Rocket Stand

Home Built Rocket Stand

Here are my plans for building a horizontal rocket work stand. These can be made for under $10.00 at you local Home Depot or hardware store. They can be made to fit most mid to large rockets.

Qty. 2. 3/4inch PVC 4-ways
Cost each: 0.98 cents
Qty. 4. 3/4 inch PVC 90 degree elbow
Cost Each: 0.19 cents
QTY. 1. 10 foot 3/4inch PVC pipe
Cost Each: $1.42
Qty. 1. 6 foot 3/4 inch foam pipe insulation
Cost Each: $1.25
Total coat is parts: $5.39 plus tax. As of 3/22/01

How to put it together

Before you start, Please read all the directions before proceeding with making this stand. It can save you time and not having to do something over again.

How to put it together. The tools you will need are a hacksaw or PVC tube cutter to cut the PVC pipe, a file to file down sharp corners on PVC from cutting, and a razor blade or scissors to cut the foam pieces.

First start by cutting eight 8-inch long pieces of the PVC pipe. these will be the side legs and upper pieces that hold the rocket. Next determine how long you want your holder to be. By cutting the bottom pipe to the length of the holder, this determines how long your holder will be. I cut mine into two 25-inch pieces with the remaining PVC pipe left over. You can make your shorter or longer. Just make sure the two bottom pieces are the same length. Last cut four 9-inch pieces of foam pipe insulation. These are what protect your rocket paint from getting scratched.

Now the easy part, putting it together.

Start by putting four of the 8-inch PVC pipe pieces into a 4 way. It should look like the picture. the last 4 8-inch PVC pipe pieces into the other 4 way. You may what to lean on the ends of the pipe to push it into the 4 way for a good snug fit. Next put two 90 degree elbows on you long base pieces. Make sure that ends point in the same direction. Look down the pipe from one end to the other to check the alignment of the elbows. Now take one of the finished 4 ways and place two of the bottoms pipe onto the adjacent 8 inch pipe from the 4 way. Next put the other 4 way on the other side and check alignment of the pipes to make sure they are not binding. You may have noticed that the elbows and 4 ways are tapered. You may want to push the pieces together for a tighter fit. The last thing to do is put on the foam over the extended ends as in the picture. For extra options, you can also use PVC cement and glue the pieces together if you want, just follow the direction on the PVC cement can. I recommend that if you want to glue your using PVC cement that you also get a can of PVC cement primer. This will soften the PVC before you glue it. I chose not to glue mine so I can take it apart for storage and or transports to launch sites. You can use the 1-inch PVC and longer bottom rails for bigger rockets and 1/2-inch PVC and shorter rails for smaller rockets. Just make sure you get the proper parts. Good luck.