Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6

[roma847]

2 hours ago, RichO said:

  HI Manfred, 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                I'm sure that you have considered that a huge chapter of your build could be taken care of with just one e-mail.  Mischa's crawler has all these required measurements already worked out.  When you order his kit you also receive a "Vector File" of the drawings that have no color added, just the outlines, that can be scaled to any size you want to work with.  Reduce the drawings to your 1/144 scale and done.  You just need to build it.  And remember that Mischa's designs have two versions, complex or simple, to work with, so put as much work into it as you want to show.

 

The crawler has a lot of shoes!!  Resin casting.........

 

Hi Rich,

 

I know that Mischa gave you this great support with his non-colored "Vector Files" of all the drawings. But I want to use David Maier's Paper Kit as a basis and only scratch-build special areas of the outer framework as well as the front and back and the underbody with styrene profiles.

 

BTW, the 465 Track shoes and the 16 Main Sprockets I had let 3D printed already by Shapeways. 

 

 

 

 

[RichO]

Hi Manfred,

 

  You did such a fantastic job on David Maiers MLP with the details on the outside that the Crawler should be finished with matching fantastic details.  Nice looking treads and sprockets.   It's going to look great!

 

  If you remember those years ago, when it was your sharp eagle eyes, that discovered that I had not used the correct amount of tread shoes.  The Shapeways tread that I purchased was just slightly off with the size, and the proper amount of shoes would not fit the Crawler.  I know you have probably considered this already, but perhaps,  link the proper number of treads to see if your Drive Sprockets are at the proper distance apart.

 

  Ether way this is going to be a large amount of fun for you.  Good Luck!

[roma847]

Thanks Rich for you nice complements, 

 

I can still remember exactly, but I had to tell you the truth about the 57 Track shoes. Nevertheless you did a great job with the resin casting of all the crazy Track shoes. 

 

 

But my friend Joe (crackerjazz) got an exact drawing of me and did a great 3D modeling job, so all Shapeways had to do was print all yet. 

 

Source: arcforums.com (crackerjazz)

 

And with the Main Sprockets he did the same great job. 

 

 

Let's see how well my track shoe chains will fit around the trucks. 

 

But there is still a long way to go until then ... 

[roma847]

Hello everyone after the 4th Advent,

 

it goes on, and with that I come back to the Crawler drawings (John Cato) to determine the missing dimensions of the profiles that are required for the Scratch-build of the Crawler chassis.

 

However, these drawings are not understandable straight away, what i.a. is due to the ambiguity of the English technical terms used for the different profiles as Trusses and Pipe Girders, which are by no means self-explanatory.  

 

So one can find terms such as Longitudinal Truss, Lateral Truss, Diagonal Truss and Diagonal Box, and then also still Beams in the legend.

 

At that I believe that the term Truss not only means Girder per se, but rather the Truss structure which is located between the girders, as still will be seen from the drawings. 

 

Furthermore, it has gradually become clear to me in the meantime that not only the outer Longitudinal girders marked red in my previous reply (Posted December 7) on the lower chassis structure (Lower Level, Sheet 4) are Boxes, but that there are also further Boxes. 

In order to be able to recognize this, one has to look at the original drawing more closely,

 

Source: savethelut.org (John Cato)

 

wherefor one has to choose a higher resolution, what I did in the following excerpt, 

 

 

and what should be explained in this further enlarged image section based on the different types of lines.

 

 

In it one can see center lines in the middle of the Box profile (red) and dashed lines on both edges what indicates welded box girders with a rectangular cross-section, in other words square tubes, the cross-section of which was already shown in the last post in Sheet 34 to determine their dimensions.  

 

The Beam profiles (blue), also known in German writings as Double T-beams (I-beams), have double dashed lines belonging to the middle Web) of the profiles, which is concealed by the upper Flange[/ color]), for which one can also find the terms Wide Flange Beam or H-Beam in Anglo-American writings.  

 

This image shows once more the overall structure of the lower chassis level (Sheet 4) with all the profiles that are needed for scratch-modeling.

 

 

The upper frame structure (Upper Level) can be seen from Sheet 3 in the following picture and has a similar structure consisting of Box and Beam profiles, whereby I don't need to scratch this framework, because the space underneath is needed to accommodate the electrics/electronics of the current supply, what I have already explained.

