# SOTM - July 2021 - Natty's



## mattwalt

Going to keep it simple this month.

Natty frames - no rules (other than the usual) can be cored etc. As long as a branch was sacrificed in its construction.

Would be keen to see people push the boundaries on what a natty could be...


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## Cass

Hi, here is my first entry. I never made a natural before, and went to look for a suitable tree, but everything is green now, but I remembered a brush pile I made last year and searched through it. I only had about 15 minutes before a flash thunderstorm, and I cut two forks of sugar maple. This one is 5" long, 1 1\2" wide, the maple is slightly spalted, finished with some walnut sealer. I liked this and will definitely make more, I made this today.


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## 31610

The cass man coming out the gate swinging;-) I have see what I got pretty sure have some maple it black walnut


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## bingo

Be 1 or 2 in here from me aswell this month maybe


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## Island made

I got just the piece for this……


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## SLINGDUDE

I need to get building again. Count me in for an entry or two.


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## SLING-N-SHOT

I’m in fo sho ! 

Great start Cass, love it. 


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## Sandstorm

I’m in. 👍


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## David D

I am going to give it a try. Do we need to show progressive pictures?


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## skarrd

Oh Joy  Nattys i'm in


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## Pebble Shooter

Some natural forks I collected in the woods about a year ago have dried out nicely, and made for some nice frames - like this one fully hand made of a larger beech wood branch without major flaws, which involved sawing, rasping, filing, and that always adorable job of sandpapering. It received two coats of water-based wood sealant for the final surface finish. A pinch-grip configuration that should handle fairly strong flat bands.

Entry no. 1


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## Pebble Shooter

Last year, I also came across an oak branch on the roadside, broken off during a storm . I left it to dry out 8 months, thinking "hmm, nice piece of wood". Well, when finally working it into shape a few months ago, I discovered how nice looking bark can hide some less desirable things, such as woodworm tracks and holes. It was a case of "is it worth it, or not", because I had to rasp away anything that could potentially weaken the fork area: woodworms are ferocious diggers that tunnel their way deep inside. After removing anything suspicious, I finally ended up with an asymmetric shape, which is actually quite interesting.

Once again, I applied two coats of water-based wood sealant for the surface finish. Lighter bands will doubtlessly be fine: I did test the forks for their strength. The woodworms were kind to me - this time.

Entry no.2


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## Booral121

So are we talking nattys we have made or do I have to make one this month guys 🎯👍👌this is my latest with the clips 🎯 and the other(spalted oak from a oversized fork)is my first natty of new design I will makeover the next coupleofdays🎯👌👍( the only tools I use are a handsaw ,jigsaw ,a dremel and a 50mm sanding pad in a 18v cordless drill)


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## Pebble Shooter

Naturals rock...yes, I was busy. Here is another frame cut from a thicker beech wood branch left to dry for roughly one year














, color-stained in a way to show the grain structure of the wood, and finished like the others with transparent water-based wood sealant.

Entry no.3


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## bingo

View attachment 351636







A







1st entry beech TTF natty


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## SLING-N-SHOT

Nice frames Pebble Shooter, Booral121, and Bingo


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## Booral121

So I take it we just putting up pics of nattys made already yeah 🤷🎯👊👍👌


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## skarrd

decisions,decisions,





















This one Happy Fourth!!!


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## KawKan

Booral121 said:


> So I take it we just putting up pics of nattys made already yeah 🤷🎯👊👍👌


When Matt says, "The usual," I take it to mean a slingshot made this month, or first presented on the forum this month.


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## Booral121

KawKan said:


> When Matt says, "The usual," I take it to mean a slingshot made this month, or first presented on the forum this month.


Thanks for replying my friend the clipped oak Enzo was June's so I will finish up the spalted oak NLS after work tomorrow and put the pics of that on 🎯👊👍👌


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## MOJAVE MO

Ah hell the Natty Masters are coming out of the woodwork!


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## hoggy

SWEET entries. looks like i'm going to have go hoggy wild and find my ownself a natty or two.


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## Booral121

The spalted oak NLS


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## Cass

Hi, here is my second entry. I cut this a couple of days ago, and put it in my kiln for several hours, to dry, lots of sanding, then some woodburning.4 1\2" long, I 1 1\2" fork gap. Not sure what kind of wood.


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## cpu_melt_down

My entry is a little water oak natty.

Small enough to fit into an Altoids tin; big enough to shoot .44 cal steels and 5/8" marbles.

Sporting SimpleShot 25 x 13 x .70 black bands.

Hope you like.


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## Cass

Hi, busy day, here is my third entry, Red bud tree, all natural, no carving or any thing. The last pic is of my second entry for scale.


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## SLING-N-SHOT

Nice entries so far guys…..not sure if I’m gonna have time to work something up, crazy busy month.

Darrell


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## Booral121

Here's another I done today👌🎯 TTF NLS(nice looking shooter) in spalted oak to match my other entry the OTT NLS 🎯👌👊👍And today after work and that I will be doing a PFS NLS to match these 2 🎯👌👊👍


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## MOJAVE MO

Booral121 said:


> The spalted oak NLS


That is a scorcher! Fine work on those forks tips as well.👍


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## Booral121

MOJAVE MO said:


> That is a scorcher! Fine work on those forks tips as well.👍


Thanks bud 👍


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## Tree Man

I'm just putting the finishing touches on my entry for this month.


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## MOJAVE MO

Pebble Shooter said:


> Some natural forks I collected in the woods about a year ago have dried out nicely, and made for some nice frames - like this one fully hand made of a larger beech wood branch without major flaws, which involved sawing, rasping, filing, and that always adorable job of sandpapering. It received two coats of water-based wood sealant for the final surface finish. A pinch-grip configuration that should handle fairly strong flat bands.
> 
> Entry no. 1


I can always tell when I am seeing a Pebble frame. That looks well thought out as always!


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## MOJAVE MO

Tree Man said:


> I'm just putting the finishing touches on my entry for this month.


Uhoh. Treeman bringing the heat!


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## MOJAVE MO

Cass said:


> Hi, here is my second entry. I cut this a couple of days ago, and put it in my kiln for several hours, to dry, lots of sanding, then some woodburning.4 1\2" long, I 1 1\2" fork gap. Not sure what kind of wood.
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TopoSling!


