If you’re building model rockets you want to make sure they fly straight, and most of that is dependent on the stabilizer fins. It has long been a problem come assembly time. How can you make sure that they’re being aligned without any variation? [Rrix] mentioned that one technique is to use a square to position them perfectly perpendicular to the bench on which the rocket is being assembled. But this is still prone to error. His method uses a couple of precision jigs made out of cardboard.
He designed this pair of jigs in Inkscape, then used the files to fabricate them out on a laser cutter. It worked like a charm, but led him to another issue that can be solved in a similar way. Model rockets have rail guides that travel along a rod attached to the launch pad as the craft accelerates to a point where the fins have enough effect to keep it going in a straight line. If those guides aren’t straight, your fin alignment will be all for naught. His second version of the jigs includes a cut out for these guides.
A rigid link between both jigs will assure that are parallel between them so that the result will be orthogonal to the rocket body otherwise I think that with thin sheets may result in skewed fins.
I never had one, but never forgot that Estes made a jig and you can see it at an online store:
http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/est/est302231.htm
A search of the Estes website indicates the company seemingly no longer makes it, so it may be old stock at some stores.
If you download the full catalog it is in there (without a picture). I used to have an all metal fin alignment jig… 33 year ago when I was into model rockets. Wonder if it is still in dad’s attic?
Actually. their current Tube Marking Jig isn’t quite as nifty: http://www.estesrockets.com/302227-tube-marking-guide
Looks like you can only glue one fin at a time.
Quote “His method uses a couple of precision jigs made out of cardboard.”
I don’t think Precision, and Cardboard belong in the same sentence.
With respect to 1 micrometer, you may be right. However, to the tune of 100..200 micrometer, you are wrong. Scale is all that matters.
I think the key word would mostely be REPEAT accuracy. Sure it’ll be accurate enough when used once or twice, maybe it’ll even last 10 uses. But cardboard tends to wear, bend and fold. Meaning at some point you lose your efficiency. If you’re going to be using a laser cutter anyway, why not cut them from something a little more solid?
I’m sorry that my comment was misunderstood, I was trying to state what justduch said. It won’t last long, it will get bent, and it will wear out.
These only get used once, you don’t need repeat usability. If you do, cut it in plywood, or cut multiples in cardboard since good cardboard is cheap
This is pretty dumb, if you were going to go to all the trouble to draw it and have it laser cut, why the hell would you do it in cardboard?
I suspect he lacked a ruler and an exacto knife.
Really, it’s fine – I did it once using a cloth tape measure and an extensive set of incorrect attempts at long division to figure out the circumference/6 thing.
I was building a 6 fin rocket with a shroud around the fins and needed a guide.
For some reason I decided that a guide was the wrong approach, and that I needed a set of balsa spacers so my rocket would be really “accurate”. I used a protractor to build perfect spacers.
It was a radical departure in rocket design, based on the other designs I had seen in the estes catalog – (circa shag carpet).
It looked awesome, and I was so proud of myself for building the spacers that I had friends come and see my cool new manufacturing method.
The next morning, I found that my identical balsa spacers had completely bonded to the body and fins. Naturally, I went to plan “B” – launching the engines by themselves after gluing fins on.
Years later I had heard that estes profits all went to medical research (for huntingtons?), but I’m not sure how much of that rumour was after-the-fact marketing magic.
Maybe the people doing this with a ruler and an exacto knife lack a laser cutter.
Seriously, this takes, what, less than a minute to cut? How long to bust out a ruler and an exacto knife and get this accuracy?
The photos on my blog were prototypes. the final cut was plywood, even though the cardboard would have been plenty sturdy enough for the one time I ever had to use it.
The fins are not supposed to be “perpendicular to the workbench”. They should be slightly off parallel to the rocket body (just like the feather fletching on arrows), to give the rocket a slow spin to compensate for off-axis thrust errors.
Mods: Oops — clicked the wrong button.
For required off-axis fin mounting, the inner edge needs a slight curve cut into it. Laser cutting the wrong shape makes no sense.
I’m working on a parameterized version of this. Currently, I’m able to generate SVGs for just about any configuration. Next I’d like to go straight to DXF.
S: Since the edges are also laser-cut, a workbench keeps them rather straigaht.
WhosThere: Cardboard is cheap, easy to cut, and rigid enough to keep the fins in place. If you really wanted to, these could be cut in wood/plastic/metal/whatever, instead.