 

More important for scratch-building is the associated Side elevation of the frame structure Longitudinal truss with the Pipe Girders at the lower edge of the image, which contains some sectional views that are important for the further construction, which in turn can be found in other drawings.  

 

Source: savethelut.org (John Cato)

 

The View H-H (green) refers to the already discussed lower frame structure Lower Level (Sheet 4). With View J-J (light blue) it is referred to the first of the nine lateral trusses (Lateral Truss No. 1) in Sheet 5, which I will go into later. 

 

Also important for scratch-building are the dimensions of the Pipe Girders, which can be seen from sectional views to which is referred in the following drawing of the Longitudinal Truss No. 1) in Sheet 32.

 

Source: savethelut.org (John Cato)

 

The marked Section AC-AC (yellow) can be seen in Sheet 34 and shows a cross section of the welded box girders (Boxes) of the Longitudinal Truss No. 1, which even differ slightly.

 

Source: savethelut.org (John Cato)

 

In this sectional view, the Section BB-BB (dark blue) is marked through the Pipe Girder there, the cross-section of which can be seen on the right edge of the image, from which the diameter of this support tube with 12¾" can be seen, which corresponds to Ø 2,0 mm (1: 160), which for all Pipe Girders of the two Longitudinal Trusses No. 1 & 2 is the same.  

 

The same diameter is also obtained if the height of the Box profile (2'-0) is used as a reference dimension.  

 

With this I'm coming back to the already mentioned Lateral Truss No. 1) in Sheet 5 (View J-J), which can be seen in the following image and shows the structure of the front and rear of the Crawler chassis. 

 

Source: savethelut.org (John Cato)

 

If one uses the height of the Box profile (2'-0) as a reference dimension in this drawing, the diameters of the vertical and slanted support tubes (8,6'') result with Ø 1,4 mm, which are also the same for all Pipe Girders of the trusses in the interior of the crawler, as I have learned from Mischa Klement.   

 

With this I have now determined the essential dimensions of the profiles for my scratch-building of the Crawler chassis, wherewith I can let it go at that for the time being.  

 

And at the end of my crawler analysis, let's have a look at these three historical photos from the start of construction of the Crawler transporter CT-1 for the Apollo program in the mid-1960s, the crawlers of which were modified in the mid-1970s for the Space shuttle program.

 

Source: NASA

 

Source: NASA

 

Source: NASA

 

So I can take off my Crawler glasses for the time being and take a breather until Christmas.

[RichO]

Nice job with the research.   Happy Holidays Manfred!!!!!!!!

[roma847]

Thanks Rich, my faithful friend, for staying tuned all over the years! 

Say Hi to Teresa and stay healthy together! 

[Mustermark]

Happy New Year!

 

Amazing photos of the crawler being built!

 

You remind me that I still have my Shapeways prints of the crawler tracks, awaiting the day I embark on the project...

[roma847]

Thanks Mark for your good wishes. 

 

 

Then finally go started with your Crawler, I can't wait to see your first steps and pics ... 

[roma847]

Hello friends,

 

on this memorable day, I too want to start into the year 2021 with fresh energy and finally overcome my holiday fatigue.

 

Unfortunately, the latest reports from the KSC say that the demolition and scrapping of the MLP-2 has been started there, as one can see in these photos, supposedly because the parking spaces are running out there.

 

That hurts me somehow, because this gigantic Shuttle vehicle has grown dear to my heart over the years of my project work.

 

Source: collectspace.com (NASA/Kim Shiftlett)

 

Source: collectspace.com (Kevin Keenan)

 

Well, that's the sad fate of a veteran of the Shuttle program when, after 28 years and 49 Shuttle missions, it is no longer needed and thrown on the scrap heap ...

 

Even if the originals gradually disappear, but on the other hand, it's motivating me even more to immortalize MLP-2 as part of my Launch Pad Diorama and to keep it in dignified memory.

[bootneck]

MLP-2 may eventually disappear but it will be immortalised in your excellent model Manfred.  We will also have a virtual reference to it with this most detailed build thread, which I am most grateful for your regular posts.

 

Mike

[roma847]

Thanks Mike for your nice words! 

 

In this sense let's keep the legacy alive of this Mobile Launcher Platform MLP-2, that carried all five of the most amazing flying machines ever built to their launch pads. 

