I'm gonna talk about rockets, how they're made and how they're used.
There's all kinds of rockets, solid rockets, liquid rockets, hybrid rockets and merlin rockets.
I'm gonna talk about building a solid merlin rocket, similar to this beauty "After Myth" built by Laurie Smart and shown below, and which I'll call "Solid Rocket" from now on.
So you gotta know why to do it, how to do it, where to do it and when to do it.
Why to do it ? Guess that's obvious - cos it's cool . And I'm not talking about CNC - Computer Numerical Control generated pieces to build a Solid Rocket. That constitutes a build from a kit, which is entirely different and much simpler than a scratch build.
Just to be sure about the distinction folks : A build from CNC cut out parts is fairly quick and simple and requires relatively little skill because you more or less just stick the parts together.
A "Scratch" build is suited only for the wild, reckless and brave. The lonesome visionaries charged by their fury and passions. It's a far more daunting, arduous and demanding task where all parts are measured, cut out and assembled by your very good selves. And when they're wrong - you're in schtuck mate.
There's no nipping on down to the CNC shop to get another one cut out here - you've got to sort out the whole mess alone. Which invariably and infuriatingly means having to start all over again.
How to do it ? Summon your courage, get the plans, bash the books, buy the wood & tools and get cracking.
Where to do it.? A dead ringer - close to home with enough light and space for the wood, tools & boat.
This is the kinda set up I have in mind.
You gotta have light, light and more light or at best white walls and ceiling plus 4 four long neon fluorescent lights one on each wall (or kinda). You also need a work bench and place to store your tools and shelves for your wood.
An' don't you be forgettin' dem saw horses der boa !!
When to do it ? When you want.- But its better to have a routine, early in the morning before sunrise when the mind is fresh, I find best. For tricky bits where you need to scrutinize - when there's tons of sunlight.
So let's break things down a bit.
Why to do it ? - OK, to learn new skills, how to become a boat builder in the fullest sense of the words. Boat building involves several thousand different operations, some quite simple, others more complex. Perhaps the toughest skill is is in the juxtaposition of views. On the one hand the fineness and accuracy of the pencil line, on the other the symmetry of three-dimensional curves hanging in space. The insistent questioning for lines of "Is it straight ?" or for curves "Is it fair ?".
How to do it ?- OK, so you need a guru to show you how, or, be your own guru and get the books.
The ones I recommend are the following :
"How to Build Glued Lapstrake Wooden Boats" by John Brooks and Ruth Ann Hill (2004)
"Clinker Plywood Boatbuilding Manual" by Iain Oughtred (2008)
"Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction : Wood and West System Materials" by Meade Gougeon (1979)
"Clinker Boatbuilding" by John Leather (2002)
"Dinghy Building" by Richard Creagh-Osborne (1976)
"Building Small Boats" by Greg Rossel (1998)
"Ultralight Boatbuilding" by Thomas Hill (1987)
"Wooden Boat Restoration : New Life for Old Boats using Modern Methods" by Jim Trefethen
You'll also need some books on how to use various tools, in particular, for a router, a table saw and a band saw as wells as books giving you tips on general woodworking. I have the following :
"Woodworking with the Router: Professional Router Techniques and Jigs any Woodworker can Use (American Woodworker)" Hardcover by Bill Hylton (2001)
"Jim Tolpin's Table Saw Magic (Popular Woodworking)" by Jim Tolpin (2003)
"The Bandsaw Book" by Lonnie Bird (1999)
"The Home Guide to Woodwork" by Chris Simpson (2004)
"Making Woodwork Aids and Devices" by Robert Wearing (2000)
"Practical Home Woodworking Illustrated" by Odnams Press Long Acre London (1953)
And you ain't through with it yet dude. What about the rigging ? I suggest the following
"Rig Your Dinghy Right" by Mark Chisnell & John Hodgary (1994)
So get acquainted mate - read the books - reduce the errors - and save the dosh.
Now you need some plans. The Hazardous Zero Nine was designed by Keith Callaghan with a prototype built by Laurie Smart and that's a good place to start.
You can buy them on http://www.bluelightning.co.uk
There are two kinds of formats you can purchase, the paper ones or the electronic ones.
For those of you who want to cop out of the extreme learning curve - buy the electronic ones and toddle down to your local CNC shop and have Noddy cut out everything for you on a Saturday morning then trundle on back to Toy Town and stick it all together. - Nuff said.
For the rest of us who really want to learn something, get the paper ones, or both, plus the table of offsets because you'll be needing those to check that the station profiles are all kosha.
I should point out from the beginning trust nothing and no one - that way you'll reduce the chances of getting in schtuck when all the fun starts.
You're gonna have a real ball with the measurements and tolerances trying to get all the bits to match up.
What you need to get you through this sea of troubles is the right attitude. Yea, you gotta get some attitude mate and so we need a system.
Yours truly has invented the following system - The Three Voice Rule.
The Three Voice Rule states that any measurement must be arrived at using three independent logic systems.
Whaddya say ? - this guy's off is 'ead
No sweat mate - let's consider an example :
Suppose you wanna level the building frame. Ok so start with the beam of longest side. You should have a perfect level face facing the sky.
So you mount one end of the longest side resting on some bricks and the other end on a jack.
Voice 1. You take a water level (a transparent bit of pipe with one end fixed in a bucket of water and filled to an appropriate height with water without any bubbles) and you check the distance between the height of the top surface of the building frame and the level of the water in the tube at the bricked up end. Then you go to the end with the jack and you adjust the height of the top surface so its the same.
Voice 2. You take a long builder's level and you place it longitudinally along the beam and check the bubble is in the middle for various locations along the level surface.
Voice 3. You take a laser and place it on the bricked up end shining along the length of the beam and mark the position of the laser on the wall. Then move the laser to the other end and shine it in the same direction and the light should fall on the same point on the wall.
Ok, so there's you go.
You may think it's all a bit of a pallava but you just wait when you start all yer fancy rushing around without checking and you find you've ended up in a real dog's breakfast and a banana boat. - Nuff said.
OK you guys, in the next post I'm gonna talk about tools. Yeah ... you gonna need some tools to do a proper job ain't ya ?
So you knows there's a basic kit that can see ya thru and I'll tell ya how good and useful and easy or hard to use they are and the things to watch out for.
Gee I'm already feelin such a swell and generous dude giving you guys all the tips from me 'ard earned blisters !!
"Be seeing you" - Rocket Nozzle