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## MOJAVE MO

cpu_melt_down said:


> My entry is a little water oak natty.
> 
> Small enough to fit into an Altoids tin; big enough to shoot .44 cal steels and 5/8" marbles.
> 
> Sporting SimpleShot 25 x 13 x .70 black bands.
> 
> Hope you like.
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 351818
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I dig those little handful natty’s that can bring the meat to the bbq!


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## MOJAVE MO

Cass said:


> Hi, busy day, here is my third entry, Red bud tree, all natural, no carving or any thing. The last pic is of my second entry for scale.
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Man you lined those grains up like a champ!


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## MOJAVE MO

Here is a little nibble of what is about to go down in MoTown! English Yew if you need to know!


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## Tree Man

MOJAVE MO said:


> Here is a little nibble of what is about to go down in MoTown! English Yew if you need to know!
> View attachment 351859


And the rasp of righteousness! We're all in big trouble now


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## Tree Man

Ok slingfolk, heres my humble entry for this month. This is in keeping with my whole 'snakehead' handle idea. I've been calling this one the 'Pit Viper'. Its made from a Russian Olive fork that I've had drying for some time now. I traced out my heavy hitter frame from Island Made as my starting point. It's stained with breakfast tea and finished with my usual high tech rattle can finish.
Here's a build along video if you'd like to check it out


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## MOJAVE MO

Tree Man said:


> And the rasp of righteousness! We're all in big trouble now


If the Mighty Thor were to carry a rasp, it would be this one!🦸‍♂️


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## MOJAVE MO

Tree Man said:


> Ok slingfolk, heres my humble entry for this month. This is in keeping with my whole 'snakehead' handle idea. I've been calling this one the 'Pit Viper'. Its made from a Russian Olive fork that I've had drying for some time now. I traced out my heavy hitter frame from Island Made as my starting point. It's stained with the and finished with my usual high tech rattle can finish.
> Here's a build along video if you'd like to check it out


Your band grooves make me weep.😭


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## Booral121

Tree Man said:


> Ok slingfolk, heres my humble entry for this month. This is in keeping with my whole 'snakehead' handle idea. I've been calling this one the 'Pit Viper'. Its made from a Russian Olive fork that I've had drying for some time now. I traced out my heavy hitter frame from Island Made as my starting point. It's stained with the and finished with my usual high tech rattle can finish.
> Here's a build along video if you'd like to check it out


Hi there first of all very nice natural 👌🎯👍👊 and I was wondering if you could explain what high tech rattle can finish is 🎯👍👊👌


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## Tree Man

Booral121 said:


> Hi there first of all very nice natural 👌🎯👍👊 and I was wondering if you could explain what high tech rattle can finish is 🎯👍👊👌


I thank you my friend! When I said 'high tech I was making fun of myself because it's about as LOW tech as you can get. It's simply six or seven coats of clear enamel sprayed from a can.


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## Booral121

Tree Man said:


> I thank you my friend! When I said 'high tech I was making fun of myself because it's about as LOW tech as you can get. It's simply six or seven coats of clear enamel sprayed from a can.


🤣🤣 I see 👊🎯👍 I would never have thought aswell it looks almost like a wax or oil finish 👌🎯👍


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## Tree Man

Booral121 said:


> 🤣🤣 I see 👊🎯👍 I would never have thought aswell it looks almost like a wax or oil finish 👌🎯👍


Ive tried a bunch of finishes, and I keep coming back to this. When it's fully dry, I usually give it a quick coat of regular old furniture polish to add a bit of Lustre.


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## Tree Man

MOJAVE MO said:


> Your band grooves make me weep.😭


Mo, you always crack me up!


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## SLING-N-SHOT

Beautiful Chris, we expected and knew you’d submit no less 


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## Booral121

Tree Man said:


> Ive tried a bunch of finishes, and I keep coming back to this. When it's fully dry, I usually give it a quick coat of regular old furniture polish to add a bit of Lustre.


Have you not used tru-oil 🤔🎯👍👌👊 in my opinion the easiest thing to apply and the finish is awesome it also doesn't stain or yellow the wood like other oils does thus keeping the colour of the wood natural yet highlighting spalting or grain I also found it to be the cheapest out of all the finishings


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## Tree Man

Booral121 said:


> Have you not used tru-oil 🤔🎯👍👌👊 in my opinion the easiest thing to apply and the finish is awesome it also doesn't stain or yellow the wood like other oils does thus keeping the colour of the wood natural yet highlighting spalting or grain I also found it to be the cheapest out of all the finishings


Ya know I've been toying with trying an oil finish. You may have talked me into it my friend


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## Booral121

Tree Man said:


> Ya know I've been toying with trying an oil finish. You may have talked me into it my friend


Honestly birchwood casey tru-oil it's so easy to apply and it builds up to a laquer like finish. It's made up of 80% boiled linseed oil with additives in it . I mean look at the finish on 80% of high end guitars and gun stocks 🤔🎯👍👌👊 yup tru-oil 👊🎯


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## Pebble Shooter

Absolutely stunning, Tree Man! What finishing surface varnish did you apply?


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## Tree Man

SLING-N-SHOT said:


> Beautiful Chris, we expected and knew you’d submit no less
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks Darrell. This one was a pleasure to make.


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## Tree Man

Pebble Shooter said:


> Absolutely stunning, Tree Man! What finishing surface varnish did you apply?


I thank you my friend. I use clear spray on enamel in a matte finish.


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## bingo

Some beautys guy nice work 👌


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## High Desert Flipper

Wow! So many great entries this month. Glad I admiring instead of judging!


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## skarrd

2nd entry, 


















































crepe myrtle


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## Pebble Shooter

Fruit growers sometimes remove and renew entire orchards, which involves the whole lot being cut down, and the old trees being discarded to make way for new trees. This is a golden opportunity for slingshot makers, as the wood from fruit trees is generally very hard and has a nice grain structure that shows up beautifully after sanding and finishing. After asking the landowner, I was able to help myself to some apple tree forks last summer, which have now dried out completely. Here is the first natty made from this "harvest".

Entry no.4


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## Pebble Shooter

Thicker beech wood forks are always a great basis for multiple natural slingshot designs. This one was harvested fairly fresh, so no unpleasant surprises in the wood left to dry since summer last year. I sawed off the front and back of the natural fork shown in image D to create something more of a board-cut, as this also facilitates optimizing grip ergonomics while showing the wood grain very nicely too. After another wonderful sanding session, I applied water-based color stains to obtain the two-tone look. Beech wood can look rather bland, and needs "pepping up" a bit. This was completed with two layers of water-based wood sealant. This frame, which is fully handmade (no electric tools) should handle strong flat bands quite safely. 

