Ultimate Rocket Fin Guide. Three different models to choose from.

[ibuildstuff4u]

Hello, I have been making the Ultimate Rocket Fin Guide for a while now and have had some really good feed back from past customers. I decided to make two different sized Fin Guides to offer an option for my customers. These Fin Guides are a must have for any serious builder and take all of the stress out of keeping your fins straight and perfectly spaced out from each other while gluing them on to your body tube.

All of the guides are precision CNC cut out of aluminum and will last a life time unlike some of the other cheap plastic jigs on the market. Each model has adjustable fin guides that bolt into place and can be mounted horizontally or vertically depending on the type of rocket your building. The fin guides can easily be changed for three or four fin rockets and other number of fins can be done by easily too. I like to use CA glue on my fins which dries in moments. After the glue dries I remove the rocket from the jig and add fillets of glue to the sides of the fins for strength. By using the CA glue you can build a whole fleet of rockets in an after noon.

My small Ultimate Fin Guide is made on a 4"x4" base plate and comes with one fin guide, one clamp and two body tube mandrels of your choice. Other mandrel sizes can be ordered for $20 each. The small sized fin guide takes a little longer to use verses large fin guide, but the investment is less and will still make rocket building easier and more accurate. The price for the Small Ultimate Rocket Fin Guide is $49.95 plus shipping.


My large Ultimate Fin Guide is made on a 6"x6" base plate and comes with four fin guides, four clamps, and three body tube mandrels of your choice. Other sizes can be ordered for $20 each. The Large sized fin guide allows you to glue three or four fins in place at one time and has a larger base plate allowing you to build bigger rockets than with the small fin guide. The cost for the Large Ultimate Fin Guide is $125.00 plus shipping.

The pictures below are from my 4"x4" Fin Guide and 5"x5" Fin Guide. I will have some pictures posted soon of the 6"x6" Fin Guide. ***I have a few slightly blemished 5"x5" sized guides for sale in another post if you looking to save a few bucks.***

I can custom make body tube mandrels of any size and have most of the Estes Body tube sizes in stock. Some of the stocked sizes are below.

If you have any questions or would like to place an order you can contact me at [email protected]
Thanks, Dale P.


Estes Body Tube Size Chart

Body Tube Inside Dimension Metric Notes:
BT 2 .220 5mm
BT 2.5 .255 6mm
BT 3 .349 8mm
BT 4 .422 10mm
BT 5 .518 13mm Tube fits mini sized engines
BT 20 .710 18mm Tube fits A, B, and C engines
BT 50 .950 24mm Tube fits D and E engines
29 mm 1.141 29mm Tube fits F and G engines
BT 55 1.283 32mm
BT 56 1.304 33mm
BT 60 1.595 40mm
BT 70 2.175 55mm
BT 80 2.588 65mm

 

[Marc_G]

Interesting design. I like the machined metal style.

One question: how do you adjust the fin guide positions to accommodate different thicknesses of fins, to make sure the center of the fin is on-center with the intended position for different fin stock thickness? When I designed my own home-brew fin guide, I found that it was very important to be able to adjust the guide position for fin stocks that range from 1/16" to 3/16", for my LPR needs. Ignoring the differences gave me visibly offset results.

Marc

 

[rocketguy101]

I have a second question. Why don't you offer BT-20, BT-50, and 29 mm setup? That would cover 18mm - 29mm rockets, without having to have all those different mandrels, unless you have to install the fins before installing the motor mount.

EDIT I guess you need to add BT-5 also to cover 13mm, I didn't think of that originally, since I don't build many of those.

Good looking rig!

 

[GDJ]

Beautiful workmanship! I do like what you did!

 

[Tiger]

variable fin thickness is my concern here as well

 

[ibuildstuff4u]

Good question. The Guides are set up for rockets with up to 1/8" thick fins and if you have a thinner fin you simply add a shim between the rocket fin and the upright. I'm including two sets of shims with the fin guide. There is a .015 shim for 3/32" fins and a .030 shim for 1/16" thick fins. If you plan to build rockets with thicker fins I can easily make up fin guides with a step in them. They can be reversible fin guides so they work with 1/8" fins on one side and thicker fins on the other side. I can customize a lot of things with these guides if needed.

As for the mandrel sizes you can pick the sizes if you want different ones, I just posted them with some of the most popular ones, but I'm sure everyone has different needs. They guide comes with three mandrels of your choice and others can be purchased for $20 each up to size BT 60. The Bt 70 and Bt 80 mandrels are $25.00 due to the cost of aluminum.

Thanks,
Dale P.

 

[ibuildstuff4u]

I think what I'm going to do is pick up some plastic shim material for 1/16" and 3/32" fins and include it along with the kits to make it easier for every one. Most of the other fin guides on the market require you to provide your own shims, but this is the "Ultimate" Fin Guide so I will include it with mine.

Dale P.

 

[LV-426]

I want one of these (small version) but I would spend a fortune on just the different mandrels to go with it. Also, I know the jig would be somewhat heavy, would the small fin guide fit in a small USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate shipping box?

