Like everyone else that builds their own nose cones, we started making our own when the cost of commercially produced cones became prohibitive. We're under no delusion that our cones are as light or as strong as the fiberglass cones available from several vendors. The big advantage is flexibility of design and cost. We can build a 6 foot long nose cone in a weekend for about $100.

We start by cutting a pair of patterns. It's simply a profile of the nose cone. We've used MDF and particle board. Either one works fine. We then mount them in between two end plates. The end plates are drilled to allow a closet pole to be placed between them. The closet pole serves as the axle for out giant lathe. It also makes forming the tip much easier.

When we can get it, we like to use polystyrene blocks, but the foam can be anything that's handy. If we have to piece together a foam core, we usually use blue or pink foam because it's a little more dense than the white foam. Where we live, it's somewhat of a seasonal item, so sometimes we can only get white.

 

The foam is formed by one of 2 techniques: either a router mounted to a sled; or a hot wire cutter. The router produces the best shape, but the mess it makes is unbelievable. The hot wire cutter is faster and makes less of a mess, but the sag inherent in the wire makes accuracy a bit tricky. We've had good luck with hot wiring a close approximation of the shape, and using a hand drill to spinning the nose cone against a sanding block.

Once the foam is the correct shape, simply fiberglass it. Be sure to use epoxy resin. Polyester resin eats foam.