Entry no.5


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## MOJAVE MO

One small cut for man and one large rasp for mankind. And so the journey continues…..🧐


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## Sandstorm

Oh boy I’ve got some serious competition! Haha! They all look great guys. Let’s see if I can at least make one entry this month. It’ll be my first build but it’s fun just to be part of it.


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## David D

all of these entries so far look great and I have a lot to live up to. Mine will take me most of the month because I work sporadically but I should be able to come up with something. *Question*: Is this a hand tools only challenge? Thanks everyone


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## Booral121

I hope not 😳 cause I use a jigsaw to cut out my frame and a rotary tool and a 50mm sanding pad on a 18v drill to do all my frames 🎯👍👌👊🎯 
Tool list - handsaw
Jigsaw 
Rotary tool 
18v cordless drill
50mm sanding pad 
Sand paper 180 - 400 grit
Steel wool - 0000 & 00
Tru-oil 🎯👊👌👍


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## SLING-N-SHOT

skarrd said:


> 2nd entry,
> View attachment 351984
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> 
> crepe myrtle


Nice one Steven, that Crepe Myrtle is some hard stuff


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## SLING-N-SHOT

Pebble Shooter said:


> Thicker beech wood forks are always a great basis for multiple natural slingshot designs. This one was harvested fairly fresh, so no unpleasant surprises in the wood left to dry since summer last year. I sawed off the front and back of the natural fork shown in image D to create something more of a board-cut, as this also facilitates optimizing grip ergonomics while showing the wood grain very nicely too. After another wonderful sanding session, I applied water-based color stains to obtain the two-tone look. Beech wood can look rather bland, and needs "pepping up" a bit. This was completed with two layers of water-based wood sealant. This frame, which is fully handmade (no electric tools) should handle strong flat bands quite safely.
> 
> Entry no.5


Love that #4 PS, beautiful grain 


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## SLING-N-SHOT

Sandstorm said:


> Oh boy I’ve got some serious competition! Haha! They all look great guys. Let’s see if I can at least make one entry this month. It’ll be my first build but it’s fun just to be part of it.


Can’t wait to see what you come up with brother …..I “may” be able to squeeze one out myself after all….chop, chop 


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## Sandstorm

SLING-N-SHOT said:


> Can’t wait to see what you come up with brother …..I “may” be able to squeeze one out myself after all….chop, chop
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ha! Me too! 😂. It would be cool to see if you can get one in. Never spread yourself too thin though. You already know that of course. 😉 👍


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## skarrd

Fun is what its All about


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## skarrd

SLING-N-SHOT said:


> Nice one Steven, that Crepe Myrtle is some hard stuff
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks Darrell yes sir,it doesnt have a spectacular grain pattern but it sure gets smooth


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## MOJAVE MO

skarrd said:


> 2nd entry,
> View attachment 351984
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> crepe myrtle


Yo brother Skaard! Am I being sensitive or are you flaunting your band grooving skills in my direction!?🙌


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## MOJAVE MO

I’m getting closer to the point of no return. Shaping a Natty into a Natty reminds me of overcorrecting a slide through a hairpin turn doing 40mph over the posted speed limit. 😳


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## mattwalt

There are some truly stunning frames coming through this month.


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## MOJAVE MO

mattwalt said:


> There are some truly stunning frames coming through this month.


Thanks Matt but I’ve still got a little more work ahead of me!🙄


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## Pebble Shooter

One of the apple tree branches among last summer's harvest I previously mentioned here was one of those cases, where you're thinking "can I really make something of this", because of the rather pronounced curvature and asymmetric forks relative to the grip. It actually made me think of a contortionist in a sense, and I was intrigued by what could be done with this unusual shape. The first criteria was how I could best hold it in the hand, which was best achieved by the curve facing towards me, as it allows the wrist to remain almost straight in a sideways shooting stance. After sawing, rasping, filing, and my absolute favorite, sanding (just kidding, of course...), this is what the "contortionist" morphed into at the very end. I would assume that mid-range flat bands in the 0.40 mm thickness will be perfectly safe, even if more is maybe possible with sturdy apple tree wood. That said, this "bad boy" might actually make for a nice table decoration or paper weight too. It was made earlier this year.

Entry no.6


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## skarrd

MOJAVE MO said:


> Yo brother Skaard! Am I being sensitive or are you flaunting your band grooving skills in my direction!?🙌


naw,just a lot of rainy boredom time on my hands


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## skarrd

last entry,a PFS of course,crepe myrtle once again.
























































started out a fork frame i never really liked,so it got converted,,,,,i like it now


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## MOJAVE MO

The SlingGods sent me a mystery muse which I believed was born from using 5cups of cheese in a 2cup lasagna recipe. Anyway. This happened and I don’t know what is gonna happen next!?


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## SLING-N-SHOT

MOJAVE MO said:


> The SlingGods sent me a mystery muse which I believed was born from using 5cups of cheese in a 2cup lasagna recipe. Anyway. This happened and I don’t know what is gonna happen next!?
> View attachment 352094


Lots of sanding MO, that’s what, lol… can’t wait to see the finished product


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## Cass

Hi, here is my 4 th entry. Cedar wood, my draw knife had fun!! Rounded the fork posts, I thought I would try something different while staying a natty. Satin spray finish.


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## skarrd

Awesome


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## Cass

Thanks! Everyone!


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## Booral121

Hi all 👊🎯 Here is my last entry the 3rd member of my NLS (nice looking shooter) design. This is the PF/NLS 🎯👊👍 Again in spalted oak and finished with tru-oil 👌🎯 she is 60mm wide with 24mm tips and a 12mm fork gap and is 155mm in length 🎯👌👍👊


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## MOJAVE MO

Cass said:


> Thanks! Everyone!


That looks like a great shooter. I like frames with profiles as they help me with pointing my frame correctly. The tactile feedback is the key piece I believe. It is the different between finding the center of something round vs something square.


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## Cass

Hi, here are two.pics of #4 banded up!! Shoots surprisingly well!!


