# Tool-free, jig-free attachment method with no moving parts



## Byudzai (Aug 31, 2013)

So I finally figured out how to make a tie-free tube shooter with all the desirable traits of my HTS.










Clearly the frame was traced out from my actual pocket HTS. The spectraply was generously donated by Nathan from Simple Shot.

I am too lazy to build a jig to tie tubes or bands to pouches but I hate relying on others for my bandsets, so I needed a way to rig up elastic without new tools or skills. Making a hitch at the pouch has worked for me for weeks of shooting with no breakage, but it leaves me with loose ends at the forks.










My first design, modeled after the SPS, worked okay but was difficult to aim and I think suffered from the way the tubes came out of a hole straight toward me. The tubes must run into themselves sometimes as they're contracting, slowing one down faster than the others and messing up the shot. I seemed to get way too many random unexplainable zinger shots with this. I also modded my Scout to take this attachment.

Blugly:










Scout modded:










The stiffness issue really came up with my attempt to make a more accurate version with tubes on top of each other, because the motion of the tubes was even more restricted with individual holes. You can see here the difference in orientation of the tubes between the PPro-attached HTS tubes and my second hdpe design. With Bill's design, the tubes never run into themselves because they are directed sideways; they roll past themselves, instead, which clearly seemed to make a difference in accuracy. I had the most zinger shots with the vertical hdpe version and the fewest with Bill's slingshot.










It took me a while to come up with a way to reconcile the two design needs. I started by having the tubes go through one hole in the sides of the forks and then into separate keeper slots, but the tubes wanted to twist and change orientation to one another in that hole, so I was always twisting them back and it was annoying.










I liked the one-hole design at first because I thought having the tubes touching each other would allow more precise aiming. Turned out I was actually less sure of my left-right aim that way because I couldn't see the tubes below, on the bottom fork. A little space between the top two lets me line all four up with the most confidence.

Having the tubes come from the side of the forks also allows for this sight picture:










I hit a little hanging aluminum chunk from 30 feet the first three shots in a row with this, so perhaps precision aiming is not harmed by having side-by-side tubes like this. I suppose single tubes would be better, but even there I sorta like putting my target in the trough between tubes instead of on top of a tube.

So all of this came together with my first slingshot made of something more attractive than black hdpe. Spectraply shapes way more easily than plastic, mostly because it goes like butter under a dremel sanding drum and without the melting/smearing problem you get with hdpe. I worry it's a little TOO soft, but for generously cut 2040s with about a 10lb pull weight hopefully it won't matter.

The main issue I worry about with this material is that it's too soft to take the polish inside the holes that will be required to keep the tube from shredding over time. I just fine-polished them with a piece of paracord this evening... so we'll see.

Speaking of holes, I got some nifty abrasive cord to do the initial shaping/smoothing of the inner lips to make for a smooth sliding surface for the tubes.

Here are the build shots.

Cutting out the blank:










Negotiating the finger grooves on the first pass:










Rough cutout:










Sawing the keeper slots, in line with the holes. Forgot to take photos of hole-drilling.










Abrasive cord for hole shaping.










Final product:



















I used the sanding drum to make space below the keeper slots in the forks to help hold both ends of the elastic for attaching. Otherwise you can't hold the side closer to the hole high enough to slide it deep in there.




























Final image here shows the point of the whole thing, which is to be able to suit up your own slingshot with no tools, no moving parts, nothing but some 2040 tubing and a knife.










The trick to getting everything even is to make the hitch knot in about the middle of your tube on both sides of the pouch, then line up all four lengths without stretching any of them and trim straight across the tips to make them all the same length.

To attach to the forks, you just slide the tube ends through the holes, grab the tip between fingers of one hand and the neck with the other, pull it tight so it's vertically flat, and nuzzle it down into the slot. When you release it sort of grabs at both ends and locks in.










Because the tube then goes around one corner to pass into the hole and another corner when you draw it, the force on the slots is minimal, which is good because I think it would wear at the point where it enters the slot otherwise.

I have a bunch of other materials lying around waiting for me to learn to use epoxy, so I'll keep playing with this design. Lemme know what you think!


----------



## Btoon84 (Nov 22, 2011)

Excellent post and great idea  Thanks for sharing and giving great details/photos. :thumbsup:


----------



## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

thanks for sharing!


----------



## oldmiser (Jan 22, 2014)

Pretty cool thinking out side the box there...Looks like it will work really well....May your ammo fly straight..~AKAOldmiser


----------



## Beanflip (Sep 11, 2010)

I like it. Good solution.


----------



## Flatband (Dec 18, 2009)

Now that is one very neat set-up Bud! Excellent step by step pictures and a really great idea!!!!!!!


----------



## ghost0311/8541 (Jan 6, 2013)

If you drill one hole that is 3/16 and tie both ends to the pouch take a piece of string and loop it through the tube ibd run it through the 3/16 hole whil holding the tube pull the string it will make the tube smaller and pass through the hole when you get it where you want it stop pulling and it will lock in and stay.


