Senior Space Cadet
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- May 23, 2020
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I'm not sure this is the best category to put this and I'm sure it will annoy someone because I didn't just continue on one of my existing threads, but here goes.
I just ordered myself a really nice drill press. Something I should have bought a very long time ago. I can't tell you how many times, in my adult life, I wished I'd had a drill press, but was too cheap to buy one.
I probably bought a better one than I need, but one of my life lessons is that if I try and save money, by buying less than I want, it ends up costing me more in the long run.
Unbelievably, I've never owned a rotary tool, like a Dremel. I ordered one of those too. Not a Dremel, but it looks good and was half the price.
I didn't buy the lathe I was considering. I'm not sure I'm ready to go down that rabbit hole. I would have used it for making nosecones, transitions and boat tails. Getting the base diameter and shoulder diameter exact would be critical, and that worries me. Nose cones would present additional problems.
What I'd like to do, and this is where I need your help, is take existing parts form Balsa Machining, etc. and modify them.
What I would like to be able to do is shorten a part and reshape it.
In order to do that, I need to be able to spin the part while holding sandpaper to it.
I have not idea how I'd do that.
If there is an alternate method, other than spinning the balsa part, I'd like to hear it.
I'm picturing doing things like taking an ogive nosecone and turning it into an elliptical, or taking a super long V2 boat tail and shortening it by half.
I just ordered myself a really nice drill press. Something I should have bought a very long time ago. I can't tell you how many times, in my adult life, I wished I'd had a drill press, but was too cheap to buy one.
I probably bought a better one than I need, but one of my life lessons is that if I try and save money, by buying less than I want, it ends up costing me more in the long run.
Unbelievably, I've never owned a rotary tool, like a Dremel. I ordered one of those too. Not a Dremel, but it looks good and was half the price.
I didn't buy the lathe I was considering. I'm not sure I'm ready to go down that rabbit hole. I would have used it for making nosecones, transitions and boat tails. Getting the base diameter and shoulder diameter exact would be critical, and that worries me. Nose cones would present additional problems.
What I'd like to do, and this is where I need your help, is take existing parts form Balsa Machining, etc. and modify them.
What I would like to be able to do is shorten a part and reshape it.
In order to do that, I need to be able to spin the part while holding sandpaper to it.
I have not idea how I'd do that.
If there is an alternate method, other than spinning the balsa part, I'd like to hear it.
I'm picturing doing things like taking an ogive nosecone and turning it into an elliptical, or taking a super long V2 boat tail and shortening it by half.