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## MOJAVE MO

Hickory Dickory Dock 3 mice ran up the clock. The clock struck 1, and the other 2 escaped with minor injuries. That is my story. My wife offered to watch a neighbors 12 week old un-dog then took off with my daughter to get their nails done. My focus is rattled, but my holes were straight. To be continued…..


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## Tree Man

I gotta admit I'm really curious to see how that frame shapes out. Hope the puppy doesn't eat it. Lol


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## MOJAVE MO

Tree Man said:


> I gotta admit I'm really curious to see how that frame shapes out. Hope the puppy doesn't eat it. Lol


With the amount of foliage and tree debris this dog has eaten he is going to end up shitting a birds nest when his owners come back.


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## MOJAVE MO

Calipers, check. Laser level, check. Ruler, studfinder, blue tape and one Hail Mary, check, check, check, check. I can see the horizon, let the sanding commence!


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## Slingshot28

Working on this one today. Almost done sanding then I will put on an olive oil finish.


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## hoggy

awesome entries slingshootists


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## David D

Cass said:


> Hi, here is my 4 th entry. Cedar wood, my draw knife had fun!! Rounded the fork posts, I thought I would try something different while staying a natty. Satin spray finish.
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Nice lines Very Graceful


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## MOJAVE MO

Okay here is my entry for your viewing pleasure. I owe credit to Randy Knapp for his video from 5 years ago making his Un-Natural Natural. Also to Tree Man from Zone7 who harvested this perfect fork of English Yew from his very own front yard. And finally, myself for thinking about every step of this over and over dozens of times over the last couple of years. Overall I couldn’t be happier with the end result. Note that the letter ‘M’ displayed so proudly on the fork via the bark I left on was actually unintentional! I will learn and recover from a couple of elements that are not absolutely perfect, but it is a Natty after all. Thanks for looking! Mo


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## Grandpa Grumpy

Looks great, Mo!


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## MOJAVE MO

Grandpa Grumpy said:


> Looks great, Mo!


Thanks Gramps! I’ve got another project pending that was born out of your GG-F16 concept frame. Stay tuned! Mo


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## High Desert Flipper

Very nice!


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## David D

Really Nice


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## KawKan

MOJAVE MO said:


> Okay here is my entry for your viewing pleasure. I owe credit to Randy Knapp for his video from 5 years ago making his Un-Natural Natural. Also to Tree Man from Zone7 who harvested this perfect fork of English Yew from his very own front yard. And finally, myself for thinking about every step of this over and over dozens of times over the last couple of years. Overall I couldn’t be happier with the end result. Note that the letter ‘M’ displayed so proudly on the fork via the bark I left on was actually unintentional! I will learn and recover from a couple of elements that are not absolutely perfect, but it is a Natty after all. Thanks for looking! Mo
> View attachment 352256
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Contender!


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## Cass

Great piece!


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## MOJAVE MO

High Desert Flipper said:


> Very nice!


Thanks HDF! So many sticks, so little time…


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## MOJAVE MO

David D said:


> Really Nice


Thanks David. I was forced to use a US supply chain for my building products, but I got through it.


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## MOJAVE MO

KawKan said:


> Contender!


Thanks KawKan! I am happy to report that none of my neighbors were harmed or threatened at all during the making of this Bio-Natty!


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## MOJAVE MO

Cass said:


> Great piece!


Thanks Cass! I have the first Natty that I ever whittled as a reminder of all the mistakes I’ve made when applying my sling-makery techniques. It helps my focus.


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## KawKan

MOJAVE MO said:


> Thanks KawKan! I am happy to report that none of my neighbors were harmed or threatened at all during the making of this Bio-Natty!


LOL!
I confess, I do lay awake at night worrying about those poor, victimized souls!


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## KawKan

MOJAVE MO said:


> Okay here is my entry for your viewing pleasure. I owe credit to Randy Knapp for his video from 5 years ago making his Un-Natural Natural. Also to Tree Man from Zone7 who harvested this perfect fork of English Yew from his very own front yard. And finally, myself for thinking about every step of this over and over dozens of times over the last couple of years. Overall I couldn’t be happier with the end result. Note that the letter ‘M’ displayed so proudly on the fork via the bark I left on was actually unintentional! I will learn and recover from a couple of elements that are not absolutely perfect, but it is a Natty after all. Thanks for looking! Mo
> View attachment 352256
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> View attachment 352260


You Son Of a Gun!
I just turned the Interwebs Audio Interceptor toward North Carolina, and I'm sure I picked up the rhythms of "Box Breathing" coming from your shop! Clearly a pattern of breathe in 4, hold 4, breathe out 4 and hold 4 more- accompanied by the scrape of a rasp! Will you stop at nothing to achieve an organic, curved profile on a natty? Are there no limits!?!?


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## MOJAVE MO

KawKan said:


> You Son Of a Gun!
> I just turned the Interwebs Audio Interceptor toward North Carolina, and I'm sure I picked up the rhythms of "Box Breathing" coming from your shop! Clearly a pattern of breathe in 4, hold 4, breathe out 4 and hold 4 more- accompanied by the scrape of a rasp! Will you stop at nothing to achieve an organic, curved profile on a natty? Are there no limits!?!?


But it seems my first dance with a notorious Murder Hornet didn’t show up on the matrix?! The thing had crawled up my leg and halfway into my shorts. I was covered in Natty tailings and figured that is where the itch was coming from. The rest of the story is both too graphic and too troubling to re-live again.😳


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## Pebble Shooter

That's a beauty, Mojave!


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## MIsling

Nice work Mo! You had me excited with all your teaser pics. Did not disappoint!

Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Pebble Shooter said:


> That's a beauty, Mojave!


Thanks Pebbs! Your frames are a hard act to follow!


----------



## MOJAVE MO

MIsling said:


> Nice work Mo! You had me excited with all your teaser pics. Did not disappoint!
> 
> Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk


Thanks MIsling! I do like to fire up the competition and try to keep the thread jumping. There is 11 days left in the month so I expect the heaviest of the heavy hitters to start dropping their natties through the slot!


----------



## Sandstorm

MOJAVE MO said:


> There is 11 days left in the month so I expect the heaviest of the heavy hitters to start dropping their natties through the slot!


Lol well, the heaviest of hitters and then.. me 😂. Hoping I can squeeze mine in for the SOTM. Haven’t been able to pick it back up due to life junk. It’ll make it in though I’m pretty sure.