----------



## parnell (May 20, 2012)

Very nice write up and a great solution to common dilemma.


----------



## leon13 (Oct 4, 2012)

Thanks for that nice tutorial really good helps a lot and good pictures as well thanks
Cheers


----------



## Amarsbar (Aug 23, 2014)

That green and normal wood looks great! May i ask what it I calle?


----------



## Amarsbar (Aug 23, 2014)

Sorry typo *called


----------



## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

Nice work!!!!! Thanks for the pictures.


----------



## S.S. sLinGeR (Oct 17, 2013)

Great idea! Thanks for sharing.


----------



## rockslinger (Nov 16, 2010)

Great idea, Thanks for the good write up!


----------



## Pilgrim (May 3, 2014)

Nice work!


----------



## Drhanson (Jul 2, 2014)

Great, and the step by step is awesome.


----------



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Nice idea. Thanks for the carefully thought out details.

Cheers .... Charles


----------



## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

Looks good Man.

I've done something similar in the past... I'll see if I can track down the pic, it might be what you're looking for, because you can do both tubes and flats with it.


----------



## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

Here you go... diagonal band slots, with band or tube keeper slots. This one was posted a couple years ago, but I'll be darned if I can find it.

You can use one, two, or three tubes... or you can use a band and pinch then pull the end into the keeper slot of your choice depending on your preferred eye lineup.


----------



## Byudzai (Aug 31, 2013)

Bill that's awesome! I figured someone else had come up with a solution like this before. That tight horizontal slot makes perfect sense and makes the whole thing even simpler and more elegant.

Seems like the perfect solution, but I don't see it on any of your current/recent slingers -- was there a reason it didn't catch on?


----------



## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

It's an ok attachment... it served a purpose and worked pretty well.

I got the idea from Tex Herriman... he had an attachment method that had a little slot cut into the end of a rod so that your tie on material wouldn't need to be looped and tucked... so I thought why not see if we can do without the tie on material too.

One thing always seems to lead to another so long as you keep your mind open.


----------



## wd40 (Jul 19, 2010)

Nice work, Byudzai.


----------



## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

Very nice!


----------



## Susi (Mar 3, 2013)

Excellent presentation in all ways, Excellent invention too. Simplicity wins again. Chuck completed yesterday a similar setup with zero ties...neither on the pouch nor on the fork with one simple slit...uses flat bands at the time. We are both tired of tie tie tie when a band breaks rather than a simple "stretch/slip" into one single fork slot. Accuracy is great too...no fliers...spot on. I think the over riding secret to equipment accuracy, discounting human error in shooting, is the way the bands travel forward after release and before the actual realease of the ball from the pouch...then at last the actual pouch release from the ball itself. The path should be unhampered with bunced up bands/tubes and a smooth glide forward until the final ball release HAS to be accomplished else the ball's path while encased in the pouch is erratic...resulting in erratic impacts on the target face. Again, this is discounting human error, the other side of the formula.

Anyway, great presentation all the way around. This is the first such I've seen, I'm sure someone's posted an excellent treatise somewhere but this to me is excellent. hats off amigo


----------



## Sharker (Sep 15, 2013)

Tnx for sharing, maybe move this post another theme - slingshot modifications? Then all can find it who need to upgrade own slingshots.


----------



## SharpshooterJD (Oct 9, 2012)

Wow sweet guys I really need to change my attachment method cause wrap and tuck gets tiresome.


----------



## Byudzai (Aug 31, 2013)

whipped up a smaller one for the girlfriend


----------



## namazu (Jul 18, 2014)

Great work byudzai keep learning more new things on this forum . Beutiful slingers too.


----------



## tradspirit (Jul 23, 2012)

Very nice turorial. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## jazz (May 15, 2012)

very good idea, easy to mount the rubbers and do adjustments if strength is uneven per side - great! and thanks,

jazz


----------



## Byudzai (Aug 31, 2013)

Just occurred to me that I could add some kind of keeper to the tops of the forks and you could adjust pull weight on the same set of tubes. Plinking cans? Leave them at 9". See a rabid squirrel? Untuck, shorten to 6", tuck the ends into keeper slots on tops of forks, and have a high-power hunter. Does that seem like it would work?


----------



## jazz (May 15, 2012)

I can not visualize you idea but I am convinced that in your hands it can work - the one presented here works, so why not continue this thinking.

If you place a drawing here of your idea we would then be able to follow and maybe contribute (at least myself..)?

cheers,

jazz


----------



## Byudzai (Aug 31, 2013)

I'm clearly no artist, but something like this would be my first thought. tips of the forks aren't doing much anyway.

design aside, I'm wondering if anybody has ever found him or herself wishing they could make a band/tube change to something stiffer on the fly? maybe it's a solution to a non-existent problem.


----------



## Byudzai (Aug 31, 2013)




----------