Also, could you demonstrate in a photo how the shim would work for 1/16" or 3/32" fins? Most of what I build are those two fin thicknesses.

 

[ibuildstuff4u]

Eric, I took a look and I'm pretty sure the small fin guide will fit into a small flat rate box which would cost $5.80. I can probably fit a few extra mandrels in it too if you needed them. My ad says it comes with Bt 5 and 20, but you can pick what ever size you want up to Bt 60.

I can post a picture of the shim, but it's basically a small plastic shim that is placed between the fin guide and your rocket fin. You can simply put some scotch tape on it to hold it in place since you plan to use it most of the time. I will be shipping them with two shims, one for 1/16" fins and one for 3/32" fins.

If your interested my paypal address is [email protected] and the total with shipping would be $55.75

Just let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks, Dale P.

*As you can see in the picture the shim is very thin as the difference between 1/8" and 3/32" is very small.

 

[LV-426]

Dale, does the small fin guide accommodate a BT-80 mandrel? Once I figure out what mandrels I want, I will place an order for one. I think I want BT-20, BT-50, BT-55 and BT-60 but I will let you know for sure.

I noticed that your plastic shim is not the same width as the fin guide, It might be nice to have the shim the same width.

 

[ibuildstuff4u]

Eric, I was in a hurry to take the picture last night and just grabbed a scrap of shim stock, but the shims that come along are cut the same size as the fin guide. As for the Bt 80 mandrel it will fit, but it will be tight and you may not have as much room as you need verses the 6" guide.

I just sold my last 5"x5" fin guide and only have 4"x4" and 6"x6" ones left. I think I'm going to only offer the two sizes in the future and no longer make the 5" fin guide. With that being said I'm re pricing the 6" guide to $125.00 with your choice of three mandrels. I will be up dating my ad tonight when I have more time but thought you would like to know about the lower price for the 6" guide. Shipping for the 6" guide is $12.35 for a medium flat rate box.

Thanks, Dale P.

 

[jolevich]

Hello, Any chance to get you to build me a fin guide for performance rocketry (same stuff rocketry warehouse and wildman rocketry sells) fiberglass fillament wound airframe and G10 fins? I would need airframe sizes of 3,4,5,6,8 inches diameter and G10 fin thickness of 3/32" for 3" AF, 1/8" for 4" to 5" AF, 3/16" for 6" to 8" AF, 1/4" for 8" AF. I have the exact tolerances of the ID and OD of the airframes tubes, motor tubes, and fin thickness if needed. The motor tubes would range from 38mm to 98 mm, these are thru the AF wall fins attached to the motor tube with slots located on the AF so need fin guide mostly for epoxying the correct angle of fins.

 

[LV-426]

Dale, I think I will stick with the small unit since I don't build a lot of rockets with BT-80 tubes. Just to confirm I would like BT-20, BT-50, BT-55 and BT-60 mandrels. Will all of it fit in a small priority box? Total for everything would be $95.75, right?

Let me know and I will send you a paypal payment, thanks!

 

[ibuildstuff4u]

Eric, everything is not going to fit in the small flat rate box. The Bt 60 mandrel is too thick for the box, plus we are just out of room, but I think I can get to you for $10.00 and if it's more I will cover the difference.

The total with shipping will be $99.95

My Pay pal address is under [email protected]

Thanks! Dale P.





John, I'm going to have to take a closer look at the sizes you want to see if I can build something of that size. I will get back to you tomorrow with an answer.

Thanks, for the interest, Dale P.

 

[ibuildstuff4u]

Eric, I'm not trying to up sell you here, but I just wanted to let you know that my 5"x5" blemished fin guides are going on sale next week for $85.00 and include three mandrels so for a total of $114.95 you could have your four mandrels and a full fin guide shipped to your door.

Just a thought, Here is a link for the blemished fin guides if your interested. https://www.ebay.com/itm/111255985692?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Dale P.

 

[LV-426]

Dale, my wife won't let me spend more than $100 so I will take the small fin guide with the BT-20, BT-50, BT-55, and BT-60 mandrels. Payment sent Saturday at 1 AM. Thanks!

 

[ibuildstuff4u]

Sounds good. I will get it in the mail for you.

Thanks again for your order!
Dale P.

 

[LV-426]

Thanks Dale, when you get this shipped, can you provide me with the tracking number in a private message? Can't wait to start using it, thanks again!

 

[ibuildstuff4u]

John, I took a look at the sizes of body tubes your using and I can't help you out at the moment as they are just too big for me to make and the cost of aluminum is just too high for something like this so a different material would have to be found and I would need larger machines. My Fin Guide can work with mandrels up to 3 or 4" in diameter and I can cut larger steps in the fin uprights for thicker fins, but that's all I can offer right now.

I do hope to offer something for larger rockets in the future but for now that's just too big for me. I have a small CNC lathe and it will only turn parts up to 6" in diameter and that's really pushing the motor.

Thanks for the interest, hopefully I can help you out in the future.

Dale P.