----------



## SLING-N-SHOT

Some great looking entries guys….still chugging on mine, not sure if I’ll make it or not as I’m also making a flute for Nathan M.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## skarrd

That is a Beauty Mo!!!! winner winner chicken potpie,,,,,or something like that LOL


----------



## MOJAVE MO

skarrd said:


> That is a Beauty Mo!!!! winner winner chicken potpie,,,,,or something like that LOL


Haha thanks Skarrd! You cannot imagine how many Salisbury Steak TV Dinners I have had in my life and still don’t know what a Salisbury is.


----------



## Tree Man

Ok slingfriends, heres an entry for consideration. This is another frame in my 'snakehead' series. I've been calling it The Black Mamba. It's cut from a green ash fork and then ebonised to get that black color. It's finished with my usual matte enamel from a rattle can. Thanks for checking it out


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Tree Man said:


> Ok slingfriends, heres an entry for consideration. This is another frame in my 'snakehead' series. I've been calling it The Black Mamba. It's cut from a green ash fork and then ebonised to get that black color. It's finished with my usual matte enamel from a rattle can. Thanks for checking it out
> View attachment 352341
> View attachment 352343
> View attachment 352344
> View attachment 352345
> View attachment 352347
> View attachment 352348


And wouldn’t you know it I just ran out of Black Mamba anti-venom!?


----------



## High Desert Flipper

MOJAVE MO said:


> There is 11 days left in the month so I expect the heaviest of the heavy hitters to start dropping their natties through the slot!


I am working on two, if I make the time cutoff I'll do my best to dilute the effect of the heavy hitter drops with my first ever entries!


----------



## Booral121

High Desert Flipper said:


> I am working on two, if I make the time cutoff I'll do my best to dilute the effect of the heavy hitter drops with my first ever entries!


So when do you become a heavy hitter in the natty world 🎯👊👍👌 asking for a friend 🤣🤣🎯👊👍👌🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿


----------



## High Desert Flipper

Booral121 said:


> So when do you become a heavy hitter in the natty world 🎯👊👍👌 asking for a friend 🤣🤣🎯👊👍👌🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿


Looking around at the very very nice things others make, I expect I will become a heavy hitter in the frame making world somewhere between a good long time from now and never.

Although when it comes to admiring the amazing works of others here, I'm on the verge of becoming world class.

Hoping my comment about diluting the drops of others didn't miss the mark- should be read as I'll be adding noise to the system if I make the deadline. Watering down the wine as likely as not.


----------



## Cass

Hi, here is my 5 th entry. Cedar wood, fits great in hand. Poly finish. Shoots great!! I am really enjoying this, I can't go in the woods now without































































looking for forks!!


----------



## Sandstorm

High Desert Flipper said:


> Looking around at the very very nice things others make, I expect I will become a heavy hitter in the frame making world somewhere between a good long while and never.
> 
> Although when it comes to admiring the amazing works of others here, I'm on the verge of becoming world class.
> 
> Hoping my comment about diluting the drops of others didn't miss the mark- should be read as I'll be adding noise to the system if I make the deadline. Watering down the wine as likely as not.


Nah, I think think you’re good on the misunderstandings part brother. It’s all just for fun anyway! 😊


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Cass said:


> Hi, here is my 5 th entry. Cedar wood, fits great in hand. Poly finish. Shoots great!! I am really enjoying this, I can't go in the woods now without
> View attachment 352366
> View attachment 352367
> View attachment 352369
> View attachment 352370
> View attachment 352371
> View attachment 352372
> View attachment 352373
> View attachment 352374
> View attachment 352375
> looking for forks!!


It is possible you are suffering from FVS, or Fork Vision Syndrome. You know it is bad when you start cutting up your furniture and kitchen utensils to make a slingshot.


----------



## Sandstorm

I think FVS is incurable at this point. 








That’s a great looking fork @Cass


----------



## Cass

Hi, yes this may be a problem, along with my banjo addiction, I just got another banjo today, 1890!!!


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Cass said:


> Hi, yes this may be a problem, along with my banjo addiction, I just got another banjo today, 1890!!!


Wait---you have One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety banjos?


----------



## Cass

Hi, no is have alot, but not that many. 1890 is the year of was made.


----------



## Slingshot28

Finish this one today. I carved it from a thicker fork and was able to get a nice curve on the handle. The spot were the forks meet was carved to holed my hand in place. Over all it is very ergonomic and fits in my hand well.


----------



## High Desert Flipper

Sandstorm said:


> Nah, I think think you’re good on the misunderstandings part brother. It’s all just for fun anyway! 😊


I believe many do SOTM for fun, to share, and for mutual admiration. Although I get the drift that a few may take a bit more seriously. Which is good as well, some competitive spirit and motivation for those who want to dive in deeper is a good thing I think.


----------



## MOJAVE MO

High Desert Flipper said:


> I believe many do SOTM for fun, to share, and for mutual admiration. Although I get the drift that a few may take a bit more seriously. Which is good as well, some competitive spirit and motivation for those who want to dive in deeper is good think I think.


Yup. That is the nut of it really. Although some well known artists in the sling field sharpened their skills right here in the SOTM before going public with their sling-business. Before the Forum got neutered you could see how many ‘badges’ were awarded to those makers that represented exceptional makery skill. It was the same with showing exemplary shooting skills. Now since the world awards participation and virtue trophies to all breathing humans the Forum will fall in line and offer butterflies and moonbeams to everyone that submits an effort.🏆🏆🏆🎉🎉🍩🍩🍩👍👍🤣😳


----------



## Tree Man

Cass said:


> Hi, no is have alot, but not that many. 1890 is the year of was made.


A banjo is near and dear to my heart.. Is it a four string or 5 string style? My father was a jobbing dixieland banjo player for most of his life.


----------



## Cass

Hi, I play both!


----------



## High Desert Flipper

MOJAVE MO said:


> Before the Forum got neutered you could see how many ‘badges’ were awarded to those makers that represented exceptional makery skill. It was the same with showing exemplary shooting skills. 🏆🏆🏆🎉🎉🍩🍩🍩👍👍🤣😳


Yup, I miss seeing the awards people had gotten along with the post. And showing the number of posts made is a pretty poor substitute.


----------



## Tree Man

Cass said:


> Hi, I play both!
> Thats fantastic! I always loved 5 string bluegrass, but hearing that plectrum/ chords melody just warms my heart.


