Looking for easy Launch Rail build that can be angled

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rocketdoctor99

rocketdoctor99

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Id like to add a launch rail to my launch system. I need it to be acurately angled as well. Can anyone point me to some information i can find how to do this. Hoping to find a way to easily connect a rail to a sturdy tripod
 
There a bunch of different ways of of doing it. I am actually building a MPR pad today using a micro rail. I am going from scratch but what I am doing could easily be adapted to a tripod. What size rail are you planning to mount and what tools/skills do you have handy?
 
ThreeJsDad said:
There a bunch of different ways of of doing it. I am actually building a MPR pad today using a micro rail. I am going from scratch but what I am doing could easily be adapted to a tripod. What size rail are you planning to mount and what tools/skills do you have handy?
Click to expand...

I have a handyman business so quite skilled with building stuff, don't have a welder but can get access to one. I want to be able to use an 8ft rail. this is overkill for the rockets Im using but last week my Tarc Teams Rocket flew much straighter than on a 4ft rail
 
rocketdoctor99 said:
I have a handyman business so quite skilled with building stuff, don't have a welder but can get access to one. I want to be able to use an 8ft rail. this is overkill for the rockets Im using but last week my Tarc Teams Rocket flew much straighter than on a 4ft rail
Click to expand...

That makes this easy peasy. I have a wood background and worked in an aerospace R&D lab for a spell so O tend to use what I know well. I like to use ply wood for the head as it is plenty strong when used properly and easy to work with. Building the head unit can be as simple or as complicated as you like. The first HPR pad I built I used 3/4" plywood for the head. I used a hing so I could lower the rail. I adjusted the angle with some basic hardware that included 1/4" eyebolts and a turnbuckle. I could remove a bolt to lower the rail and turn the turn buckle to adjust the angle. The head unit was mounted to a ply wood disc that sat on top of another disc. The lower disc had fittings for PVC legs and the upper disc could rotate and be locked in place. I launched up to small J motors with no issues.

I almost forgot, 1/4-20 carriage bolts are perfect for locking the rail to the head unit. They will slide into the track and the square lip will keep then from turning when tightening a nut on the other side. Loose the nuts and slide the rail right off for transport. This also allows for use of the whole rail.

My new MPR pad I am building is being done a bit different from the above. It has something similar to a protractor that rotates to change the angle. I will snap some pics of the dry fit either tonight or in the am. You could easily scale up the design a little and have a really nice pad. I am building this one for the Micro rails.
 
ThreeJsDad said:
I could not remember the name of it but that was my inspiration for my MPR pad I am building. Those are really nice.
Click to expand...
Nice. I haven't even taken mine out of the box yet. The local rocketry club was discussing it recently and the idea seemed really solid. I grabbed one based on their discussion when it came up on Amazon for $40.
 
solid_fuel said:
Clamp it in a cheap bike stand. Infinite angle adjustments View attachment 405541
Click to expand...
Dang... You beat me to it. I've got a bike stand, and have plans to do that myself. I also use it to support my larger rockets (on a dowel) while painting. If the rocket is really big (making the thing tippy when painting or loading rockets pre-flight), you can always attach the legs to a larger base (say a cross made from 2x4s) to extend the footprint.
 
Im going to go with the Rockwell jawstand I can use it for other projects as well, pretty cool
 
If you can weld and have a sturdy light stand, this one spins 360 degrees. Made with some 1/4" flat stock, 3/4" square stock, pipe to fit in stand, some angle iron, a few nuts, a concrete anchor, and an old golf club grip. Works with 1/8 " to 1/2" rods. I have a 6 and 8 foot rail for it.

Launcher 1.JPG launcher-full.jpg Launcher close.JPG
 
Another idea is a vintage camera tripod... They've got standardized fittings, and if they're really old, they tend to be pretty heavy duty.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions, is there any disadvantage for using an 8ft rail, Im mostly going to using for my low and mid power rockets. but I want the length for my TARC group
 
I use a 2.4m (nearly 8') 1010 rail for all my mid power launches and generally a 3m (9.8') 1010 for my high power launches. We do have 3.6m 1010 and 1515 rails on our club launch trailer.

Whatever rail length you use will determine the launch velocity off the rail for a particular rocket and motor combination. You want it to be stable when it does leave the rail. I usually aim for at least 15 m/s (50'/s).
 
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8' rails are great, though in the 1010 size (25mm) they are starting to get a little bendy at that length. For 8 footers I'd actually recommend the 1515 size rail; they are a lot stiffer, but also heavier. Jawstands are the bomb; you can just clamp the rail in it and you have a reasonably sturdy pad with full 90 deg tiltdown for loading, zero work apart from mounting a deflector. You should stake the legs down for rockets over 4-5lb though. The Triton is a Jawstand clone, maybe slightly less rugged. Bonus secret: regular 1010 size rail buttons and guides work fine in the 1515 slots so you lose nothing by using the 1515 size rail.
 
