Lots of good stuff already posted.
The following applies to low power rockets, maybe to mid power. Being L-0, I know nada about high power construction.
Some of this depends on your goals for your rockets.
If you want beautiful showpiece Rockets, fly them once on a calm day with a large chute in a big field and then relegate them to display/“Hanger Queen” status. Beware even one flight can result in catastrophe. Classic and tragic example is here
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threa...build-for-my-level-2.24733/page-2#post-274387
Absolutely unique and beautiful design and finish, with an unfortunate maiden (and only) flight
@jeffgeraci
(Note: if you want it to stay pretty, don’t tempt fate by giving it a name like “Suicide King.”)
Even with the best of circumstances, few if any rockets maintain their “show room” looks for more than a few, say five, flights. So “building to last” and “building for looks” are not often complimentary goals.
With great and certainly due respect to
@rklapp , who makes and flies beautiful rockets, for low power balsa to cardboard or paper joints, epoxy is overkill. MAKE SURE YOU SAND OFF THE GLASSINE OUTER LAYER OF THE BODY TUBE. Once you do that, wood glue for balsa to cardboard or paper is structurally just as strong, lighter, and smells better. Epoxy is needed if you are attaching plastic or fiberglass, but not wood and paper and cardboard.
If your design allows for forward swept fins (which IMHO look cool regardless), your rocket’s first interaction with terra all too firms (and sometime cementa or asphalta or playa) will be the motor casing or motor hook, either of which generally handle the impact better than the fin tips of the typical Rear swept fins of the quintessential Alpha. If stability allows and you can place your fins a bit forward of the rear edge of the tube (certainly do-able for long skinny rockets) so much the better.
Papering fins, especially with white glue instead of adhesive paper, adds a lot of strength, although many will say even adhesive paper helps.
Nobody has mentioned reliable recovery yet. Lawn darts tend to lose their showroom looks quickly and are frowned upon by most RSOs. Make sure your wadding and chute and streamer are packed loosely enough that you could literally blow them out with a puff of your breath, and the nose cone isn’t too tight. Estes Cosmic Cobra is a Great example of trying to fit too much into too little a space (interestingly the HeliCat is almost the identical rocket, just made a few inches longer, and is a dream to pack and fly.)
Avoid flying on windy days, rockets tend to either weathercock and disappear upwind or drift away and disappear DOWN wind. Putting your name and phone number somewhere on the rocket may help you in getting it back, but may get you in trouble if it drops into, let’s call it “unfriendly “ territory.
Even Kevlar shock cords can eventually burn through and break. Here’s
@hcmbanjo ‘s article on a set up that allows you to check and if needed place them.
https://www.apogeerockets.com/education/downloads/Newsletter338.pdf
Best of luck!