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Original Design / Scratch Built Contributed by Alex Rothchild
(Contributed - by Alex Jordan - 03/10/05)
Brief:
At my last launch, someone stepped on my Estes Porta-Pad and snapped the legs
right off of it. I needed a new pad and one that would hold up because I wasn't
in the mood to go buy a new pad for $40. I decided to build my own out of PVC
pipe from Home Depot. It was built for about $10 and can hold model and mid
power rockets with a 1/8", 3/16", or 1/4" launch lug.
Construction:
This is was a very simple build. If you know how to use a hack saw and PVC
cement, it is easy. I bought all of the PVC at Home Depot. First, I found a
3/4"x10' section of piping. Next, I went to find all the little plastic
parts to make it look nice. I found four 3/4" end caps and a four way
cross piece. The final pieces were four 45 degree elbows for 3/4" tube. I
already had all of the tools and supplies needed (1/8" drill bit,
3/16" drill bit, 1/4" drill bit, PVC cement, and a hack saw) at home.
 The
first step was to cut the PVC pipe into 4 legs that should each be 20"
long. I then used PVC cement to bond the end caps to the legs. Next I cut four
2" long struts and glued them into the center piece. I clamped the center
piece down and drilled the holes for the launch rods evenly spaced along the
center piece. The 1/4" hole was drilled in the center so that the pad
would hold the weight more evenly on my larger rockets across all four legs and
not be off balance. The 1/8" hole and 3/16" hole are drilled
1/2" away from the 1/4" hole. I made sure that the 2" struts are
glued all the way into the center piece before drilling because the smaller
holes will go through them. To finish the legs, I glued the 45 degree elbows to
the top of each leg. DO NOT glue the legs to the center piece, as this will
allow them to pivot on the struts to aim rockets into the wind. I chose not to
paint mine.
Flight:
This pad handles model/mid power rockets without a problem. I used it for the
first time at my October launch at the local school. I put in my 1/8" rod
and slid the leftover blast deflector plate my Estes Port-Pad over the rod. I
launched an Estes X-Flyer off it. The pad works! After many small rockets I put
in the 3/16" launch rod. I launched my scratchbuilt USA Gymnastics rocket
off it on a D12-3 and an Estes Blue Ninja on a C11-3. Finally, I put in the
1/4" rod and launched my Dynastar Orion, Estes Executioner, and
LOC/Precision Onyx. The pad worked great, even for the almost 1 pound Onyx.
Summary:
Anyone in need of a cheap but durable launch pad can build this pad in under an
hour, so it is great if you happen to break your pad the day before a launch.
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