[Ibojoe]

So I'm building a band tuning device to test the strength of each bandset (pat pend) LoL ???? I've noticed since my accuracy has improved leaps and bounds since joining the forum. But despite my best efforts it seems like I always have to see how my new bands are going to shoot. Most members know that to consistently shoot off the tip of the fork the bands need to be a certain strength to hold the left and right. But what about up and down?
Ever put on a shiny new band set and it shoot way high or way low? I think one band is stronger than the other.
Once in a post my friend Tex said he went out and his new bands shot low so he shortened the bottom band a bit and solved the problem. Got my wheels turning!!
I would like to know what really good shooters do. Treefork, Joey, Alvaro. Please chime in on this.
Just thinking, let's see what y'all think.

 

[SJAaz]

Joe one of the ways to find equal band length was to lay the forks flat on the table, fold the pouch in half and lift straight up at 90 degrees. you watch and make sure both forks lift at the same time. But IMO all that tells you is that the bands started out the same length/strength. What if one band is thicker or thinner than the other. Whats happening to the bands at full draw? It seems to me that is where the whole ballgame starts.

Chris suggested that you have a contest of the month on band/tube Rube Goldberg tension eveners. And I already some really good ideas that I'd share. Winner gets to send his contraption to Joe for final testing. LOL

 

[Tree Man]

this is such a great idea Joe. My hunch was right-Yer a pretty smart feller aintcha!?

 

[Ibojoe]

Just an old man on way too much medication. LoL
Steve, some great ideas. It should be a pretty simple device.
We're toying with several designs.
I can see it now, the next big thing coming out of China. LoL ????

 

[Island made]

This intrigues me! I “tune” them by tweaking the lengths of each side. I gotta get to work making something.

 

[Ibojoe]

Like I said “we’ve got our best man on it” hahaha!

 

[treefork]

Here is the trick . All credit to Jack Koehler in his book " Slingshot Shooting ". ( Page # 15 )

You salvage an old roller device out of a VCR .( garage sale ,thrift store ect. ) . Place the roller wheel in pouch and draw back to full draw and then observe the evenness of the bands . Ideally they should be equal . If not the shorter band is the stronger of the two and should be adjusted accordingly .

 

[SJAaz]

We need to come up with something that is easy to produce, easy to use and cheap. I can see where Island Made could come up with the perfect unit, but we are all not machinists. Needs to be accurate and simple like treeforks idea.

 

[flipgun]

Flight of fancy #1

A screw rail with a fixed block and a mobile. Put a clamp on the fixed block and a digital (fish?) scale on the other with an attachment method (?) of some sort. Attach 1 and screw out the mobile block to a fixed, to be determined length, and compare the draw weight to the next.

FOF#2

A scale on the wall like those that measure the draw weight / tillering of bows. Does one band stretch more or less than the other under the same weight?

Gonna go take my meds now. :imslow:

 

[Ibojoe]

Here is the trick . All credit to Jack Koehler in his book " Slingshot Shooting ". ( Page # 15 )

You salvage an old roller device out of a VCR .( garage sale ,thrift store ect. ) . Place the roller wheel in pouch and draw back to full draw and then observe the evenness of the bands . Ideally they should be equal . If not the shorter band is the stronger of the two and should be adjusted accordingly .

Hey buddy, I'm so glad you chimed in. I'm just turning over rocks to see what's there.
Your the best shot I've ever seen so that probably goes for band cutting too. Have you ever noticed it or am I just overthinking it?
ONE MORE question I've always wanted to ask you. ::: When you work up a really really good release like yours. Do your bands twist about the same number of times with each shot?

 

[SJAaz]

Here is the trick . All credit to Jack Koehler in his book " Slingshot Shooting ". ( Page # 15 )

You salvage an old roller device out of a VCR .( garage sale ,thrift store ect. ) . Place the roller wheel in pouch and draw back to full draw and then observe the evenness of the bands . Ideally they should be equal . If not the shorter band is the stronger of the two and should be adjusted accordingly .

Hey buddy, I'm so glad you chimed in. I'm just turning over rocks to see what's there.
Your the best shot I've ever seen so that probably goes for band cutting too. Have you ever noticed it or am I just overthinking it?
ONE MORE question I've always wanted to ask you. ::: When you work up a really really good release like yours. Do your bands twist about the same number of times with each shot?

