# New (to me) Compact Band Tying Jig



## entomophile (Feb 13, 2010)

A while back I posted about my first band tying jig. It has worked great for me but it takes up a lot of space in my tool box, takes a minute to assemble, and the clamps can be a little cumbersome to get just right. It is also difficult to get repeatable tension on the bands. So I started looking at some of the more compact options from China.

I had seen this style before and since I already had the hemostat, I thought I would give it a try. I figured I could make my own faster and cheaper than ordering one.

I started by sketching it up in Fusion 360 to make a pattern. I printed it 1:1, cut it out, and glued it onto a piece of scrap 1/8" aluminum. The aluminum cut super easy with a hack saw and as a bonus, it was already hard anodized. I used a hole saw and rotary bur on a die grinder for the center hole. Cleaned up all of the edges on the belt sander. The 1/8" hemostat posts were already in the piece of scrap so I just reused them and pressed them in the new spots. I added some vinyl tubing to keep the hemostat from slipping. The pouch post was drilled and tapped for a 6-32 screw. 3 holes for three different lengths.





  








Dimensions




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entomophile


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Jan 20, 2021







The pattern





  








Scrap aluminum




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entomophile


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Jan 20, 2021







Pattern on scrap aluminum





  








Rough cut




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entomophile


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Jan 20, 2021







Rough cut





  








Compact band tying jig




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entomophile


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Jan 20, 2021







The finished jig





  








Set up




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entomophile


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Jan 20, 2021








The band tying set up





  








Clamped in




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entomophile


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Jan 20, 2021








Band clamped in





  








Finished tie




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entomophile


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Jan 20, 2021


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2






Finished tie





  








In the tool box




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entomophile


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Jan 20, 2021







Perfect fit in tool box

So I am really liking this new jig. There is no assembly, it barely takes up any space, and setting up the bands is FAST. And with the fixed distance between the posts (40 mm at closest position), band tension is the same every time. The only down side is there isn't quite as much space for my hands as my old jig but I think I will be using this one from now on.


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## MOJAVE MO (Apr 11, 2018)

Nice work! Nothing like cooking up your own gear!


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## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

That’s a a nice tying jig. Thanks for sharing


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## KawKan (May 11, 2013)

Nice work!

I have a plastic version. I think it works about as well an any jig.

And the compactness is just hard to beat!


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## Reed Lukens (Aug 16, 2020)

Very nice, I have the $1.50 version also, it's a great back up to my $11.00 swing gate. 
Yours looks great :headbang:


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## entomophile (Feb 13, 2010)

Reed Lukens said:


> Very nice, I have the $1.50 version also, it's a great back up to my $11.00 swing gate.
> Yours looks great :headbang:


I was actually going to make the swing gate first, lol. Might have to try that one next.


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## Reed Lukens (Aug 16, 2020)

entomophile said:


> Reed Lukens said:
> 
> 
> > Very nice, I have the $1.50 version also, it's a great back up to my $11.00 swing gate.
> ...


If you do, and your making it out of steel, chop the bottom of the left side with the switch gate above it, down a bit. It doesn't need to be that wide. It will save band material also. I've gone to using forceps with it also, but it works great


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