Tube Turner
Getting a smooth surface on a body tube is something we all desire. The bigger the tube gets the harder it is to get a smooth surface. I developed my current design after looking at a tube turner that Brad Vatsaas made. My tube turner is a simple design using swamp cooler parts. For those of you unfamiliar with a swamp cooler, it is a form of air conditioning used a lot here in the southwest. They work great unless the humidity is high.More Information
Hot Wire Foam Cutter
In order to create nosecones, airframes, and other odd shapes from foam it is necessary to have a tool for cutting foam and a hot wire works well with most foams, polyurethane being the biggest exception. My hotwire foam cutter uses a simple doorbell transformer, a guitar string, and odds and ends of PVC and 2X wood. In the picture I am cutting out the nosecone for my 6:1 upscale fat boy. The original design for the foam cutter came from the Rocket Team Vatsaas rocketry website. If you haven't been there then you should give it a look. Truly a great rocketry site. Anyway, building a Hot Wire Foam Cutter is easy and it is a very useful tools to have.More Information
Mini-Lathe
Many time you will need a fastener or a plastic bushing that is not available over the counter. After getting my local machine to make some parts I quickly realized that making them myself would be less expensive in the long run. I purchased a Speedway Series hobby level lathe for about $400. The Speedway Series has about an inch extra length copared to other hobby level lathes. I spent another $100 on cutters and various tools. It has proven to be a great tool to have around.More Information
Food Saver
We all know the benefits of vacumm forming composite materials but who has access to a vacumm pump and all the other materials necessary to use convential vacumm forming. Enter the Food Saver, a kitchen appliance that lends itself to the making of composite fins and centering rings.More Information