[RichO]

    Sad news Manfred.  I can't help thinking that as we look back and lament the passing of these great giants, the next generation of space flight enthusiasts look back as if these were model-T's.  I'm glad to know that you and I were born before space flight, and have been so incredibly lucky, to be born at just the right time, to witness the Golden Age of space flight in person!

 

  I sure hope that you and this build will be around for ten more years of this monumental build.

 

  Hang in there my friend and keep building!

[roma847]

Thanks Rich for you nice words,  that express exactly what I'm feeling too. 

 

It's sad but unfortunately true ...

 

But life, and my project still goe on! 

 

 For the next 10 years, Cheers! 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

so, now I have to slowly pull myself out of my holiday hole by force to get going again. At that I first had to think myself about wherewith to start or what I had been doing on the side in the meantime and had not yet shown it.

 

And that concerned once again the production of the little lamps for the Crawler-Lighting,

 

 

for which we had thought of a suitable thin transparent Shrinking tube as a lamp body in a small ferrule in the old year.

 

And with the three patterns (Ø 2 mm) that my friend Arno (McPhönix) had sent me immediately, I started experimenting right away, 

 

 

by inserting two Pure White LEDs (0401) into the transparent and the white tube, whereat the overexposure in the photo again appears much stronger than one can actually see. However, at these first images, the current regulator of the current bank was fully turned up (8 mA), which is much too high, as we had already recognized at that time.

 

 

The red shrinking tube, on the other hand, is less translucent, which can be seen in these two images.  

 

 

 

Then I've tried to shrink an LED into a piece of the transparent tube, whereby the handling turned out to be quite complicated when one considers that the actual lamp body at 1:160 should only be about 0,7 mm long.  

 

To hold both parts was only just possible by using two tweezers, which were stably clamped onto a sheet metal sheet with two magnets, in order to then shrink the tube with the heat gun.

 

 

However, the result was rather underwhelming, as the LED was not shrunk tight enough and fell out again.  

 

Since that would have been a rather hopeless fiddling with the fidgety tiny LEDs 0401, I have discarded this variant as not reproducible and will now focus on encasing the LEDs in small ferrules and sealing with UV Glue.  

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

in order to get as close as possible to the dimensions of these Mini crawler lamps, I've then experimented with the small Ferrules 0,25 mm² x 5 that I had gotten myself in the meantime.

 

 

 

 

After I had cut off the small screen (Ø 1,5 mm) with the micro saw,  

 

 

I've threaded a Pure White LED (0401) and initially fixed its wires from above with a drop of UV glue. 

 

 

Then in the lamp shade  across the LED a small drop of glue was then UV-cured, but that was still slightly spherical.

 

 

 

For a better size comparison, the lamp was glued onto the side wall of the truck from the paper kit,

 

 

which is shining here quite strongly with full current of 8 mA.

 

 

Dimmed down to 1,5 mA it doesn't look so bright anymore.

 

 

After that, I just carefully dipped a new LED into a drop of UV glue and cured it in order to get a finer lamp body, what worked better in this way than with the first method.  

 

 

The LED encased and sealed in this way can then be threaded into the (later) separated lampshade and finally attached to the top with UV adhesive,  

 

 

what should then result in a very well fitting Crawler lamp.

 

 

With this result and the improved handling, I can now look forward to the crawler lighting with a clear conscience.  

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

somehow I still can't really get away from the Crawler without having got an idea of it, how a Truck chain looks like consisting of my composited 3D-printed Track shoes (1:160), 

 

 

which as is generally known to consist of 57 Track shoes.

 

Source: NASA

 

Much more important, in addition to the handling of its assembly, was the question of whether and how well the chain would fit the paper kit templates of the truck body at all, especially since I have to adapt some of the truck parts anyway, what will probably should not become so easy ...

 

Source: NASA

 

For the provisional connection of the chain links, I first had to cut short pins from steel wire (Ø 0,4 mm x 7 mm), which was not that easy to do because one cannot cut them with the side cutter simply off the wire, because otherwise they would fly away wherever else.  

 

To prevent that, I had a good idea once again. To do this, I've made a corresponding mark on a small Neodymium super magnet, let the side cutter be gravitated to it together with the wire, and then simply pinched off the wire regardless of consequences,

 

 

so that the pin was held tight securely by the magnet's enormous force.

