How to make a hexagon for a parachute

[Sooner Boomer]

This could as easily have gone in the "Recovery" or the "Techniques" forum, but here it is...

A lot of us make our own chutes. Some are from trash bags, shopping bags, or if we get fancy, ripstop nylon. Here's an easy way to make a hexagonal pattern for any size chute you want to make. You can make it from a pizza box, foamboard, plywood, or whatever. You need a straightedge, a marker, and a compass of some sort (a piece of string and a thumb tack will work). I used MS Paint for the drawings, sorry about quality, but they (should) get the idea across.

 

[Sooner Boomer]

You need a piece of material slightly larger than the parachute you want to build. It should be close to square, but does not need to be exact. Draw a line from corner to corner to locate the center.

 

[Sooner Boomer]

Using your compass, draw a circle the diameter you want the parachute to be, centered on your form.

 

[Sooner Boomer]

Keeping your compass set to the same distance (the radius of the circle), make marks on the circle, centered on one of the diagonal lines (Point A). Use the same diagonal line!

 

[Sooner Boomer]

Connect these points along the circle. This will mark out a hexagon, the diameter of the circle. Attach shroud lines at the points of the hexagon.

 

[blackbrandt]

COOL!!!

 

[TopRamen]

If you don't use a Baffle, Recovery Wadding or a Nomex Blanket, you end up with this:

 

[hpreric]

Hexagon vs. square cereal. One more thing to ponder...

 

[kruland]

Actually, you don't need the diameter for this trick to work. Just draw the circle with the compass, mark any point on the circle, the use the compass to measure the other 5 points.

 

[GregGleason]

If you have Microsoft Excel, you can do the following:

Insert->Shapes
Select the hexagon (or octagon, decagon, etc.)
Left-click any point on the spreadsheet
The shape will appear
To make the shape larger, left-click and hold the lower-right "handle" dot of the shape
Then as you HOLD the shift key down (this keeps all sides equal), you can drag it to any desired size

Greg

 

[Davidtmp]

If you have Microsoft Excel, you can do the following:

Insert->Shapes
Select the hexagon (or octagon, decagon, etc.)
Left-click any point on the spreadsheet
The shape will appear
To make the shape larger, left-click and hold the lower-right "handle" dot of the shape
Then as you HOLD the shift key down (this keeps all sides equal), you can drag it to any desired size

Greg

Cheater.....

OR, you could use geometry and figure out your sides that way...........yes I know, I'll probably use Greg's way as well. Technology is a wonderful thing.
Sooner, good explanation on the process as well. I need to make some more chute templates, may use the art board since it's pretty durable as opposed to poster board that I have used in the past.

 

[JAL3]

If you don't use a Baffle, Recovery Wadding or a Nomex Blanket, you end up with this:

Purina Breakfast Chow!

(Ralston Purina)

 

[GregGleason]

If you don't use a Baffle, Recovery Wadding or a Nomex Blanket, you end up with this:

Hmmmm ..... I wonder if you might be able to use this in place of dog barf?

It's lightweight, biodegradable, and has its own built-in baffle.

As a bonus, if you get hungry ...

Greg

 

[Rich Holmes]

Hmmmm ..... I wonder if you might be able to use this in place of dog barf?

It's lightweight, biodegradable, and has its own built-in baffle.

As a bonus, if you get hungry ...

Greg

Good nutrition for your rocket-eating tree.