How to Make an Air-Powered Rocket Launcher | I Like To Make Stuff

We made an air-powered launcher for our paper rockets!
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My kids and I attended a local Maker Faire recently, and while there we got to shoot some paper rockets with a pneumatic launcher. It was super fun, so we decided to make one of our very own!
This project was basically the same as the pudding gun, so I went to the home center and bought some PVC pipe and joints to make the launcher's structure. I wanted the base to stand up while being small and compact, so I cut smaller sections and snaked them together with some 90 degree unions to form the air chamber. I salvaged the electric solenoid valve from the pudding gun and connected it to the chamber using a threaded adapter and some teflon tape. A smaller piece of PVC pipe extended out the other side of the valve to make the barrel that would hold the paper rockets. Rather than being CO2 powered, I used a shrader valve, like you'd find on most tires, and added air with a bike pump.
After some initial testing, we found that the volume of air in the chamber wasn't that great and our rockets weren't flying as high as we'd expected. So, we went bigger...much bigger. Josh made a pneumatic air cannon in college, so I sent him to the store to get some upgraded components. He came back with a 24 volt sprinkler valve that would attach to a 4 inch PVC chamber, nearly quadrupling the volume of air capacity. We used the barrel from the smaller version that held the rockets and glued in some adapters to match the new, larger pieces.
Because the new valve ran on 24 volts and because we wanted this launch site to be portable, I rigged up 3, 9 volt batteries connected together to make 27 volts. This was enough power to operate the air valve so I spliced in a huge "blast off" button that would send the rockets to the heavens.
After some pretty impressive test fires, I had the kids make up a batch of rockets and it was launch time! The kids and I had a blast pumping up and firing the rockets. It was a great way to introduce kids to rocketry and physics-based concepts and I'm so happy I made a version of my own. If you liked this STEAM-based project, check out more of my work!
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We have lots of projects including woodworking, metalworking, electronics, 3D printing, prop making and more!
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How to Make an Air-Powered Rocket Launcher | I Like To Make Stuff
• How to Make an Air-Pow...
I Like To Make Stuff
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[@JonPetersArtHome]

The old rocket stuck in a tree thing : ) looks like fun Bob, GOOD STUFF!

[@familiasalgado3374]

Jon Peters Art & Home that tree thing is a tree lol

[@AITEACHERISHERE]

Jon Peters Art & Home lol

[@cherryoverrun3851]

lol

[@HickLif3]

You are one of the few channels that I don't mind hearing the ads in the video, you do a great job of integrating it into the video while still showing work being done. Most other channels bring everything to a screeching halt to do the add. Good job!

[@fyrstorm2010]

Looks great and that you children are having fun that is the most important part of the build.

[@MidnightMaker]

Great project/video! It's great to see the kids involved. A couple of tips for anyone making this: 1. Wrap Teflon tape in the same direction as you tighten the female fitting so it doesn't bunch up. 2. Gender your quick-connect electrical fittings so you can only plug it in the right way.

[@brainhack8880]

I made this sane thing but used two pressure chambers, and this video told me a way better electronic system and was way more explanatory than all other videos. Love it!!!!

[@GraphiteSamurai]

Will be making this for my sons this weekend, Thanks Bob!!!!!!

[@masterofnone]

Your son is like me in front of camera "what do I do Now? I just look at the camera I guess " great project bob. I did the potato shooter version years ago with my son. It was fun

[@sirajtheruvath]

Really lovely , I am very happy to see your kids are happy with that 😍

[@Makebuildmodify]

My son and I made one of these last year. We kept adding pressure until the rockets would fail by exploding out the side. So we wrapped them with tape to reinforce them and went until failure again. It was a great engineering lesson and fun too!

[@Martin-yl5zb]

Love it how the pressure tank says..,,’not for pressure’ . Great project Bob. Will gave to make it with my kids one day.

[@goodgoat3096]

I had a commercial version of one of these when I was a young boy and you had to put some water in the small 6-8" long plastic rockets and pump the small unit up with a tire pump. This looks similar in function but on steroids. Great project and it gets kids away from video games!

[@huskerlott]

Well done. We made one like that when my son was about the same age as your oldest. We still get it out a few times a year and now he’s 17. That thing brings dads and kids out of their houses faster than an ice cream truck. Instant block party. They say that PVC is unsafe at any pressure, so we wrapped ours with about five layers of duct tape. If it ever cracks hopefully the adhesive holds down the potential for shrapnel. A kid with a hand pump rarely has the patience to get the pressure very high. Keep up the good work.

[@keithterry2051]

Hey Bob. that is AWESOME!!!!! We went to our MakerFaire in Milwaukee and they had something very similar. They let us build our rockets with foam pipe insulation and duct tape. Kids thought this was a blast. I have to make one....thanks for making this video!