 

[ibuildstuff4u]

I made a small change to my Ultimate Fin Guide and every guide shipped out after todays date will have this new feature. I will now be adding a small slot to some of the body tube mandrels to accommodate the engine mounting hook. This way you can use the fin guide with rockets that already have the engine mount glued into place. This is a nice feature for guys that want to use the fin guide to repair broken fins. I'm going to cut this step into every Bt 20 and Bt 50 mandrel, and I can cut this slot into other mandrels too if requested.

I still suggest using the largest body tube mandrel possible when building your model rocket as this will give you the most accurate fin placement, but this new feature will help you out if you don't have the right size mandrel on hand. You can glue the engine mount in first and then use the smaller sized mandrel that fits the engine mount. This method is kinda limited on what model it will work with as it all depends on the size and location of the fins, but it still gives you some more options as to how you can use the fin guide.

Here are some up dated pictures of the 6" fin guide.

Dale P.
[email protected]

 

[JTH28890]

It has been a few months since some of you have bought the UFG, how are you liking it?

 

[ibuildstuff4u]

A review was posted a while back and can be found here. https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?64427-Ultimate-Rocket-Fin-Guide

I would love to hear others chime in to see how their fin guide is working for them. So far there has been a lot of positive feed back from the guys that have bought them, but I'm always interested to hear if someone is having an issue so I can see if my product needs to be tweaked in any way.

Just let me know if you have any questions that I can help you with.
Thanks, Dale P.

 

[gltruett]

JTH,
I have had mine more than 2 months now and have built over a dozen rockets ( I loaded up on Semroc while I could) and I like it more than ever. It makes fin placement so fast and accurate painting everything I build is the bottleneck now. If the fins on a rocket extend below the body tube you can put a straight edge across any 2 and see no gaps. I have been able to remove any rocket I've built from the guide and put it back in any order and alignment is still perfect if that makes sense. It is built so well I don't see any possible way you will ever wear one out.

There are a couple of things to be aware of, don't know if you could call them negatives as it is no fault of the design. If you really airfoil a fin you have to be careful with clamp placement or you can pull the fin out of alignment. Same if you taper from root to tip. This is just something you have to deal with as a builder. The other thing has to do with larger rockets and its limited use there. I'm working on a 4" Eagle Claw now and I just see no way this type of guide will ever work for a large split fin rocket, others may have different ideas.

I bought the 6" base guide with 18, 24, and 29 mm mandrels, by putting the motor mount in first I expect to use almost any LPR size body tubes. I'll end by adding I have no interest financial or otherwise here, I do however appreciate quality workmanship. George

 

[AcidPaintball]

I was going to order one like this years ago. I just hope you are not infringing on a patent. If i can find the link I'll post it.

 

[Lowpuller]

This does looks very similar if not identical to an Estes Fin Guide.


Sent from my iPad using Rocketry Forum

 

[ibuildstuff4u]

There are really only two ways to make a rocket fin guide. One method is a guillotine style guide and the other is a mandrel based model. My fin guide is a mandrel based model just like the Estes guide, but that's where the similarities end. There are so many improvements on my design that set our guides miles apart from each other so there are no issues with patent infringements here.

The largest difference in my model is the way my fin up rights are mounted to the base. I have machined slots in the base plate so the up rights can be bolted into place for a very rigid connection. You can loosen the bolt and move the fin up rights in and out so they are fully adjustable depending on the size of the rocket your building. The Estes fin guide has a very weak mounting system that breaks easily and is not very accurate. This is actually the part that they have a patent on, which is also expired.

My fin up rights are rectangle can be used horizontally or vertically depending on the type of rocket your building and are larger than any other fin guides on the market. The Estes fin up rights are small and square so you don't have any options when using them. They are also too short for a lot of the kits on the market causing you to have to try to extend them which will cause you to loose a lot of accuracy.

My base plate is 1/2" thick aluminum and is 6" square so you can fit up to a 4" body tube on it. The Estes fin guide base plate is around 4" square and is made out of cheap plastic that warps causing the fins to mis align.

My body tube mandrels are made out of precision turned aluminum and bolt into place. They measure 4 1/2" long which will accommodate most medium powered rocket kits on the market. They also have a custom slot cut into them so rockets with an engine hook will easily slide down them with out having to bend the hook off to the side. The Estes fin guides come with one short plastic mandrel that press fits into the base. If you need different sizes you are required to use old engine casings and sand them down to the diameter you need. If they aren't long enough you are required to tape two or more of them together. The accuracy of the Estes fin guide mandrel system is very questionable to me.

Acid paint ball, was the one you wanted to buy years ago a BMI fin guide? His are similar to the Estes fin guide too, but also has done enough changes to prevent any patent issues.

I guess what I'm trying to say is they are both mouse traps, but mine actually catches mice. :wink:

Dale P.

 

[Performance nut]

I have one of these... thing works like a charm. Zero issues with it. My daughter actually used too much glue on the fin and glued it to the aluminum guide. Came off without breaking the fin.

 

[JTH28890]

Thanks for the info. I have been looking for a good fine guide and this one looks best to me for what I need.