stormhawk31
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- Jul 9, 2015
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Ok, so, not having any power tools to use to shape a nose cone, I have had to figure out a way to do it by hand. The first attempt - molding one out of wood glue and sawdust, letting it dry, then sanding it into final shape - was a disaster of epic proportions; so much so, that I didn't even take pictures to show because all I could do was hang my head in shame. 
BUT! UI came up with something else that seems to be working pretty well. Well enough, in fact, that I'm willing to share the process with everyone. And yes, I do have pictures. Bear in mind, this is my first attempt at this, so it may not be all that elegant. I'm doing this version in cardboard, and I'll be strengthening it with several coats of wood glue. As the process goes along, please feel free to critique and offer suggestions. I am here to learn and to share what I learn, so if anyone has done anything similar to this and they have tips that could make this easier (particularly in reference to measuring and marking more accurately), I'm all ears.
So, with all that said, here we go:
I began by drawing out the basic shape in two dimensions. Once I got it pretty much where I wanted it, and got the end of it to fit snugly but properly in my body tube, I used it as a pattern and traced out another one. I again shaped it until it was nearly identical to the first one. Then, I located the center of the second one, drew a line down the middle, and cut it in half with my X-acto. The two halves of the second piece will eventually be glued perpendicularly to the front and back of the first half, giving me a three-dimensional shape from which to work.
...O...K... A picture of my work was supposed to go here, but for some reason, it won't let me post it, so... I don't know. I guess I'll come back and edit this post with pictures later, if one of y'all can tell me why it's not letting me put the pics up.
Anyway, next, using my first, whole piece as a guide, I lifted the radius of circles from various points about 3/4 of an inch apart all the way up the piece. I used those radii to draw circles, which I then cut out and cut in quarters. Those quarter-round pieces will each go between the two larger pieces,all the way up, forming ribs and giving the nose cone structure. When that's finished, I'll be able to go over the whole thing with a layer of cardboard, then several layers of wood glue, then finally, a coat or two of primer. It won't be perfect, but it should work, and it should serve as a prototype for future nose cones made out of wood.
That's it for now. Back to work. I'll keep y'all posted (and put up pics, if I can solve that pesky issue...).
BUT! UI came up with something else that seems to be working pretty well. Well enough, in fact, that I'm willing to share the process with everyone. And yes, I do have pictures. Bear in mind, this is my first attempt at this, so it may not be all that elegant. I'm doing this version in cardboard, and I'll be strengthening it with several coats of wood glue. As the process goes along, please feel free to critique and offer suggestions. I am here to learn and to share what I learn, so if anyone has done anything similar to this and they have tips that could make this easier (particularly in reference to measuring and marking more accurately), I'm all ears.
So, with all that said, here we go:
I began by drawing out the basic shape in two dimensions. Once I got it pretty much where I wanted it, and got the end of it to fit snugly but properly in my body tube, I used it as a pattern and traced out another one. I again shaped it until it was nearly identical to the first one. Then, I located the center of the second one, drew a line down the middle, and cut it in half with my X-acto. The two halves of the second piece will eventually be glued perpendicularly to the front and back of the first half, giving me a three-dimensional shape from which to work.
...O...K... A picture of my work was supposed to go here, but for some reason, it won't let me post it, so... I don't know. I guess I'll come back and edit this post with pictures later, if one of y'all can tell me why it's not letting me put the pics up.
Anyway, next, using my first, whole piece as a guide, I lifted the radius of circles from various points about 3/4 of an inch apart all the way up the piece. I used those radii to draw circles, which I then cut out and cut in quarters. Those quarter-round pieces will each go between the two larger pieces,all the way up, forming ribs and giving the nose cone structure. When that's finished, I'll be able to go over the whole thing with a layer of cardboard, then several layers of wood glue, then finally, a coat or two of primer. It won't be perfect, but it should work, and it should serve as a prototype for future nose cones made out of wood.
That's it for now. Back to work. I'll keep y'all posted (and put up pics, if I can solve that pesky issue...).