 

 

Before inserting the pins into the connected chain links, it was advisable to align the Pin Lugs with a drill (Ø 0,4 mm) and to make them smooth-running, which facilitated the insertion.

 

 

 

Since I had to deburr the pins on one side beforehand, it was quite a stressful fiddling until all 57 Track shoes were connected to one another. Next to it lie the two Main sprockets already.

 

 

 

Here one can see the connected chain with the inserted Main sprockets, which is still tensioned on the truck after assembly by the so-called Crawler belt tighteners.

 

 

Then I just wanted to make sure whether or how well the 3D chain would match the 2D chain from the Paper Kit, which unfortunately, to my surprise, was not the case however.

 

 

There the good David Maier has actually only considered 54 Track shoes per truck chain in his Paper kit, what I should actually ask him.

 

Once have become skeptical, I've then remeasured a few more places on his truck and came across further discrepancies that now make me very insecure about the dimensional accuracy of his Crawler kit.  

 

My disenchantment was still increased after I had checked the dimensions of his truck body and compared the center-to-center distance of the Main sprockets with the one in the drawing, which in the kit is 6 mm too short and is only 56 mm instead of 62 mm, for whatever reason,

 

Source: Library of Congress (HAER FL-8-11-C-32)

 

which can be clearly seen in this image through the paper truck body (1:160) laid on top, wherewith I now have a real problem and first have to put on the Crawler glasses once again.

 

 

What calms me down a bit, on the other hand, is the fact that my truck chain with 57 Track shoes matches the drawing (1:160) pretty well, whereupon can be built up.   

 

 

But that wasn't still the last rotten egg in David Maier's Paper kit, because the dimensions of the Crawler chassis structure with 227 mm x 93 mm instead of 246 mm x 102 mm are also not correct, which would actually be a reason for complaint in normal life, but that doesn't help me too.

 

 

Now I need some good advice, which is why I have to come up with something else, and why I would be very grateful for any suggestions.  

[RichO]

  If you remember Manfred, this is the very reason that I had to go with fewer shoes than the original on my build.  One little miscalculation, and the scale of my shoes were off by two treads along the chain.  Unfortunately for me, I had already built the trucks and the easiest solution was to just drop the shoes. 

 

  Of course I did not do half the research that you are doing, I just built the kit, but I have a hunch that if you simply resize everything on a copier, you might have a cascade affect with the other dimensions along the way.  Perhaps use a combination of David's kit and Mischa's kit.  

 

  I do feel for you tho.  The errors so far are just weird.  Almost the wrong scale throughout.

 

Resize the original drawings you are working with to the proper scale.  A quandary Manfred, what is your solution?

[roma847]

Thanks Rich for your remarks. 

 

Hello everybody,

 

indeed the situation is quite difficult and reminds me of the scale dilemma of the Revell Launch Tower kit, which was even more complex and had aleady forced me to make some compromises.

 

But the problem is not David's Paper kit per se, but the fact that my true-to-scale Track shoes & Main sprockets (1/160) do not quite fit D. Maier's scaled-down Kit (1/160), especially because the kit's Tractor assemblies & Track shoes are not-true-to-scale but rather a bit too small, that is my problem.
 
Regardless of this, one can build the crawler exactly as it is described in the assembly instructions, if one doesn't mind that not all parts are exactly 1/144. 

 

My German friend Michael Knobloch (mk310149) had built all three paper kits by David Maier and had no major problems with them, as everything fits together when you use the paper kits completely, as if you were building a kit Out Of Box (OOB).

 

 

One can follow his Crawler construction report here.  

 

Maybe the simplest solution would be to leave out around five track shoes per chain, as I've hinted it here above the too small truck front panel (1/160), above that lies the larger panel from the "144" kit.   

 

 

But I'm not amused with this stopgap, especially as my 1/160 Main sprockets & Track shoes are too big for this too small Kit tractor, especially as my true-to-scale chain with 57 Track shoes matches the drawing (1/160) pretty well, as was already shown in the last post.

 

 

In order to get a more precise overview of the dimensions of the crawler from D. Maier's kit (1/144) and to be able to compare details better, I've asked my friend Michael to determine the main dimensions of its crawler and communicate to me, which he also has done. All he had to do was take off his glass case, which is above the Launch pad diorama in his "house museum", what wasn't to be done in a jiffy.