----------



## MIsling

I managed to get this one finished up a few days ago. 
Hopefully you guys like it! I wasn't quite sure about it it first, but it has grown on me.
I took a lot of inspiration for this fork from Tree Man's Snakehead series. The crisp lines on his forks were something I had never tried to produce before.
I started with a Sumac fork I cut 5 or 6 months back. My idea with this frame was to do the least amount of shaping needed, while still obtaining a comfortable hold. First, I defined and evened up the forks and the fork gap. Then I removed material on the handle until it held comfortably. The only real rounding on this frame is on the fork tips. Everything else is a chamfer. Once I was happy with the shaping I treated the whole frame with Minwax wood hardener to help lock the bark in place. The center core of this fork was incredibly soft, even after the wood hardener. I ended up digging out what I could and filling the voids with epoxy. After cleaning up the epoxy and sanding everything smooth, I finished the frame with some gloss spray can clear coat.

























I shot it a bit this evening and I am quite happy with it. With medium powered bands it is plenty comfortable and holds well. It might be slightly less pleasant to shoot with heavy bands, or if you were really clamping down on it. With my usual bandsets it will work perfectly.
A fun build for sure!


----------



## High Desert Flipper

Very nice! Amazing color and rings!


----------



## Booral121

MIsling said:


> I managed to get this one finished up a few days ago.
> Hopefully you guys like it! I wasn't quite sure about it it first, but it has grown on me.
> I took a lot of inspiration for this fork from Tree Man's Snakehead series. The crisp lines on his forks were something I had never tried to produce before.
> I started with a Sumac fork I cut 5 or 6 months back. My idea with this frame was to do the least amount of shaping needed, while still obtaining a comfortable hold. First, I defined and evened up the forks and the fork gap. Then I removed material on the handle until it held comfortably. The only real rounding on this frame is on the fork tips. Everything else is a chamfer. Once I was happy with the shaping I treated the whole frame with Minwax wood hardener to help lock the bark in place. The center core of this fork was incredibly soft, even after the wood hardener. I ended up digging out what I could and filling the voids with epoxy. After cleaning up the epoxy and sanding everything smooth, I finished the frame with some gloss spray can clear coat.
> View attachment 352442
> 
> View attachment 352443
> 
> View attachment 352444
> 
> 
> I shot it a bit this evening and I am quite happy with it. With medium powered bands it is plenty comfortable and holds well. It might be slightly less pleasant to shoot with heavy bands, or if you were really clamping down on it. With my usual bandsets it will work perfectly.
> A fun build for sure!
> View attachment 352445


Hi 👊🎯 first of all very nice 👌🎯👊👍 can I ask (purely out of interest) is this type of wood bad for being soft or is this just a rare case 🤔 also comfort wise can you not strip the bark back a bit smooth like but keep the colour if that makes sense 🤔🎯 I had a customer ask for a ftc style birch natty but bark on and I took it back a bit ended up looking like leather 🤣🎯 really nice though 🎯👍👊👌


----------



## Trap1

V nice slings above! I love that Sumac wood @MIsling


----------



## Trap1

Cass said:


> Hi, here is my 5 th entry. Cedar wood, fits great in hand. Poly finish. Shoots great!! I am really enjoying this, I can't go in the woods now without
> View attachment 352366
> View attachment 352370
> View attachment 352371
> View attachment 352374
> looking for forks!!



Looking at the wood above & finished sling (which is beautiful) I would've argued black was white that it was Yew!  So similar.


----------



## MOJAVE MO

MIsling said:


> I managed to get this one finished up a few days ago.
> Hopefully you guys like it! I wasn't quite sure about it it first, but it has grown on me.
> I took a lot of inspiration for this fork from Tree Man's Snakehead series. The crisp lines on his forks were something I had never tried to produce before.
> I started with a Sumac fork I cut 5 or 6 months back. My idea with this frame was to do the least amount of shaping needed, while still obtaining a comfortable hold. First, I defined and evened up the forks and the fork gap. Then I removed material on the handle until it held comfortably. The only real rounding on this frame is on the fork tips. Everything else is a chamfer. Once I was happy with the shaping I treated the whole frame with Minwax wood hardener to help lock the bark in place. The center core of this fork was incredibly soft, even after the wood hardener. I ended up digging out what I could and filling the voids with epoxy. After cleaning up the epoxy and sanding everything smooth, I finished the frame with some gloss spray can clear coat.
> View attachment 352442
> 
> View attachment 352443
> 
> View attachment 352444
> 
> 
> I shot it a bit this evening and I am quite happy with it. With medium powered bands it is plenty comfortable and holds well. It might be slightly less pleasant to shoot with heavy bands, or if you were really clamping down on it. With my usual bandsets it will work perfectly.
> A fun build for sure!
> View attachment 352445


Outstanding work my man!


----------



## Sandstorm

High Desert Flipper said:


> Yup, I miss seeing the awards people had gotten along with the post. And showing the number of posts made is a pretty poor substitute.


It’s a shame I wasn’t here to see the awards and badges thing, or I was at least too new to have noticed. Unfortunately I came on at a pretty crappy time and missed a lot of the better parts of the old format.


----------



## High Desert Flipper

Sandstorm said:


> It’s a shame I wasn’t here to see the awards and badges thing, or I was at least too new to have noticed. Unfortunately I came on at a pretty crappy time and missed a lot of the better parts of the old format.


Hopefully before long you'll get to see what others have earned in the past while starting in on a few of your own.


----------



## Sandstorm

High Desert Flipper said:


> Hopefully before long you'll get to see what others have earned in the past while starting in on a few of your own.


Yeah, I’m hoping for the sake of the community members that it will be 100% retroactive when it’s implemented again. I’d hate for others to lose their accomplishments.


----------



## High Desert Flipper

Sandstorm said:


> Yeah, I’m hoping for the sake of the community members that it will be 100% retroactive when it’s implemented again. I’d hate for others to lose their accomplishments.



It's really not that big a task, more a question of when they will take the time to do it. In a month where we put two private space ships up adding an attribute to a member shouldn't be that big a deal. 

Like I said, the data for past awards is there. If they can display an icon, a rolling post total, and a join date along with the member name getting the badges added is not an insurmountable task.

Maybe we can have a race to see if I get a natty entered before the badges are restored?


