Rocket Rack

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues...

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned an interesting set of videos on YouTube by Inverted Pursuits Lab, and they have continued to post short, to the point videos.  Recently, I saw one that demonstrated two versions of a simple rocket rack for mid-to-higher power rockets to set on your work bench.

Now, I haven't build any mid-power rockets yet t hat required a cradle, but it seems to be a common thing in most rocketeer's workshops, so I thought I might invest in it.  See what you think.

I looked at his design, and decided I could combine the two into something that took advantage of both designs.  But first, let me describe the rack in the event my camera craps out on me again...

The cradle is basically two X-crosses of six inch 3/4" PVC pipe, joined by a 4-way connector. This connector is easily the most expensive of the parts, at almost $3 each.  Each blunt exposed end of the PVC is capped by a 3/4" cap, which you may feel is an unnecessary expense.

To join these two Xs together to form the cradle, the legs that touch the bench are joined by two 20" PVC runners. They use 4 T-joints OR 4 L-joints.  In the event you use a T-you might want a couple more short lengths of PVC pipe to extend for stability.

Also, the arms of the Xs that cradle the rocket are padded with  portions of pool noodles, cut to fit.

Now, I bought all the pipe and connectors at once from Lowe's for about $16 total.

 I figured I might scavenge the pool noodle, but that didn't work out.

I cut the two 5ft PVC pipes into 12 lengths of 6" arms and legs, taking two more from the second 5 foot lengths. This left me with 48" of pipe, which I cut in half for the runners.

After assembling it all, I set it aside for a week and thought about it.  I decided that 24" runners  might not be best, as most mid-power rockets may only have 24" body tubes and as fins go on, you might not get the support you want.   I also thought that there must be a cheaper way to get the connectors AND the pool noodle.

Today I went to my local Restore run by Habitat for Humanity and rummaged in their PVC connectors bins.  I came up with 8 caps, 4 T-connectors, 4 L-connectors and two inline connectors. I was fortunate to find two X-pieces as well.  I also asked the wife for a pool noodle, and she offered the scraps from our water pipe insulation project from last fall.  That's perfect!

So I spend about $3.50 for the total connectors, and reused the cut PVC pipe lengths, salvaging all the brand new pieces  from Lowe's that I had spent about $15 at first.  They'll get returned later today.

I reassembled the cradle using the used/spare parts from Restore, and came up with an L-connector on the bottom of the legs... I connected the two X-cradles with short 6" PVC lengths salvaged from the ends, as stability doesn't seem to be an issue for me. I joined these extra four lengths with the in-line connectors.  After a little more fiddling, my cradle arms are 20" apart, with caps on the arms, and the legs are linked by connectors.   I measured and cut the pipe insulation (Pool Noodle) that fit 3/4" pipe in 4 1/2-5" lengths and slid them over the arms before capping them.

The whole rack is about a foot or so shorter, and I have ALL the brand new parts to return to Lowes.  Total cost is going to be about $8 if you factor in some reused parts and PVC pipe. Plus, I have the two 24" runners left over with caps on their ends.

PS: I never glued anything together in this rack, so that I could reuse and reassemble as needed. As long as the parts and connectors are snug, that's fine.

Until next time, keep your glue capped, and save your balsa scrap...