 

 

And this is the result, whereby the measurements of his Crawler ("1/144") are marked in red.  

 

 

And as one can see from this, many dimensions are smaller and correspond to a scale of approx. 1/150, instead of 1/144, what I had almost suspected by now.

 

Therefore the following compromise would be imaginable, that for my crawler I could not use my scaled-down 1/160 Kit, but Maier's Paper Kit "1/144" , which then would be a little bit larger, but which I think would be still acceptable, especially since that shouldn't be particularly noticeable under the MLP (1/160).

 

 

So I could imagine a way out of this misery.

 

 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

but there is still a better way to go for me. 

 

After comparing the original dimensions of the NASA Crawler with that from D. Maier's kit 1/144 with the help of my friend, I was able to recognize his Kit dilemma, especially since my 1/160 Track shoes & Main sprockets were only one indication, regarding the untrue scale.

 

A friend of mine in the NSF Forum has a confirmation from David Maier that his 1/144 Paper kit is a scaled-down version of his 1/96 kit, which is probably the cause.

 

This underlines once again the importance of good reference material, which one should check carefully. Therefore I prefer to rely on NASA drawings if I have them.

 

Therefore my copy shop has to print David's 1/144 Paper kit reduced to 95 %, then the Kit templates have the right dimensions 1/160, matching my MLP (1/160), that's the whole sorcery.

 

 

The Copyshop is fortunately still alive so I'll hand them over the complete Kit templates later.

[Mustermark]

Great job to work out the right scale and use all the resources to get what you need! I love the tracks and hope it works out to have the right number of shoes!

The picture of Michael’s home museum is incredible! It makes my little displays look decidedly amateur!

[roma847]

Thanks Mark for your nice compliments, 

 

my copy shop has printed the complete 1/144 (1/150) Paper kit reduced to 95 %, so the Kit templates have the right dimensions 1/160 now, matching my MLP (1/160). 

And so I can finally sleep peacefully again  and keep on dreaming of my dream ... 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

since I was not completely satisfied with my first solution for the Pins of the chain links made of steel wire (Ø 0,4 mm x 7 mm), I've also thought about copper wire (Ø 0,4 mm) that should be easier to cut. Besides I've also imagined a kind of stop at one end of the pins so that they couldn't slip out of the Pin Lugs, what had happened to me a few times with my chain.  

 

Source: NASA

 

In the real crawler chain, these Pins are secured at the ends by strong split pins,

 

Source: NASA

 

as one can see in this photo.

 

Source: NASA

 

Since such split pins are illusory at my bolt diameter of Ø 0,4 mm (1/160) I had to find another solution, I have fiddled together with my friend Arno (McPhönix) about.

 

At that we came up with silver-plated copper wire(Ø 0,4 mm), which he has on side, which one could squeeze and bend flat at one end, by which the pin would be secured.

 

He has sent me a bundle of wires and a few bended samples from them, which I've then immediately tested,

 

 

whereby I've shortened the bended end to approx. 0,5 mm, which is completely sufficient as a stop and looks quite acceptable.  

 

 

 

For the final assembly, however, it is advisable to shorten the pins on ca. 6 mm before threading them, as no overhang is required on the inside of the pin lugs and one can't cut off anything afterwards anyway.  

 

 

And with a little skill and a suitable pair of tweezers, these short pens can also be pushed into the pin lugs,

 

 

and the chain can also be bended around the Main sprocket.  

 

 

For squeezing the wire ends, however, one needs a good flat-nose pliers, which, however, should have no grooves at the ends, what the usual pliers unfortunately have. Therefore it should be better using an Adjusting pliers, as my friend advised me, who is familiar with it.

 

And now still a preview to the Airbrush spraying of the chains, which raises the question of what is the better way to go, either to paint the mounted chain,  

 

 

or airbrushing the Track shoes before assembling the chain,

 

 

whereby I'm trending towards using the first variant.

 

Now I'm curious what the airbrush freaks think about it?

[Jinx]

Hi, just wanted to say I just joined this site to say how amazed I am at the work that's gone into this! Absolutely incredible! Just when I think you can't possibly get any more obsessed about the smallest details you find something even smaller to work on!

I have a Revell 1/144 stack that I am going to work on and I have shamelessly stolen some of your ideas to use on my own model, though as this is the first model i have attempted the results will likely be far inferior (but fun none the less!).

