New launch pad is ready

[ThreeJsDad]

I used some lower end plywood I scrounged from where I worked so it's not much to look at. It is however very functional. There are two steel studs inside the box the rail slides into to keep it lined up. The wing nuts then clamp down on it so it wont move. The feet have holes in them for staking it to the ground.

The rotation and tilt are very simple to do. I think I will build another one for a mini rail.

 

[Glasspack]

What do you mean its not much to look at ………….

I think you did great !! Very nice pad...…. What is that on top the base Plywood as a blast deflector ?

 

[ThreeJsDad]

What do you mean its not much to look at ………….

I think you did great !! Very nice pad...…. What is that on top the base Plywood as a blast deflector ?

You are very kind and thank you. The blast deflector is a piece of ceramic tile I JB welded to a plywood support.

 

[Glasspack]

Perfect.....you can paint it and it will look even nicer....

 

[ThreeJsDad]

Perfect.....you can paint it and it will look even nicer....

I painted the plywood AFTER all the non moving parts were assembled and it swelled and then I had to sand the the snot out of it. I want to build another one for a mini rail and I will use Baltic Birch ply or a boat builders ply. I have a local source for some very nice plywood.

I was pleasantly surprised at how stiff the legs are. On a smooth surface (kitchen floor) the feet slide and the elbows flex but on the grass they did in and it is rock solid. The feet are 45deg elbows with a hole in the other end. This way I can turn them one way if I am launching from a hard surface and turn them other way and run stakes through the holes I drilled.

 

[crossfire]

You did a very good job. What size rail is on the pad in picture?

 

[ThreeJsDad]

You did a very good job. What size rail is on the pad in picture?

Thank You so much, That is a micro rail. I am not sure what it would compare to in a rod but I was impressed by how stiff it is for it's size. It's the buttons that give me pause they are just sooooo small.

 

[scadaman29325]

Nice.

Are those 45° 3/4" sweeps or 90° cut to fit?

And don't be too hard on yourself about the looks. I would bet you had a lot of fun figuring it out and building it!

My biggest pain is finding the parts I have pictured in my mind, then figuring out what "normal" people call them, so I can hunt them down. You know, that thing that looks like a ------- and does --------, and it mounts like -------, but I want it to --------, what's that thing called?

And in my case, it winds up costing MORE than if i bought it premade.... but not near the fun, time consuming, self satisfaction...

 

[cwbullet]

Very nice design.

 

[Zeus-cat]

If it does everything you need it to do it is a great design. Who cares what the launch pad looks like; functionality is the key. Great job.

 

[ThreeJsDad]

Thanks everyone !! I used it at the club launch last weekend. I think some folks are going to be adding micro buttons to their smaller rockets.
There was indeed some sorting out of how to make it happen. It was actually pretty cheap to build. Maybe after my CAD class next month I can draw up plans so everyone can have them.

Here are some basics. I did use Electrical conduit sweeping 90deg elbows. They have small blocks of wood inside them so I can tighten down the bolts and not crush the tubing. The rail slides down into the "box" structure and then the two wing nuts tighten down on the rail. To make those I simply flattened off some 8-32 screws using my drill press and my dremel tool. Spin them in a drill and grind at the same time with the dremel and you get a nice smooth surface. To keep the rail straight I used two worn out dremel bits. I cut them off and glued them into the main vertical place with the a small nub of the shaft protruding. The rail slides over them very nicely. Only .125" or so needs to be exposed. The rest is pretty straight forward carpentry with some T-Nuts and 1/4-20 bolts.

It also helps to sand the ends of the tubing that go into the elbows. Just enough to make it easy to set up and take down.