get drawn tight with wing nuts. The other side would have slots to insert eye bolts, that could be drawn tight with nuts again in order to hold launch rods of various diameter.

jawstand adapter.pngjawstand adapter2.png

kj
 
I picked up a jawstand at Lowe's on the weekend and here's what my machinist friend put together for me today out of scraps :

20160428_130024 (Medium).jpg

He also made me this little rail stop (it slides inside the groove of the rail) :

20160428_130036 (Medium).jpg

Hopefully the weather cooperates this weekend and I can get out and give it a try.

cheers - mark
 
This was my idea for a Jawstand adapter-

A length of 2x4 with a plywood plate attached. That plate would have holes for bolts on one side that would slot into the 1010 rail and then get drawn tight with wing nuts. The other side would have slots to insert eye bolts, that could be drawn tight with nuts again in order to hold launch rods of various diameter.

View attachment 289605View attachment 289606

kj

I would be a little concerned about either rod or rail being too far off from center in the jaws. The legs do a good job of supporting the stand, but a lot of thrust off-center might generate some twist on that plywood plate.
 
I picked up a jawstand at Lowe's on the weekend and here's what my machinist friend put together for me today out of scraps :

View attachment 289612

He also made me this little rail stop (it slides inside the groove of the rail) :

View attachment 289613

Hopefully the weather cooperates this weekend and I can get out and give it a try.

cheers - mark
You'll find out you don't need the rail stop when you mount the blast deflector the way you and I did. The blast deflector is also the stop and provides the maximum guidance length you can get with your rail length.

And to address Matt's concern about off center torque, as long as the jaw stand is spiked to the ground, it's not going to move. It's has a rated load of 220 pounds so it's plenty stiff if you make sure the adjustment knobs are snugged up.

Bob
 
Huge nails ... don't recall the exact size, but about 8 inches long and less than a dollar at Home Depot/Lowes. I hammer them in at an angle so they don't pull straight up as people are tipping the rail to load rockets or adjust the angle.
 
What are people using to stake the Jawstand to the ground? Rebar? Big 60 penny nails?
10" Tent spikes like https://www.joesarmynavyonline.com/product-p/160194.htm

160194-2.jpg
Available in most camping supply stores for less than $1 each.

They fit inside the holes in the legs of the Jaw Stand. Just angle them towards the central post of the Jaw Stand so they won't pull out.

Bob
 
How large of rockets have people flown off the Jawstand pads? Our club uses ours for MPR exclusively.
 
I fly my Vulcan glider from my JawStand, mostly on I class motors (4-grain I59 in this picture). Vulcan weighs around 6 pounds on the pad.

Ari.

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I'm always surprised when I see you carrying the Vulcan around, Ari. It's much bigger than it appears in the pictures. I'm guessing it has at least a 4' wingspan and probably 5' overall length.
 
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