Height: 51 inches
Weight: 13 ounces unloaded
Width: 1 3/8 inches
Motor Mount: 29mm
Recovery System: 24 inch thin nylon chute

Brief description: This is a review o' me scratchbuilt Stage Tree, an all wood rocket made from Retro Rocket Works parts. Aye aye! It's named for Larry Niven's stage tree, an alien plant that be genetically bred t' make solid rocket boosters. Aye aye! T' boosters disperse t' tree's seeds as they blast off. Ahoy! Thia happens durin' natural prairie fires. Avast! Also, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, every century or so, matey, a great stage tree grows that makes boosters that can launch seeds into space and t' other worlds.

This is a single staged, 3 finned all wood rocket made from parts made by Retro Rocket Works, me hearties, through Apogee Components. Ya scallywag! Its grain is visible and is used t' accent t' looks o' the rocket. Avast! So, me hearties, polyurethane furniture varnish be used t' enhance t' grain and provide a shiny protective finish.

Construction: I had t' 3-inch long nose cone custom made by Retro Rocket Works (OOP). Avast, me proud beauty! It's solid cherry or mahogany. Avast, me proud beauty! As an inexperienced woodworker, shiver me timbers, arrr, I really do nay know all o' me woods. Begad! But I can say that this nose cone is pretty. It's medium dark hardwood, ya bilge rat, smooth, shiver me timbers, and precisely machined. Arrr! Arrr! It came with t' beginnin' o' a pilot hole in t' base for me t' drill in me shock cord screweye.

T' shock cord is 1/4 inch thick bungee cordin' purchased from American Science and Surplus, me hearties, ya bilge rat, who have a site on t' net, and Rocketry Online. I used a 4 foot length o' t' cording. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' parachute is a thin nylon Estes chute I found at me local hobby store. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I chose it because its thin material packs well into the small body tube. Arrr! Blimey! Ever tried t' stuff a thick chute into a 29mm tube and fret over whether it will eject? Well, matey, t' shock cord was tied t' a loop o' 1/8 inch thick Keelhaul®©™® cord, which mounts t' t' inside o' t' body tube via a square o' 29mm paper tubing. Aye aye! Blimey! This is curved just like t' wooden tube, ya bilge rat, and fits smoothly. Epoxy be used.

T' body tube is a similar color wood t' t' nose, with beautiful striping of grain. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! It's 48 inches long, ya bilge rat, t' standard length o' tubin' sold by t' Retro Rocket Works company. It appears t' have been made in layers. It appears t' be wood throughout.

There are two launch lugs, 1 inch long each by 1/2 inch diameter. I placed these at 20 and 40 inches from t' aft end. Avast, me proud beauty! T' lugs started as standard 13mm body tubing. Avast! Avast! Blimey! Once I placed them, I was bothered that they didn't have a wooden look, so I placed iron-on wood veneer strips around them, shiver me timbers, all around t' areas that show. I chose a color like t' body tube.

T' fins are a clipped slightly forward swept delta shape, made from 1/8 inch thick basswood. There are also accents o' reddish brown pekoe on top o' each fin face. Ya scallywag! Blimey! These accents are a smaller likewise shape o' t' fin, ya bilge rat, and accent t' otherwise light color of t' basswood.. I used epoxy t' affix them on and fine sandpaper t' smoothen rough transitions. Arrr! Blimey! They were aligned by sight. T' fins were aligned by making marks on t' body tube usin' measurin' tape t' trisect t' tube in two places per fin, arrr, matey, me bucko, makin' a straight line t' place t' fins. Blimey! Blimey!

Finishing: Polyurethane furniture finish was used over t' entire rocket t' enhance t' grain look and t' protect it. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I just couldn't paint it. T' wood was too pretty. Avast! Ya scallywag! This project taught me real wood appreciation. Polyurethane made t' job simple. Avast, me proud beauty! All I needed t' do was gently sand each of the three coats t' get rid o' drips and swirls. Ya scallywag! T' result is a shiny finish like a coffee tabletop. Aye aye!

Flight: Preppin' is a little tricky because o' t' small tube, so I use a long hemostat t' grip t' end o' t' chute and draw it down into the tube. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Worm bed waddin' is used t' protect t' chute. Begad! I discovered at t' site that Econojet motors by Aerotech don't fit. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' stick-on labels are too thick to allow t' engine t' go in. Blimey! Oddly, t' other Aerotech 29mm motors like the G40-7 do fit. Avast! Avast! So I went ahead and loaded that. Ya scallywag!

I'd have been better off with a slightly longer delay, me bucko, accordin' t' my computer simulator, but this worked fine. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I generally only try too-short delays if I mount t' shock system STRONGLY, as I did here. T' motor be retained via duct tape. Blimey! Blimey! My husband called it ineloquent, but I replied that ineloquent beats motor ejection followed by shovel recovery. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

T' model drew attention, arrr, me bucko, me hearties, t' say t' least. Aye aye! I heard a couple o' people say, "Oh wow. Well, me bucko, blow me down! A wooden rocket." Another said as it lifted off straight and noisily, ya bilge rat, "Well, me bucko, will you look at that." Pictures were taken by the curious.

T' rocket flew straight and stable, me bucko, and recovered about right. Begad! As I said, a 10 second delay would have been better yet. I had t' go downrange a bit, about half a mile, me hearties, but I got it back intact and unhurt. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I got approximately 2500 feet altitude, me bucko, accordin' t' several onlookers. One o' these days I just HAVE t' get an altimeter and quantify heights exactly. Blimey! I also experimented with my 29mm reloads, arrr, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' G33-7, me bucko, namely. Aye aye! Begad! Results were similarly picturesque.

My simulator predicts even better results with an H97, shiver me timbers, but because t' fins do nay go through t' body tube, arrr, I don't feel comfortable with that. I'm gutsy, but do nay want any shreds. Blimey! Arrr!

Project rating: Overall I rate me project a 4 for good success. Ya scallywag! I would have rated it higher if all me engines had fit and if t' chute had fit in more easily. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I think that paper tubes give more than wood so that the slightly thicher diameter o' t' Econojets won't pass in. This tube was PRECISELY machined without such tolerances.

General pros and cons: T' body tube costs $24 and t' nose cone was $13.50. Well, blow me down! T' parts are pricy, but worth it. Ya scallywag! You'll just have t' see it t' know that. In fact, me hearties, go t' a hardwood store some time and look at woods t' appreciate them. Avast! Anyway, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' model is light but strong and gives very high flights. Blimey!

I recommend wood if you'd like t' get attention at a launch. I also learned at this launch that vaseline is nay t' best lubricant for reloadables because it can melt down into t' propellant. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! It didn't happen t' me, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but a long-time flyer said that it can, especially with hotter motors.