.....a gallery of the more interesting or unique tools I've accumulated.

Universal Fin Alignment Fixture

This tool is designed to provide near perfect fin alignment for any three-fin design. It can accommodate 54, 75, and 98mm motors, and airframes between 2" to 6". Detailed description of the design and "how-to" are shown by following the link above or here.

John Coker style Tip-to-Tip Fin Reinforcement fixture

Since I'm now working on two minimum diameter projects, I wanted to do tip-to-tip fin reinforcement, and John's technique looked to be the best. This is a simple replication of the fixture he originally designed and built. I asked John if he would do anything different based on his experience with it, and he suggested a slightly smaller version, so that the work in progress would be easier to vacuum bag in its entirety.  This version can accommodate fins with up to a 10" span, rather than the 16" capacity of the original. I'm no woodworker, so I had a cabinet maker friend fabricate it  He designed it with AutoCAD and plugged the file in to his CNC router (or whatever it was). John Coker's site explains it all and explains it well.

Jerry McPeak, the cabinet maker, wanted to make some different choices on the wood, so there are some differences in materials. I don't have any four finned plans in mind, so this fixture is only made for three fin models. If I ever do a four finned model, Jerry still has the AutoCAD files, so 90˚ end-pieces could be easily fabricated. This version can accommodate up to a 6" diameter airframe, and since I'm not a fan of "big and slow" rockets, I'm pretty sure it will this will suffice for the foreseeable future.

Composite Structures Curing Oven

This 4' x 1' x 1' oven is a definitely non-UL approved device for quickly curing fiberglass or carbon fiber lay-ups. It can also be used for post-cure, which can improve the temperature resistance of the structure. I bought the plans and some key components from Shadow Composites. Click here for details.

Olfa Rotary Cutter

This is not an earthshaking innovation, but it is a great way to cut fiberglass and carbon fiber cloth, and I haven't seen any other references to it within the rocket community.  Because the blade is a wheel, there is no relative motion between the cloth and the blade, so there is no lateral shearing, which results in nice clean cuts. 

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