1010 Rail question

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LAKingsGeek

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I've been thinking about finally moving to a rail launch pad and putting rail buttons on my rockets. I like the idea of having an 8' rail just in case i move onto some bigger and heavier rockets in the future. The problem is that putting an eight foot rail in my car will be a pain. It would probably fit but I don't like the idea of a long piece of metal jutting out into the front cabin area of the car.

Ideally it would be nice if i could just buy two 4' rails and then put them together at the launch site with something like this: https://www.amazon.com/80-20-Series-4-HOLE-JOINING/dp/B001IA6QH2/ref=pd_sim_indust_17 Of course it wouldn't be in that configuration but I hope you get the idea.

My question is; would putting two pieces together like that cause unaligned edges that could snag the rail buttons on the way up?
 
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They make devices that work pretty well for joining this stuff - they are used in industry for a completely different purpose but I have seen them used once or twice on short rails to make them longer. I'm not 100% certain that they would all fit so tightly that you shouldn't go ahead and do a little buffing and sanding to reduce snag potential.
 
I've been thinking about finally moving to a rail launch pad and putting rail buttons on my rockets. I like the idea of having an 8' rail just in case i move onto some bigger and heavier rockets in the future. The problem is that putting an eight foot rail in my car will be a pain. It would probably fit but I don't like the idea of a long piece of metal jutting out into the front cabin area of the car.

Ideally it would be nice if i could just buy two 4' rails and then put them together at the launch site with something like this: https://www.amazon.com/80-20-Series-4-HOLE-JOINING/dp/B001IA6QH2/ref=pd_sim_indust_17 Of course it wouldn't be in that configuration but I hope you get the idea.

My question is; would putting two pieces together like that cause unaligned edges that could snag the rail buttons on the way up?

I would suggest you use three of those support plates, or if you really want rigidity four of these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IA6QP4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 with a second piece of rail backing the original two for stiffness.
 
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I would say it should work, just take a needle file and "V" where the two sections meet, for a smooth transition.
 
I've been thinking about finally moving to a rail launch pad and putting rail buttons on my rockets. I like the idea of having an 8' rail just in case i move onto some bigger and heavier rockets in the future. The problem is that putting an eight foot rail in my car will be a pain...
What would you think about putting an 8' rail ON your car instead? If you happen to have a roof rack on the top of your vehicle, it shouldn't be hard to mount a PVC pipe of sufficient width and strength to the rack to carry your rail. Just put a permanent closure on one end, a screw closure on the other and you're good to go. Painted in a purty contrasting colour (or camo!) and adorned with range box stickers (or custom vinyl stickers from you know who!) it might even look good!
 
What would you think about putting an 8' rail ON your car instead? If you happen to have a roof rack on the top of your vehicle, it shouldn't be hard to mount a PVC pipe of sufficient width and strength to the rack to carry your rail. Just put a permanent closure on one end, a screw closure on the other and you're good to go. Painted in a purty contrasting colour (or camo!) and adorned with range box stickers (or custom vinyl stickers from you know who!) it might even look good!

I like this!

I'm fortunate that I have a long enough ski bag attachment in the back seat of my 318iS. Long enough to enclose the rail from the rear edge of the trunk to about 8" from the dash, and the passenger front seat belt keeps it all from interfering with the drivers controls.

But I like the PVC tube and roof rack idea alot more! :)
 
If you haven't ordered your rail yet I would suggest a 1020 rail instead of a 1010 rail. Twice the depth results in a more rigid rail, and allows you bigger joining plates to hold it together. Also using dowel pins to register the sections together is easier than relying on the plates.

Edward
 
Those will work and you will notice the round hole in the center of the rail. IRRC you can tap it for 1/4 20 thread, screw in a Stainless steel bolt, cut off the bolt head and dress the end up. Then drill the other piece to accept the bolt and you will definitely stay centered. Our club has a really long 1515 rail that is in two pieces and I launched my 30 lb L3 rocket from it.
 
If you haven't ordered your rail yet I would suggest a 1020 rail instead of a 1010 rail. Twice the depth results in a more rigid rail, and allows you bigger joining plates to hold it together. Also using dowel pins to register the sections together is easier than relying on the plates.

Edward

Edward,

That is a pretty good idea as long you pad will take it. How do you adapt it to the pad?
 
Edward,

That is a pretty good idea as long you pad will take it. How do you adapt it to the pad?

Our tripod pads are built to accept 1" spuds. We've had some 1" stainless stock machined with a flat on them that is ~18" long (from memory, might not be exact). They have a series of 17/64" holes (just slightly larger than 1/4") through the flat face. Then we use a 1010 flat nut in the channel and a bolt that goes through the spud. I've never seen the spuds off at a launch, they are generally mated to a rail and stay that way until we clean them twice a year. This allows people to interchange between 1010, 1020, 1515, and 1530 rails plus rods on any of the pads.

The one reason I like 1020 and 1530 extrusions also is that at the very top of the far side of the rail you can add two guy wires down to the ground. This can give the rail exceptional stability for launches and allow you to set it up the same for a lot of flights after you set up the guy wire lengths at the beginning of the day.


Edward
 
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