ASP Ram B Build, Part 4, Cutting Out The Fins

The supplied balsa sheet is 1/8" thick. Checking Alway's Rockets Of The World, the fins on the real rocket were very thin. I decided to compromise and go with a thinner, 3/32" balsa.

The instructions say to trace around the templates with a ball point pen. I wouldn't recommend using ink to trace the patterns, it's not a great habit to get into. Ink will bleed through the final colors of paint. 

TIPS: Never mark fin lines on a body tube with ink!

I used some of the scrap balsa left over from other kits. Some Estes kits leave you with a lot of balsa sides. 

Here I've traced around the template with a "safe" pencil. 

In this kit, the leading edges are rounded.

On the actual rocket, the leading edges are a knife edge.

Both the trailing edges and root edges are the same length. I mark the root edges with pencil to keep everything consistent.