Estes Skylab #001973, Build, Part 17, Cutout Between The Fairings

Here's where some measurements don't add up.

The instructions say 5 1/2" from the body tube cut (coming up below) to the bottom of the second wrap.

After this next step the tube cuts left just 5 3/16" for the height of the vertical black bands.

I checked Peter Always Rocket of the World for a second reference drawing.

I penciled in the cut lines straight out to the horizontal taper line on the fins. This is the same line as in the Estes instructions.

If I were to cut as high as the horizontal fin taper line, the vertical black bands would end up short of the 5 1/2" height in the instructions.

Cutting at the horizontal taper line, you would cut right into the corrugations.

Estes doesn't say how tall the cuts should be.

I made a guess and a compromise.

Earlier, the instructions have you cut the wraps with a 1/16" border edge just outside the end of the corrugations. I did the same 1/16" edge here at the bottom of the lowest wrap. This made my cut just at the bottom of the center, tall embossed detail.

I marked the cut line with a pencil.

A piece of tape followed to (visually) make sure the line was horizontal. 

Get ready - Change out your knife with a new blade.

More in the next post.