New rec/home climber here (sorry for the long post). I was searching the threads and found some old ones with launchers so I hope it's ok for a new one. First, if you have any ideas/ pics of portable ones please share.
Yes this isn't really necessary around where I am but I was talking with a coworker and we made this so he could use some of his new tools (plus the metal was free) and I could have some fun. I picked up the 8 foot tent pole from REI and the Big Shot tubing from Vermeer down the road and had the Roll n' lock as well as the bow trigger release.
The accessory cord is held on the bottom with the loop cinched as a prusik (Is that even a thing) and seems to work fine. I have 2 pins on the sections of poles because under tension they would rotate. I had them with prusiks but with no tension and the small cord they would slide to much so tape works for now. The bent part is steel bent cold by my buddy and is tapped/bolted into the solid aluminum tube. He found some hollow tubing that snug fit over the REI pole for reinforcement and used JB weld to keep that on solid. The solid tubing needed some lathe work to get the diameter good and is easily removed with the thumb screws to make it more compact if necessary. The tubing has a black powder gun ball (not sure what its called) pushed in and clamped tight and so far that hasn't moved.
I have used it plenty of times around the yard to work on my aim and set lines. It seems to be holding up fine and you can see under tension what the pole looks like. If you see any major concerns please let me know.
You can see it all packed up in my old Golite Jam 35 liter pack. I have everything in the bag minus my helmet that I strap on top. It fits everything I need for a summer trip in the nearby woods and not much more. Once it gets colder out I will need to bust out a bigger bag for layers.
Yes this isn't really necessary around where I am but I was talking with a coworker and we made this so he could use some of his new tools (plus the metal was free) and I could have some fun. I picked up the 8 foot tent pole from REI and the Big Shot tubing from Vermeer down the road and had the Roll n' lock as well as the bow trigger release.
The accessory cord is held on the bottom with the loop cinched as a prusik (Is that even a thing) and seems to work fine. I have 2 pins on the sections of poles because under tension they would rotate. I had them with prusiks but with no tension and the small cord they would slide to much so tape works for now. The bent part is steel bent cold by my buddy and is tapped/bolted into the solid aluminum tube. He found some hollow tubing that snug fit over the REI pole for reinforcement and used JB weld to keep that on solid. The solid tubing needed some lathe work to get the diameter good and is easily removed with the thumb screws to make it more compact if necessary. The tubing has a black powder gun ball (not sure what its called) pushed in and clamped tight and so far that hasn't moved.
I have used it plenty of times around the yard to work on my aim and set lines. It seems to be holding up fine and you can see under tension what the pole looks like. If you see any major concerns please let me know.
You can see it all packed up in my old Golite Jam 35 liter pack. I have everything in the bag minus my helmet that I strap on top. It fits everything I need for a summer trip in the nearby woods and not much more. Once it gets colder out I will need to bust out a bigger bag for layers.
I agree a launcher is mostly unnecessary for me as well and unneeded weight for a woods walk but sure has been fun in the yard. I am still new and enjoy advancing my TIP as practice at this point. Thanks for the reply.
Seriously? A ping pong ball through 1/2" plywood?? How much air pressure does that take?