[@dwitanayawayan7165]

the best part is: keep your kids be inspire and happy in the same time. good works! one of the best youtube channel for a looooong times

[@nationtheis5093]

Heck yeah man. This is awesome. Thanks for all the great ideas! It’s awesome to see so many cool thing in one place. My family owns a fj60, so we’ll hopefully be making a tool box like you did for your 80. Keep up the good work man!

[@Joe-dt7wp]

Loved the subtle SpaceX reference at 6:29

[@SpecificLove7]

Love it when you include your kids in the video. And great project too.

[@TheQuiptastic]

Bob's thinking..."I need to make this bigger...much bigger..." That. Was. Cool! Love the vids with your kids!

[@TheExterin]

we did something in my technology 9 class years ago i would recommend adding some thinned wood glue to the tip of your rocket so that it stays together on landing. When i made mine i put several layers of it and some inside the tip. we were going for distance and i won it by getting over 100 feet with that setup working multiple times. We also used an air compressor for air instead of a pressure chamber.

[@Nerdforge]

Skillshare is awesome :) And so is this project. Keep it up!

[@Rutce125]

love it! totally going to add a "space division" to my wood working. keep the great ideas coming!

[@TheGoggs]

Nice touch with the car on the front of the rocket :D

[@EvanAndKatelyn]

Did you keep the little one? You could have very one-sided rocket launcher launch-offs :D

[@areeb6616]

EvanAndKatelyn why would he get rid of his kid?

[@EvanAndKatelyn]

Areeb Rasaq bahahahaha!

[@pennyandkenny6211]

Hello

[@69virgin1966]

Bob that was really cool. I'm going to make one for my grandkids. I think they will have a blast this summer. Thanks for sharing

[@joaocarlosmiquilinicordibe9442]

Awesome Bob! A simple and very amusing project

[@truncellitoj]

2 months for 99 cents? I'm in. Thanks Bob.

[@tommybarber5019]

Thanks bob for going in to great detail, I have been trying to make something similar for ages, Thanks!!

[@pieterspeybrouck885]

Nice project. It is lovely to see that you make also projects that kids can use to play with it. Hopefully there will be other simular projects. Keep up to good work.

[@RaulMitre]

Nice project ! Good mix of wood, electronics, metal and air pressure... And nice Music also !

[@AhsanKhan-es7xg]

Loved the bloopers

[@magicrobharv]

The coolest dad ever !!!

[@simon4realvideos]

Like it!!! We had a rocket like this as kids and had a lot of fun with it! Liked the moment: "... and just make everything bigger" :D

[@tomtruesdale6901]

Looks like you had as much fun as your kids. :-) The car on the rocket killed me. LOL

[@ryanthomas8984]

The intro and your reaction to the rocket going off alone was pure gold

[@DouglasBerglund1]

Definition of a great dad!

[@Harhour]

You really are an awesome Dad! Keep up!

[@M1CK3YL33]

award for 'cool dad of the year' goes to... love this! keep up the great work!

[@charlesmeadows6869]

Great video! I did something similar to this at my school except instead of having a sprinkler valve, we have to release the pressure manually with a lever. It would have been helpful to have one of those. I got a good laugh out of the sponsor playing over the looped footage of you using the bike pump 😂.

[@malloryrobinson6418]

such a great project! I love how you make things that awesome to make and soo much fun the the kids!

[@JonathanRansom]

Hey! I've made one of these! Fun build and the kids love it.

[@mathboy1212]

Great vid. I made one of these a couple of years ago.i had 2 upgrades that you could add to your pretty easily. I made a switch on a box with the button that turned on an led when the system was live. That helps for a little safety too. It also made my daughter feel cool when she powered on the system. She would yell " system live, stand back." Also, I made the barrel coupler with threaded couplings so I could swap out the barrel. For Halloween I put a 2 inch barrel on and fired candy up into the air with a wadding of paper towels to for the seal. Great vid.

[@MazArchive]

2:57 ultra magnus is just chilling on the shelf . By the way , great build bob ! I would definitely try to make it . Hope my nephews enjoy them

[@BradDudenhoffer]

Great project. This is definitely going on the list of things to do. No ILTMS Heavy?!

[@Kopitarko]

Brad Dudenhoffer lool. Bob, put that on your todo list

[@codachrome123]

From the ITLMS Heavy it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to the BFITLMS!!

[@WayneBrownWoodworking]

What great memories your creating with the kids!

[@edtappan]

Very cool! I bet the Air Burst Rockets would work great with this.

[@Sonal_Mobile]

Awesome! Great way to get the kids interested in science too :)

[@jacktorrance3522]

I didn't know you could link 9V batteries together like that! Genius!

[@jnieto19]

Definitely gonna be making this for my kids!!!

[@mikerozman]

That is great. I'm definitely going to build that for me and my 6 year old son. He will love it ... and so will I. Thanks!

