The fun way to shoot a line into a tree...

R

Ron

Location
Chattanooga
Be patient, there's more to it than you think.
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If you don't hear "...it'll hurt" - you missed it. But the whole thing is good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab60NRGH6og
 
I like it, Ron! Getting the kids involved is great! Your throwball "shooter" looks incredibly user-friendly.

Just gotta watch out for your private parts, so says the wise young arborist.


SZ
 
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I like it, Ron! Getting the kids involved is great! Your throwball "shooter" looks incredibly user-friendly.

Just gotta watch out for your private parts, so says the wise young arborist.


SZ

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I was thinking more along the lines of "Youll shoot your eye out" but protecting the boys is always good advice as well.
 
Thanks! The kids are my neighbor's grandkids and when they visit granddad, Carter, the boy, always comes over to see if I can come out and play.

I'm editing a cute video with the girl's sister - if I can just get through editing it.

Yep the 'slingshot' is about as user friendly as it gets. I was a tiny bit uneasy that Carter didn't have eye protection, but I didn't have anything that would fit him. Plus, that thing has probably been fired near 500 times without incident and I always check the integrity of the tubing, especially at the head.
 
When I got my Bigshot, I thought about getting one of those "belt and cup" thingies that the flag bearers in a parade have to support the flag all day...just pop the end of my standard 6' pole saw extension in the cup, draw it back and fire.

Then I just bought the 2 4' poles.

Nice vid and great to see the kids getting in the trees!

Northwind
 
if that design could be improved what about using an expandable pole with the little push button setup you might find on one of the silky pole saws. the little metal button that gets pushed in and then you can make it shorter/longer to add/release power. Only problem is you would need a lot of holes down the pole to get it really dialed in.
 
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if that design could be improved what about using an expandable pole with the little push button setup you might find on one of the silky pole saws. the little metal button that gets pushed in and then you can make it shorter/longer to add/release power. Only problem is you would need a lot of holes down the pole to get it really dialed in.

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My 'pole' is a roller paint extension and it does have a little button that adjusts the length and hence power.

I've always felt like the 'button' was a little on the light side, even though there are many of these poles in use (sans the trigger) and there have been no reports of failures. However, I'd be hesitant to use this pole with full power BigShot power bands.

The 'stock' holes were too far apart so I did drill holes mid-way between the existing ones to getting a finer control.

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Where did you get the trigger mechanism, and how can I get one? Looks pretty sweet.

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The trigger mechanism is my own design; I built a prototype in my shop, and then refined it. I have to say it is effective. Recall from the video the smallest kid had no problem whatsoever pulling the trigger to release the shot.

The only issue with the current configuration is that it is not compatible with the Jameson poles recommended for the BigShot. The problem is not in the size of the pole, but the way power is adjusted.

On my pole, power is increased by telescoping the inner pole outward more. That allows me to fix the trigger housing at the end of the pole and connect the trigger to the sear via a bar that runs through the trigger housing.

That cannot be done with the BigShot because to change the power of the BigShot you have to move the anchor point (hence trigger in this case) up and down the pole. Since this model has a link going through the trigger housing it couldn't move up and down the pole.

However, I do have a BigShot model in the works, in fact, I'm looking at the rough cut housing as we speak. It can slide up and down the pole and be easily clamped in place anywhere along the pole.

I guess I need to get busy and finish that model don't I!
 
After I designed it to shoot with the 'horns' up, I strongly considered re-designing it to orient the tubing downward.

Then after hearing of an accident with a BigShot oriented with the tubing on the downside, I, along with a friend, quit worrying about the orientation.

Between the two of us we probably have over 1000 shots without an incident. I even twisted the throwbag pouch in kind of an inside out way three loops and all that happened the shot didn't go very high.

I've stood on the line and shot it, had unintentional line snags and not once has anything happened. I've had a small hole appear in each power tube just were it leaves the steel horns. It's been that way for about 6 months now and still isn't a problem.

If you did a search here on TB, you'll find where I posted this when I first designed it a little over a year ago. The same concern came up.

I don't recommend shooting any slingshot with the horns up, especially not a BigShot, in fact, my recommendation is not to shoot one that way under any circumstances.

But I do know this design very well since I designed it, I understand that the power bands have to be carefully checked before each use. My buddy that built one just like it feels the same way.

If I build one for the BigShot it will be oriented with the horns down, JIC, it gets marketed.
 
I've heard the rubbers can break, but never seen it happen first hand. Nor have I personally known anyone that did.

I've heard stories and I'm sure their true. Just a matter of time I guess. Though I do change the rubbers when they start looking cracked and frail. May be the reason I've never experienced a failure.
 
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I've heard the rubbers can break, but never seen it happen first hand. Nor have I personally known anyone that did.

I've heard stories and I'm sure their true. Just a matter of time I guess. Though I do change the rubbers when they start looking cracked and frail. May be the reason I've never experienced a failure.

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I've had them break. The weakest point is where the tubing is attached to the pouch. That's a good thing, it's harmless when it breaks there, in fact I still nailed my shot when it broke on one side.

Most common failures on firing are:
1. Sling shot head directly above the pile of line, or throw cube, loop of line snags an arm of the slingshot head. Nothing bad happens.
2. Operator stands on throwline, bag comes back at you, potentially more dangerous.

Latex tubing used for slingshots is rated 600% stretch to breaking point, it's easy to figure out if you're over pulling the sling rubbers. If you inspect the tubing where it attaches to the pouch you can see the wear progressing and replace before it breaks.
-moss
 
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Moss, that 600%, is that at ANY temperature?

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Good question. I use a 10 ft. pole and stretch my slings (Sidewinder not Big Shot) full length at winter temps. The result is lower height due to decreased rebound/elasticity but not breakage. For winter shots it's best to pre-warm your sling tubing before you throw. I pack my slingshot head with a couple hand warmers when I'm hiking to a tree in the winter. Only get a couple high shots in before sling performance dips on a very cold day, aim must be good.
-moss
 
That was good. The boy had a pretty good arm. I bet he could've made that shot by hand.

By the way, It's a good idea to get in the habit of an audible warning before shooting or throwing.
 
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