What???

 

[treefork]

Here is the trick . All credit to Jack Koehler in his book " Slingshot Shooting ". ( Page # 15 )

You salvage an old roller device out of a VCR .( garage sale ,thrift store ect. ) . Place the roller wheel in pouch and draw back to full draw and then observe the evenness of the bands . Ideally they should be equal . If not the shorter band is the stronger of the two and should be adjusted accordingly .

Hey buddy, I'm so glad you chimed in. I'm just turning over rocks to see what's there.
Your the best shot I've ever seen so that probably goes for band cutting too. Have you ever noticed it or am I just overthinking it?
ONE MORE question I've always wanted to ask you. ::: When you work up a really really good release like yours. Do your bands twist about the same number of times with each shot?

I shoot gangster style and twist the pouch one quarter turn so my pouch hand has the palm facing the ground .

 

[KawKan]

This is a danged interesting idea.

So far, every time I've tried to figure out band tuning I've only succeeded in confusing myself.

I'll be following this thread to see if I can learn something new!

 

[Chadlee]

Here is the trick . All credit to Jack Koehler in his book " Slingshot Shooting ". ( Page # 15 )

You salvage an old roller device out of a VCR .( garage sale ,thrift store ect. ) . Place the roller wheel in pouch and draw back to full draw and then observe the evenness of the bands . Ideally they should be equal . If not the shorter band is the stronger of the two and should be adjusted accordingly .

Hey buddy, I'm so glad you chimed in. I'm just turning over rocks to see what's there.
Your the best shot I've ever seen so that probably goes for band cutting too. Have you ever noticed it or am I just overthinking it?
ONE MORE question I've always wanted to ask you. ::: When you work up a really really good release like yours. Do your bands twist about the same number of times with each shot?

What???

Yeah I'm confused on the vcr roller too.

 

[Ibojoe]

This is a danged interesting idea.
So far, every time I've tried to figure out band tuning I've only succeeded in confusing myself.
I'll be following this thread to see if I can learn something new!

Me too!!

 

[BushpotChef]

Cool topic, definitely watching this one.

 

[raventree78]

This is something I made up to check my band sets. it is a bolt with skateboard bearings and a lock nut on it. You center the bearings in the pouch, hold the ends of the bolt and draw. if the pouch stays centered on the bearings you are good, if not adjust your bands accordingly. The one with the cord on it is so you can lanyard the thing to your wrist in case you slip, so you don't launch the band checker.

 

[Alfred E.M.]

Joe, are you having imbalance issues when cutting flutterbye bands with 9 yards of active length? I'm not 'one of the really good shooters' ... just someone who uses Simple's die cut tapers cut short for a mouth corner anchor. My short band sets hang visually even and perform accurately.

Just guessing - if the frame hold is a little off kilter from perpendicular, or the ties are unequal at either end, or the shooter is a little irregular, or the moon's in Capricorn - these things could contribute to band misbehavior ... but guessing is the operative word. Designing a band tuning thingy sounds like fun, but the KISS protocol works for me right now.

Once Wingshooter used unequal length tubes to prove that it doesn't matter on a RH slingshot.

 

[SonoftheRepublic]

Joe, are you having imbalance issues when cutting flutterbye bands with 9 yards of active length? I'm not 'one of the really good shooters' ... just someone who uses Simple's die cut tapers cut short for a mouth corner anchor. My short band sets hang visually even and perform accurately.

Just guessing - if the frame hold is a little off kilter from perpendicular, or the ties are unequal at either end, or the shooter is a little irregular, or the moon's in Capricorn - these things could contribute to band misbehavior ... but guessing is the operative word. Designing a band tuning thingy sounds like fun, but the KISS protocol works for me right now.

Once Wingshooter used unequal length tubes to prove that it doesn't matter on a RH slingshot.

Often times when shooting a set of tapered bands, and one side begins to tear at the pouch . . . I'll cut and re-tie just that one side, so that its the same length as the other, but creates a little more over-all width than the other side . . . yet, no change in accuracy. Somewhat similar to Wingshooter's experience given above.

 

[Island made]

Maybe it only effects the butterfly shooters....I know if my band lengths are off even a 1/16” from each other I can tell first shot!