[@Nismo180X]

QUICK PRO TIP. From a cub scout dad that has experimented with this type of device. If you put a penny or two under the nose cone/top of the fuselage and launch it without fins. They will go insanely high, you will lose sight of them. (Optimally 40psi in the chamber)

[@I3urton]

Beautiful. I always wanted such a rocket for myself as a kid. Maybe I'll actually make one some time.

[@szegedigergely]

Cool stuff! Glad you decided to go with the larger pipe with reducers. Keep posting these awesomenesses of yours! ;)

[@scootersworkbench6347]

Looks like a lot of fun for the kids!

[@amiralmusawi9030]

You're such a badass. I googled an idea I had, and ended up back here on your channel like always.

[@greg76543210]

The little red car on the nosecone was a great touch!

[@WatchMeDIYIt]

Sweet one, man! Looks fun!

[@YisraelWealcatch]

Love the little roadster you put there! ;)

[@RSpudieD]

6:28 LOL that little car.... #SpaceBob Love the project, Bob! Nice execution and works good!

[@gabesolis4402]

Sweet, Bob! I might make this!

[@19Photographer76]

Great job! Now comes the parachute assembly in a double stage.

[@FredMcIntyre]

Awesome work Bob! 👍👊

[@AjeetMatharu]

Great project bob 🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@PaleoHikerMD]

Awesome Bob...gonna make this with the kids :)

[@WayWoodworking]

Looks like lots of fun!

[@75triviaguy]

You have unfairly raised the dad bar sir

[@bukatasv]

Good project! The launch vehicle is steep, children liked it!

[@noahbyrum5784]

I love the little Falcon Heavy reference with the little cat emoji!!

[@MarkJonesisjustaman]

That was the bomb. Thanks.

[@JS-gk9et]

This project, I’m putting high on the going-to-do list.

[@EchowProd]

Ahah the little car on the top of the paper rocket ! Space X power !!! Awesome video as always :)

[@BuildStuffwithAJ]

Another great project! Ill have to build one of these why my boy gets a little older. I'm sure he will love it!

[@Steven-hi2kc]

Great project like always!

[@ProjecthappylifeNYC]

This video makes me happy. Thanks!!

[@Noe-wb9tu]

Wowwww your projects ara fantastic!!!

[@seanedging6543]

Man, your kids must think they have the coolest dad! Great build!

[@shannoncharlton46]

Go bob daddy of the year love ur channel it’s addictive lol

[@BC-bf1fq]

Good stuff Bob.

[@project_idea]

Im just sayin...That looks like lots of fun!

[@fazmisharaff8839]

Can you make video on soldering and some tips for using a soldering station.I have recently bought a soldering station but I am have trouble using it. I can tell this is some quality content!

[@Omar-tv8mt]

Now that's a cool project..

[@nitchmakes7550]

Wow so cool Bob :) Another job well done.

[@stevejenqpnelson9770]

Anyone else notice the tiny Tesla on the rocket! LOL Pretty sweet Bob - my kids are going to love this!

[@dancoughlin7569]

Complete with an ILTMS Roadster ;-)

[@Godriguezart]

i saw that too, nice touch bob! :)

[@GustavandHilda]

Subtle but important detail 🚗

[@VinnyjojoFish]

Built this and got the same EG Starts button from your website, but can’t figure out how to wire whereby the led is always illuminated when the battery is connected, but fires when the button hits. Is that possible with this particular button style? Thanks. Great vid

[@buildersmark]

Very cool project!

[@RearGardist]

I like how the pvc pipe explicitly states "not for pressure" :D

[@adam03753]

You're an awesome dad

[@daurham]

How dope! Great work man, now I'm just trying to figure out why there was an emoji car chilling on the rockets head hahaha.

[@Lathan308]

I did something very similar for a physics project in high school there's a way to make the sprinkler valve open without needing electrical components you simply just need a pressure release on the other side of the diaphragm if you do a little research online you probably can find out how to do that and eliminate all the batteries

[@forestlampcraft472]

Hello to you. Good work,I don't speak your languages but I admire your work .

[@ceb9203]

Bob u must be like the best dad ever with these epic iltms toys and games

[@saosbytheos]

AWESOME YOU ROCK!!!!!

[@AnerevRel]

Oh hey! I remember building that in high school! (It was probably the only time physics class was fun 😆)

[@instinctkill9009]

Nice project

[@phantompopcorn3661]

I really like the new video format, great work, keep it up❤.

[@zeyadsaid1838]

I like when you make things that work not some dicorations so keep it up

[@BruceAUlrich]

Fun! I know the kids had a blast with that!

[@grandmasteroso9847]

Watching this brings back memories I had in middle school when in my science class I believe, when we all had to make rockets. Mine went the highest.

[@josheadanks9418]

Mine busted my teacher's window when a fin fell off, but I got the most PSI in mine

[@taijuonfire]

I like the little musk homage @ 6:28

[@giorgostzavaras5686]

He is insane. And that is what I like about him!