----------



## Sandstorm

High Desert Flipper said:


> It's really not that big a task, more a question of when they will take the time to do it. In a month where we put two private space ships up adding an attribute to a member shouldn't be that big a deal.
> 
> Like I said, the data for past awards is there. If they can display an icon, a rolling post total, and a join date along with the member name getting the badges added is not an insurmountable task.
> 
> Maybe we can have a race to see if I get a natty entered before the badges are restored?


Haha, you and me both!


----------



## MIsling

Thanks guys!



Booral121 said:


> Hi  first of all very nice  can I ask (purely out of interest) is this type of wood bad for being soft or is this just a rare case  also comfort wise can you not strip the bark back a bit smooth like but keep the colour if that makes sense  I had a customer ask for a ftc style birch natty but bark on and I took it back a bit ended up looking like leather  really nice though


This is my first time working with Sumac, so I am really not sure if the super soft core is normal or not.
I think you could get the bark smoother, but it would be difficult to get much of a texture difference without cutting down to the next later and seeing some color difference as well. On this particular frame I decided to keep as much texture as I could. That mottled "leather" look is pretty cool, nice frame! 

Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk


----------



## KawKan

The notorious @Ibojoe has posted a couple of “Spoonrest” natural forks. I confess I was smitten. It is one of the most dramatic approaches to shaping a raw fork that has come along. So here’s my attempt - cedar. Shaped mostly with a rasp. Finished with Tru-Oil. 



















Got my curves a little radical and went out to the bark in a couple of places, but hey, it's a natural fork! LOL!


















Extremely comfortable in the hand, and shoots great!


----------



## Grandpa Grumpy

That is beautiful! How do you like the top slot attachment?


----------



## High Desert Flipper

What a great frame @KawKan, amazing shape, color, and grain!


----------



## KawKan

Grandpa Grumpy said:


> That is beautiful! How do you like the top slot attachment?


Thanks!
I do like the top slots, although I don't add them to many slingshots. But in this case, they really saved me. My fork tips ended up narrowing toward the ends, and wrap and tuck wasn't going to work! Once you get the hang of inserting the bands, they are a fast, secure attachment.


----------



## KawKan

High Desert Flipper said:


> What a great frame @KawKan, amazing shape, color, and grain!


Thanks!
This shape really exposes a lot of the cedar heartwood.


----------



## Cass

Wow!! Excellent work!! I can't get the top spot to work. Very nice


----------



## Sandstorm

KawKan said:


> The notorious @Ibojoe has posted a couple of “Spoonrest” natural forks. I confess I was smitten. It is one of the most dramatic approaches to shaping a raw fork that has come along. So here’s my attempt - cedar. Shaped mostly with a rasp. Finished with Tru-Oil.
> 
> View attachment 352500
> 
> 
> View attachment 352501
> 
> 
> Got my curves a little radical and went out to the bark in a couple of places, but hey, it's a natural fork! LOL!
> 
> View attachment 352502
> 
> 
> View attachment 352503
> 
> Extremely comfortable in the hand, and shoots great!


Boy does that cedar come out looking fantastic or what? Great frame KawKan. What is the benefit of Truoil over just linseed? Or I guess a better question would be what does the urethane add? My woodworking skills are about zilch so I’m trying to pick up a few things. Thanks


----------



## KawKan

Sandstorm said:


> Boy does that cedar come out looking fantastic or what? Great frame KawKan. What is the benefit of Truoil over just linseed? Or I guess a better question would be what does the urethane add? My woodworking skills are about zilch so I’m trying to pick up a few things. Thanks


Thanks! 
Tru-Oil doesn't soak in as much as BLO and forms a harder, glossier layer on the surface. And with cedar, it doesn't darken the sapwood, or muddy the heartwood. I use BLO on almost everything but cedar, and if I want the glossy finish, I put the Tru-0il on the top of that.


----------



## Sandstorm

KawKan said:


> Thanks!
> Tru-Oil doesn't soak in as much as BLO and forms a harder, glossier layer on the surface. And with cedar, it doesn't darken the sapwood, or muddy the heartwood. I use BLO on almost everything but cedar, and if I want the glossy finish, I put the Tru-0il on the top of that.


Thanks kindly Ray, I just learned quite a bit there.


----------



## SLING-N-SHOT

That’s a beauty Ray……. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## skarrd

that is awesome,very nice piece of wood and workmanship!


----------



## Pebble Shooter

After that absolutely stunning previous curved entry by Kawkan (well done!), here comes a rather sober stick with a fork. No, don't run away...

Beech wood from last summer carved into shape from a larger branch, with my usual wonderful green-blue staining and water-based wood sealant. Handles nicely, though.

Entry no.7


----------



## Tree Man

KawKan said:


> The notorious @Ibojoe has posted a couple of “Spoonrest” natural forks. I confess I was smitten. It is one of the most dramatic approaches to shaping a raw fork that has come along. So here’s my attempt - cedar. Shaped mostly with a rasp. Finished with Tru-Oil.
> 
> View attachment 352500
> 
> 
> View attachment 352501
> 
> 
> Got my curves a little radical and went out to the bark in a couple of places, but hey, it's a natural fork! LOL!
> 
> View attachment 352502
> 
> 
> View attachment 352503
> 
> Extremely comfortable in the hand, and shoots great!


Ray, that gets my vote right there! What a great frame!


----------



## KawKan

Tree Man said:


> Ray, that gets my vote right there! What a great frame!


Thanks, Chris! But it is way to early to vote! And while I have plenty of maker's pride behind this one, I think it ranks behind more than one previous entry, including your snaky wonder!


----------



## High Desert Flipper

Here are my first humble attempts at a homemade natty and a SOTM entry.

I know this month’s SOTM is for natty frames, and not necessarily natty builds, but I went all in on a full frontal au-natty-ral build with this one. If I finish them on time I will get a power tool assisted entry or two in as well.

For this one, not a single electron flowed through any tool, no cans were rattled, and no synthetic molecules were used in the sling. A “quiet” build as @Treeman put it- my music and grunting were the only things that people needed any ear protection for.

All hand tools including the Swiss Army knife awl for boring the lanyard hole. Natural latex bands (I also tried some modern tubes with throwback tabs but preferred the bands). And while paracord is great, I went with a hand braded lanyard made from jute twine and adobe-ish dyed hemp thread.

