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Making a toy rocket (lemmy.world)
submitted 4 days ago by to c/woodworking@lemmy.ca
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My toddler is obsessed with rockets at the moment, so I decided to use an extra length of dowel to make him a sturdy one.

I'm currently brainstorming the best way to attach the fins, figured I'd see if anyone here had any ideas

Currently, I'm thinking of cutting perpendicular grooves from the bottom that the fins will slot into, with each pair of fins being a solid piece. But keep in mind I haven't made the fins yet, so that's definitely not set in stone.

Modeling after the v-2 because it looks as stereotypical as a rocket can

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[–] 3 points 4 days ago (1 child)

Just glue four individual fins onto the surface so that they'll be easy to re-attach when they inevitably break off.

If you put them in slots or something, all you're doing is making it more likely for the fin material itself to break, causing you to have to re-make the part to repair the rocket.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 4 days ago (1 child)

    I'm torn, because I'm planning on sizing the fins and orienting the grain in such a way so he HOPEFULLY won't be able to break them

    But I know that's very very optimistic. Your take is realistic

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  • [–] 1 point 4 days ago (1 child)

    I have to admit, my perspective is informed by building and flying Estes model rockets (the kind with the thin balsa fins and the cardboard tube fuselage). The odds of one of those things surviving landing with all the fins intact is, shall we say, not high, even if your parachute doesn't fail. Of course, those can't be made with the fins penetrating into the fuselage because you need a cavity for the engine to fit into, so it's a little different.

    I suppose if you make the fins thick enough (since it doesn't have to fly), they might be durable enough to be through-mounted and still survive a toddler.

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