For a longer 1010 rail, just buy a 4' (or even longer) section of black metal pipe (used for gas) at Home Depot or Lowes. Then drill several 1/4" holes through it (easy with a drill press, not so much with a hand drill) and use 1010 nuts to attach it to the rail. It will provide all the stiffness you need, as well as 'ballast' to help keep it in place. I've used up to 1" pipe, which is overkill for most stuff. You could probably even use conduit pipe if all you launch are lighter rockets. Extend the end of the pipe several inches below the rail and you can clamp to the much stronger pipe rather than the rail itself. You'll see that method used for many club pads.

At Grainger a 1010 97" rail is $29.92, while a 1515 97" rail is $66.18. At HD, a 60" 1/2" black metal pipe is under $15, and the cost of the other hardware less then $10. So not a big price savings but I like having the pipe to clamp to.


Tony

(PS: the key to buying 1010 is to find a Grainger near your house or someone you know and have it shipped there for pickup. That way you avoid the shipping costs associated with an oversized package.)
 
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They must make 1010 rails in different grades of aluminum, my 8 ft rail is not bendy at all. It is backed by a 1ft-1/2" steel rod so 7 foot net length I guess.

launch rail.jpg
 
Rocketdoctor99, this is Eric from SARG and LUNAR. I’ve got a Jawstand, and it is great. You are going to like owning that as a launch stand and also as a very handy rocket building tool and as a legitimate useful tool for your business. Good choice.

I’d like to get my own long rail too. If we can save money by teaming up on a purchase, and you are interested, let me know. I’m thinking I might want it even longer than 8 feet. Once it is clamped into the jaw stand, you will lose probably a foot and a half or more of usable length, so maybe 6 feet usable. That is probably fine for a TARC launch. I want at least 8 feet usable, if not more, for extra slow motors. So I think I need a 10 footer, or an 8 footer with 4-foot extension, or maybe two 6-footers to join together.

In addition to the rail, you would need a blast deflector. I’ll need one of those too. What are your ideas on that?

If you are interested in teaming up on any of these things, let me know in a PM. And if not, that’s OK too.
 
caveduck said:
Bonus secret: regular 1010 size rail buttons and guides work fine in the 1515 slots so you lose nothing by using the 1515 size rail.
Click to expand...

Is that true? A 1010 button or guide works in a 1515 slot? Are the slots the same size? If that’s true, then it’s great to know. I have some projects I like to fly off extra long rails, but the really long ones are usually 1515, while the rockets have 1010 buttons.
 
DAllen said:
'tis true. I have a 1515 at home and tried out a 1010 button. No the slots are not the same size but the buttons do in fact fit rather nicely.
Click to expand...

Cool! I’m going to have to try it out. I like flying some slower long-burn motors, but you need 10 or even 12 feet of rail to get a safe launch speed sometimes.
 
On bendy-ness, there a nice deflection calculator on the 8020 site. An 8' length of the 1010 rail will deflect over 3" with just a 1 lb load on the end, while 1515 rail deflects only 1.33". That is more than 2x better.
 
ThirstyBarbarian said:
Rocketdoctor99, this is Eric from SARG and LUNAR. I’ve got a Jawstand, and it is great. You are going to like owning that as a launch stand and also as a very handy rocket building tool and as a legitimate useful tool for your business. Good choice.

I’d like to get my own long rail too. If we can save money by teaming up on a purchase, and you are interested, let me know. I’m thinking I might want it even longer than 8 feet. Once it is clamped into the jaw stand, you will lose probably a foot and a half or more of usable length, so maybe 6 feet usable. That is probably fine for a TARC launch. I want at least 8 feet usable, if not more, for extra slow motors.
Click to expand...

I like slow motors too, and I was also worried about usable length. Clubs may claim they have 8 foot rails, but one or two feet may be wasted in the mounting system.

On a Jawstand, do not simply clamp the rail in place. Make a bracket, which allows the entire length of rail to be used, like my set-up shown here. This thread has lots of good ideas:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threa...tand-rail-adapters.133685/page-3#post-1916829
 
DAllen said:
'tis true. I have a 1515 at home and tried out a 1010 button. No the slots are not the same size but the buttons do in fact fit rather nicely.
Click to expand...

What is the dia. of your 1010 rail buttons? The ones I have mounted are 10mm. The 1515 T slot is 8mm. Seems kinda close. A friend of mine said his 1010 buttons don't work on his 1515 rail so I never tried mine. Conformal lugs work fine on both rails.
 
Buckeye said:
I like slow motors too, and I was also worried about usable length. Clubs may claim they have 8 foot rails, but one or two feet may be wasted in the mounting system.

On a Jawstand, do not simply clamp the rail in place. Make a bracket, which allows the entire length of rail to be used, like my set-up shown here. This thread has lots of good ideas:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threa...tand-rail-adapters.133685/page-3#post-1916829
Click to expand...
That’s very nice! I will be modifying mine to get the full length, too.
 

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