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havenguy wrote:How would Z's without horizantal braces work?

We have not tried that pattern yet. I suspect it will do the job, if the spacing is right. That is, if you are going to brace the compression members in the chimney, say, every 4 cm, then you need to make sure the zigzag bracing is done so as no unbraced segment of the compression members is longer than 4 cm.

In lieu of extensive experimentation, I prefer to use a few horizontal members for bracing the tower as they work much better than inclined members to combat buckling. That is why we have been using Z-bracing (with horizontal pieces) throughout. The pattern is generally lighter than the alternatives, and it works. If you have time, run experiments to better assess the effectiveness of various bracing systems for your design.

SLM wrote:

havenguy wrote:How would Z's without horizantal braces work?

We have not tried that pattern yet. I suspect it will do the job, if the spacing is right. That is, if you are going to brace the compression members in the chimney, say, every 4 cm, then you need to make sure the zigzag bracing is done so as no unbraced segment of the compression members is longer than 4 cm.

In lieu of extensive experimentation, I prefer to use a few horizontal members for bracing the tower as they work much better than inclined members to combat buckling. That is why we have been using Z-bracing (with horizontal pieces) throughout. The pattern is generally lighter than the alternatives, and it works. If you have time, run experiments to better assess the effectiveness of various bracing systems for your design.

Yeah, I think the key to towers is just experimenting with different designs until you find one that works.

Rectangle or square base, did anyone see any strength differences? Was there an edge?

baker wrote:Rectangle or square base, did anyone see any strength differences? Was there an edge?

I believe the best idea is to use a triangle base to minimize weight without comprising on strength. To answer your question, I do not think there would be any substantial difference in the strength of a square base vs. a rectangular base.

BlueHawk wrote:

baker wrote:Rectangle or square base, did anyone see any strength differences? Was there an edge?

I believe the best idea is to use a triangle base to minimize weight without comprising on strength. To answer your question, I do not think there would be any substantial difference in the strength of a square base vs. a rectangular base.

Yeah bro try a triangle see how that works for ya

anyone know how they are changing the tower rules for 2012? i heard of some height component but that could be outdated news

Does anyone know where balsa sticks with 60degree angles can be bought. All the stores and websites I've looked at only had 45,45,90 triangles. I would be interested in trying a triangle based tower, but that isnt possible without triangle peices of wood, right? or do people sand square peices?