Great work!

[roma847]

Thanks Jinx for your nice words, 

 

no problem, that's learning by looking and doing. Don't be afraid to show us your Revell Stack in an own thread.  

 

 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

and with that once more back to the connection of the Track Shoes of the Truck chains with suitable pins, for which my friend Arno (McPhönix) now had sent me lots of wire ends (57 pieces, approx. 17 cm long) of his silver-plated copper wire (Ø 0,4 mm), which I had already tested and found to be good.

 

And for the squeezing and bending the "barbs" on the wire ends to adumbrate the safety split pin, he also sent the already discussed adjusting pliers, which he has specially modified for precise working accordingly, for which I would like to thank him again.  

 

 

Because he's meant well and wanted to make sure that the amount of wire required both for experimentation and is also sufficient for making the required 456 (8x57) connecting pins for the 8 Truck chains , he has sent an ample supply that would easily be enough for two more Crawlers.

 

In order to get a better feel for the processes involved in the production of the pens, I made further preliminary tests, especially for a good fitting of the pens in the Pin lugs,

 

 

and determined the required length of the pins (with barbs) through 4 Pin lugs, which should be approx. 6 mm. 

 

 

In order to get away from the stressful piece production, the exciting question now was to find a technique that could be reproduced with as little effort as possible to handle with this Sisyphean task and its handling in order to ultimately create connecting pins (6 mm) to be able to produce at least partially in small series with a short, squeezed and bent barb, which wanted to be carefully considered.

 

With this technique, it should be possible to handle as many pens as possible at the same time in sections of the making process, so as not have to make the same hand grips 456 times as in a medieval manufactory, which would horrify me,   although this cannot be avoided for the squeezing and bending.

 

Strictly speaking, several questions had to be clarified in advance in the order of the operations.  
 
- To which lenght do I cut the wires before squeezing and bending the wire ends, each wire individually, or several at once?

 

- Is it worth buying such a not very cheap Miter Cutter,for cutting plastic profiles, balsa wood and soft metals, whereby I had flirted with a similar model, The Chopper, already oftener?

 

Source: rai-ro.de

 

It would be conceivable that with this cutter a row of wire ends lying next to each other could be cut to a certain length with one cut if their position was fixed with tape to prevent them from slipping. And I suspect that these thin and relatively soft copper wires could also be cut with this robust device.  

 

The more I think about it, the more I'm tending to buy this solid Cutter guillotine, especially since for the Crawler a number of plastic profiles (including with miter) are to cut reproducible, especially since the very convincing video gives cause for justified hope.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbnnIJSJDmA

 

- How do you bring the squeezed flat and bent barbs reproducibly to a uniform length of only approx. 0,5 mm? 

 

Certainly this does not succeed in one step, which is why one would need a small overhang of the squeezed end, which one would have to cut to this final length in the bent state, whereto a tiny defined stop of approx. 0,5 mm would be required.  

 

After pondering for a longer time, I came up with the idea, to use a suitable tube with approximately this inner diameter for holding the pins (Ø 0,4 mm), which if possible should have a wall thickness of approx. 0,5 mm, which would correspond to the length of the bent barb after it has been cut.  

 

Since brass tubes in this diameter range usually have a wall thickness of approx. 0,2 mm, I had to select two tubes that fit into each other,

 

 

whereby I've glued the thinner tube (Ø_a 0,7 mm) into the outer tube (Ø_a 1 mm),

 

 

in order to get a handy holder of 30 mm length in this way. 

 

 

Since the bent end of the pin is still a bit too long in this state, 

 

 

I've cut off the overhang along the pipe wall with the chisel cutter, 

 

 

whereby this shortened barb was created, which I am content with.

 

 

Then I've laid the pin with the barb into this steel ruler angle set to 6 mm and have cut off the overhang at the end of the pin to the final length. 

 

 

 

Also for this the Miter Cutter would also be suitable for this purpose, which has an adjustable stop, if it were possible to glue the pens next to each other on a strip of tape and to fix stable at this stop when cutting, and additionally to be fixed from above with a hold-down device.   This may sound quite adventurous, but it could be feasible and might have to be tried out.  

 

 

Now I would be interested to know if anyone of you has any experience with this Miter Cutter/Chopper, if so, hopefully not a negative one, because I'm almost on the point of buying such an interesting tool.