It occurs to me that one of the definitions of Insanity is to repeat an action with the expectation of different results . . . .

So, I wasn't happy with how the tower came out on a number of levels:

1) It was too wide at the base;
2) The diagonal pieces looked very heavy;
3) The glue joints were a mess and because of extraordinarily high humidity over the last two weeks, they had never quite set properly.

So I took it apart and started over.

This time, I used the Robert Blaske drawings from the Ninfinger website. I still used 1/12 dowel for the long runners and the short cross pieces but deviated from the Estes instructions and went ahead and added the bottom-most cross piece that touches the cap of the capsule. This made the partially completed tower MUCH stronger.

I'm still working on Bill's suggestion of pulling toothpicks through the drill gauge to create 1/16 dowels for the diagonals. In the meantime I'm working on the escape motor. The motor will be a 3/8 " dowel with cardstock wraps and details. Pictures in the morning.

__________________
NAR 79743
NARTrek Silver
I miss being SAM 062

Awaiting First Launch: Too numerous to count
Finishing: Zooch Saturn V; Alway/Nau BioArcas; Estes Expedition; TLP Standard
Repair/Rescue: Cherokee-D (2); Centuri Nike-Smoke; MX-774
On the Bench: 2650;
Dream Stage: 1/39.37 R-7