Mini launch rail

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Invertman

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Does anyone have some info about where
I can get a mini launch rail for low power
Rockets. I hear of people having them but
I haven’t been able to find a vendor.
thanks.
 
For the Mini buttons you need a 20mm size T slot rail. I paid more but purchased mine right from 80/20 Company. I heard the 15mm will work for the micro buttons but 10mm is recommend. It would be great if 15mm would work for both sizes.
 
Mini buttons from Rail Button dot com fit 80/20 20mmx20mm rail.
Make sure you get true 80/20 beam, as discussed in another thread, the knock offs are not the same size. The cheapest I could locate is on ebay, and 4 meters in length. (search 80/20 20mm 4M ) Being 4meters in length (13feet) it is truck shipped. I met the truck at the local Walmart.

Their micro buttons fit the 10mm maker beam, available through Amazon. If I was to buy again, I would purchase the 1500mm length. It is only $5 more.
MakerBeam 900x10x10mm beam clear anodised (pack of 2)
 
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Ok,

Here is an image of the 10mm guide. I also have them for 15 and 20mm.

3D design 10mm rail button 0 maker beam 10mm  Tinkercad 2020-11-27 20-07-41.png
If there is interest, I can upload them the thingverse.
 
Their micro buttons fit the 10mm maker beam, available through Amazon. If I was to buy again, I would purchase the 1500mm length. It is only $5 more.

I ended up 2 1000mm and 2 1500mm of these 10mm rails. I found my BT50 Mach 1 kits benefited from a longer rail.
 
That looks nice for MD kits. I have been using an H column from Evergreen Plastics, it works well enough but can let the rocket sit at an odd angle on the pad.

I will work on uploading them this week.
 
Does anyone have some info about where
I can get a mini launch rail for low power
Rockets. I hear of people having them but
I haven’t been able to find a vendor.
thanks.

The "Low-Buck" approach would be to recreate the Estes "C-Rail" . . . Get some 3/8" Square Tubing and put a 1/8" wide "Slot" in it ( any machine shop should be able to do that, if you don't have the tools ).

Dave F.

C-RAIL - 1.jpg
 
Dave
The "Low-Buck" approach would be to recreate the Estes "C-Rail" . . . Get some 3/8" Square Tubing and put a 1/8" wide "Slot" in it ( any machine shop should be able to do that, if you don't have the tools ).

Dave F.

View attachment 440227

Dave,

I can make a file for this slot also if you want them 3D printed. Where do you get a C Slot rail.
 
Dave


Dave,

I can make a file for this slot also if you want them 3D printed. Where do you get a C Slot rail.


Chuck,

Unfortunately, the C-Slot Rail has to be made, using 3/8" square Aluminum tubing ( .0625" Wall Thickness ) . . .

The "Slot" ( 1/8" wide ) has to be cut into it to create the "C-Rail".

Dave F.
 
Here is mine made from 20 mm ordered from 89-20 as noted above, I made mine with 5 usable feet of launch rod, mounted on a 1/2” ID black pipe, inserted inside a camera tripod
 
Chuck,

Unfortunately, the C-Slot Rail has to be made, using 3/8" square Aluminum tubing ( .0625" Wall Thickness ) . . .

The "Slot" ( 1/8" wide ) has to be cut into it to create the "C-Rail".

Dave F.
The nice thing about a "C" rail is you can put a launch lug on an offset and fly off either rail or rod, depending on who has what where. I was considering doing this with my brother-in-law's V2 (3/16" rod) but I don't think the Maker Rail has enough room for the "straw". I must admit I'd have gone with buttons or guides and maker rail if I'd know about them as a BAR.

But I could rip a 1/8" slot in a square aluminum with my table saw.
 
But I could rip a 1/8" slot in a square aluminum with my table saw.

I bet you could sell a ton of those, especially if you re-create the original Estes "C-Rail" and an upscaled "Maxi" version !

Personally, I'd like to see 3ft, or longer, sections, rather than the original 18" lengths. The original used 3/8" square aluminum stock, with .0625" wall thickness.

Dave F.

711est104.jpg



C-RAIL - 1.jpg
 
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I bet you could sell a ton of those, especially if you re-create the original Estes "C-Rail" and an upscaled "Maxi" version !

Personally, I'd like to see 3ft, or longer, sections, rather than the original 18" lengths. The original used 3/8" square aluminum stock, with .0625" wall thickness.

Dave F.

View attachment 450724



View attachment 450725

Well, If I did I might want to do better than using my table saw! But yes, I well remember those catalog pages from when I was a kid, and the idea of making nice-looking launch towers (and reinforcing the rail as they did) appealed to me, but life took some crazy turns. It still does. But I see club launches generally frown on home-made, stand-alone launch systems, so I'd only be selling to park flyers (as I am at least for now).

Does anyone have a dimesioned cross section of these maker rails, or are they available on ther web site? This may rate a "Let me Google That for You" link!
 
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If you search on here there is an old thread with posts from TerryG and MicroMeister that has detailed images of the various rails, as well as a link to a technical report on the site of MM's old club. Between the thread and that link there is lots of great info.
 
Well, thanks to @Ez2cDave, a quick layout of the 10 x 10 and 15 x 15 maker rails shown me there isn't any way a 3/16 launch lug "straw is going into those profiles. So I think I'll have a look at aluminum square tube profiles. Or just glue the straw on! It's 0.227" OD, so a 3/8 alumimum square tube would have to have 1/16" walls to have a comfortable fit...
 
Well, thanks to @Ez2cDave, a quick layout of the 10 x 10 and 15 x 15 maker rails shown me there isn't any way a 3/16 launch lug "straw is going into those profiles. So I think I'll have a look at aluminum square tube profiles. Or just glue the straw on! It's 0.227" OD, so a 3/8 alumimum square tube would have to have 1/16" walls to have a comfortable fit...

There is another interesting method, using square tubing, that does not require cutting a slot.

It is called the "Meyer Method" . . .

Dave F.


C-RAIL IDEAS - 1.JPG



C-RAIL IDEAS - 2.JPG
 
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