Recent content by Jim G

  1. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    I originally wanted to cast the rope pulley - it just made sense. The Maasdam pulleys grooves are cast. Why do all that machining if you don't have to? But I have no experience casting or any of the tools, and once the casting has cooled there is still truing the bore, broaching the keyway...
  2. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    Thanks for the kind comments. The weird thing about zinc is it leaves no burrs that I could feel, but I turned the pulleys on the lathe both directions with a little sandpaper anyway. The 12 spacing is mostly due to laziness - it was easy to lay out using the indexing head on the lathe. The...
  3. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    I agree and thanks for the insights. It feels like I'm following you down some of the same paths. Unfortunately I just don't have the machinery to make sheaves from scratch, but the stock pulleys are OK for now. Below is my rig for shaping their innards. (Stock Disclaimer: Don't try this at...
  4. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    Sorry for my absence - had to concentrate on making some money. (groan) The ascender is still performing well with the only outstanding goal being adapting an inexpensive stock pulley for grabbing the rope. The original Maasdam pulley works really well but it's a PITA adapting to the current...
  5. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    One of our cars is electric and the regenerative braking doesn't work until you've drained the battery some. If General Motors can do it... But I don't see these ascenders as anything more than assisting going up. Most of the fun, at least for me, is descending au natural. I've been clipping in...
  6. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    You are not jesting. The real shop won't see any of this stuff - something about the needle shape of milled zinc polluting fine woodworking. But the home shop has a decent drill press except for the chuck dropping out when you get too creative. I've adapted an underarm router, circular...
  7. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    Exactly as you suspect. When you sit back in your saddle, the right end of the fairlead locks against the stop and you're almost ready for ascending. When you reach height and can unload the ascender, either by reversing/relaxing into your climbing system, or lanyarding in and stepping onto a...
  8. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    Hi Bart, oops, my bad. It is mid-line attachable which was my number one complaint about the Ronin. After the rope is unloaded, the fairlead (that little hocky stick looking thingy) swings outward on that bottom pivot for looping or unlooping a bight around the pulley. It takes about 10 seconds...
  9. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    Hi Sam, The unit without the drill is 7.55 lbs (3.42 kg).
  10. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    Hi Bart, Believe it or not there was a time I could've followed your numbers but my mind just won't go there anymore. Atrophy and old age have taken their toll. It's not the drill. After a good workout it gets a little warm. Battery output drops about 2% per 25' of rope ascended. The...
  11. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    Perfectly understandable. I've sorta given up on the idea of offering a complete solution from scratch. Too much work, too much hassle, too many years to break even. If I were a younger man... That said, I just completed the second prototype and got to test it in a red oak today. To overcome...
  12. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    40 years of standing/working on concrete slabs has pretty much shot my knees. I can footlock 4 or 5 times and that's it. Even frog walking makes me sore after 30'. It's why I like my ZigZag and MRS. Although it takes twice as long, I can pull myself upward using only my upper body if I can get...
  13. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    Thanks for the invite; it sounds like fun. Forty years ago, back before they invented rope, I lived in Oregon and climbed a couple big firs, but never a redwood. Unfortunately I have several pieces to make before Christmas and, thanks to my new hobby, have been procrastinating badly. Since the...
  14. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    Hmmmm. You want to turn a couple shafts for me? I have money, at least for a little while longer.:)
  15. J

    Reliable DIY power ascender

    Hi Bart, I hear that! Do you make it indestructible or make it light and easy to use, and needing a rebuild every year? My unit is about 7 lbs but I see it gaining another pound with new gearing. After looking at gear prices I've been tempted to try a Chinese speed reducer already made and for a...
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