Rob: While you can apply a slight angle to cause rotation, that is by no means the “right” way to attach fins. I think Estes and NASA would agree.
wrong button again.
For a small hobby rocket it is not so critical if you follow a curved path, but for high altitude you need some way to compensate for off-center or off-axis thrust (or precision engines that burn evenly). Our local government frowns on rockets with guidance systems, so the fixed angled fins work well for simple compensation.
For that matter you do not even need fins, but can instead redirect part of the exhaust.
Actually, if you watch (unguided 1st stage) sounding rocket launches you will notice that they spin quite fast, for exactly the reason suggested…to compensate for thrust misalignment and other errors.
So in this case NASA does agree.
Estes would not agree.
Spin == drag. The idea is for the rocket to be aerodynamically stable so that it does not need spin. You can fin stabilize a rocket, you can spin stabilize and a few do both. For a model rocket it you do not want spin because it will decrease your max altitude and will be useless. Why useless? Because the rocket must be aerodynamically stable since the lunch tower, rail, or rod will prevent any spin until the tower is cleared so you must be stable at that point. As to the drag google Gyroc http://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/k-24.htm this rocket used spin drag as a recovery method.
A few points to note here….
This model appears to be slotted for through-the-wall fins. The slots will keep the fins aligned axially. The jig only keeps the fins aligned radially.
Radial alignment is non-critical. Your fins can be way out of radial alignment with little effect on performance.
Axial alignment is critical. Fins that are out of axial alignment will cause the model to spin — the single largest performance loss in model rocket construction. Even if you shoot for *perfect* alignment, you will still likely get some spin — more than enough to correct for any off-axis thrust.
For surface-mount fins, I use a jig very similar to this one:
http://i.imgur.com/tCSMZ.jpg
Agreed. Unplanned spin will also maintain a (mostly) straight course under thrust. A little spin can be a good thing, but on-axis drag is not (fins out of axial alignment in different directions).
Unplanned spin causes unplanned drag, which makes for less velocity/altitude. If you’re building a stable/overstable rocket you don’t need any spin, it just becomes detrimental to the overall launch imo, especially if you’re mounting an external camera.
im no rocket scientist (pun?), but ive noticed a lot of amateur rocket launcher “railguides” often bend during launch…
why not use more then one?
why not make them twice as long?
why not go all out and use 4 of them at 3x length?
would that not compensate for fin problems?
… i mean it get it up to speed before any heading changes can take effect…
> why not use more then one?
Every modern high power kit has at least two
> why not make them twice as long?
Some companies are marketing longer, aerodynamic rail guides made of milled aluminum (see bottom image rail guide on http://www.giantleaprocketry.com/images/products/comp/guides1_lg.jpg ) attached using epoxy.
> why not go all out and use 4 of them at 3x length?
Too much friction, you want them to hold the rocket vertical, not hold the rocket on the rail.
Modern HPR construction solves most of the issues by using stronger guides (I’m a big fan of the ones above) and even if the guides break off, the rocket has the velocity, at that point, to safely clear the rail unless you did Something Bad.
thanks for the info.
i had a laugh when you said “Something Bad” with capitals… XD
dont know why i found it so funny
PS: is there such thing as “non flammable” lubricant ??? or would that alone actually present drag to the rod?
so, the photos I had of this particular jig were all cardboard, and it worked for prototyping, but the final jigs were cut in plywood
This is a job for 3D printed perfectly aligned sets of fins to slip/glue onto a rocket…
An interesting suggestion. rrix recently 3D printed an entire rocket on our lab’s Ultimaker. Seems like it should work great at smaller/slower scales. I have my doubts about supersonic stuff, though.
Had a friend, every July 3rd, would make a few dozen cardboard tube/balsa fin/acetylene balloon
“rockets” to launch from his workspace. The jig was a rectangle of plywood covered with alum. foil
on one side (blast side). Long side was to align fins to body. short side was to align fins to each other, and a 3/8 dowel was press-fit for a rail. Pop in a “C” motor, and push the rocket down onto the blast area to be fired by electric spark. Worked great and loud as hell !
THIS IS THE GREATEST THING EVER I AM NAMING ALL MY KIDS ROCKET RIX AS A RESULT
I use 2 speed squares with slight notch cut out on the 1″ flat side to allow the base pipe through.
Great post. Thanks for sharing. It really helped to keep my rocket stright in flight, which mostly went in the wrong direction and sometimes it even came back to me.
Matt.
rockets4kids, where did u get/can I get that alignment jig?