The fork came from a tree that blew down on our hard, wild plum I think. The wood is nice and hard, but not very striking otherwise- pretty plain in fact, but it is what blew down in the yard. The branch had some convenient dents that I accentuated to try and get subtle locates for my index finger and thumb. The finish is many coats of tung oil applied between each finish sanding step. Most pics show just the tung oil finish which turned out really well all on its own. The final pics include a buff put on with bees wax loaded steel wool.

I cracked the fork trying to speed dry it in the microwave, the crack is filled with walnut sawdust in wood glue (yeah, I pretty much made my own dark wood putty... 🤔).

I also included a video to show that it shoots with my not yet very natural full butterfly- I’m still working on the full draw. But thanks to the magic of video editing it looks like I hit the can two out of five tries.



Thanks for looking and hope you enjoy.


----------



## MIsling

KawKan said:


> The notorious @Ibojoe has posted a couple of “Spoonrest” natural forks. I confess I was smitten. It is one of the most dramatic approaches to shaping a raw fork that has come along. So here’s my attempt - cedar. Shaped mostly with a rasp. Finished with Tru-Oil.
> 
> View attachment 352500
> 
> 
> View attachment 352501
> 
> 
> Got my curves a little radical and went out to the bark in a couple of places, but hey, it's a natural fork! LOL!
> 
> View attachment 352502
> 
> 
> View attachment 352503
> 
> Extremely comfortable in the hand, and shoots great!


Gorgeous!

Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk


----------



## MIsling

High Desert Flipper said:


> Here are my first humble attempts at a homemade natty and a SOTM entry.
> 
> I know this month’s SOTM is for natty frames, and not necessarily natty builds, but I went all in on a full frontal au-natty-ral build with this one. If I finish them on time I will get a power tool assisted entry or two in as well.
> 
> For this one, not a single electron flowed through any tool, no cans were rattled, and no synthetic molecules were used in the sling. A “quiet” build as @Treeman put it- my music and grunting were the only things that people needed any ear protection for.
> 
> All hand tools including the Swiss Army knife awl for boring the lanyard hole. Natural latex bands (I also tried some modern tubes with throwback tabs but preferred the bands). And while paracord is great, I went with a hand braded lanyard made from jute twine and adobe-ish dyed hemp thread.
> 
> The fork came from a tree that blew down on our hard, wild plum I think. The wood is nice and hard, but not very striking otherwise- pretty plain in fact, but it is what blew down in the yard. The branch had some convenient dents that I accentuated to try and get subtle locates for my index finger and thumb. The finish is many coats of tung oil applied between each finish sanding step. Most pics show just the tung oil finish which turned out really well all on its own. The final pics include a buff put on with bees wax loaded steel wool.
> 
> I cracked the fork trying to speed dry it in the microwave, the crack is filled with walnut sawdust in wood glue (yeah, I pretty much made my own dark wood putty... ).
> 
> I also included a video to show that it shoots with my not yet very natural full butterfly- I’m still working on the full draw. But thanks to the magic of video editing it looks like I hit the can two out of five tries.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for looking and hope you enjoy.
> 
> View attachment 352550
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 352551
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 352552
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 352553
> View attachment 352554
> 
> 
> View attachment 352555
> 
> 
> View attachment 352556
> 
> 
> View attachment 352557


Very nice! I dig that lanyard attachment method.

Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk


----------



## Booral121

Here's my 4th entry .this is a evo based birch natty fork width is 85mm and fork tips are 23mm length is 130mm .the finish is the same as all my naturals between 8-10 coats of tru-oil 🎯👊👍👌


----------



## Sandstorm

Booral121 said:


> Here's my 4th entry .this is a evo based birch natty fork width is 85mm and fork tips are 23mm length is 130mm .the finish is the same as all my naturals between 8-10 coats of tru-oil 🎯👊👍👌


Nice one!!


----------



## Booral121

Thanks bud👊👍. I think I will have one more entry I've been asked by a previous customer to make his brother a raptor style birch natty with a goldfinch inlayed the same as this one I done for him 🎯👊👍👌


----------



## MOJAVE MO

KawKan said:


> The notorious @Ibojoe has posted a couple of “Spoonrest” natural forks. I confess I was smitten. It is one of the most dramatic approaches to shaping a raw fork that has come along. So here’s my attempt - cedar. Shaped mostly with a rasp. Finished with Tru-Oil.
> 
> View attachment 352500
> 
> 
> View attachment 352501
> 
> 
> Got my curves a little radical and went out to the bark in a couple of places, but hey, it's a natural fork! LOL!
> 
> View attachment 352502
> 
> 
> View attachment 352503
> 
> Extremely comfortable in the hand, and shoots great!


Okay that is a devine spooner! You also gave me an idea on how to rescue my own spooner attempt out of the Pile of the Lost! You are lucky, my version won’t make it in time for the 11th hour defeat!


----------



## Sandstorm

High Desert Flipper said:


> Here are my first humble attempts at a homemade natty and a SOTM entry.
> 
> I know this month’s SOTM is for natty frames, and not necessarily natty builds, but I went all in on a full frontal au-natty-ral build with this one. If I finish them on time I will get a power tool assisted entry or two in as well.
> 
> For this one, not a single electron flowed through any tool, no cans were rattled, and no synthetic molecules were used in the sling. A “quiet” build as @Treeman put it- my music and grunting were the only things that people needed any ear protection for.
> 
> All hand tools including the Swiss Army knife awl for boring the lanyard hole. Natural latex bands (I also tried some modern tubes with throwback tabs but preferred the bands). And while paracord is great, I went with a hand braded lanyard made from jute twine and adobe-ish dyed hemp thread.
> 
> The fork came from a tree that blew down on our hard, wild plum I think. The wood is nice and hard, but not very striking otherwise- pretty plain in fact, but it is what blew down in the yard. The branch had some convenient dents that I accentuated to try and get subtle locates for my index finger and thumb. The finish is many coats of tung oil applied between each finish sanding step. Most pics show just the tung oil finish which turned out really well all on its own. The final pics include a buff put on with bees wax loaded steel wool.
> 
> I cracked the fork trying to speed dry it in the microwave, the crack is filled with walnut sawdust in wood glue (yeah, I pretty much made my own dark wood putty... 🤔).
> 
> I also included a video to show that it shoots with my not yet very natural full butterfly- I’m still working on the full draw. But thanks to the magic of video editing it looks like I hit the can two out of five tries.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for looking and hope you enjoy.
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Heck yeah! Looks great!


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## MOJAVE MO

Booral121 said:


> Thanks bud👊👍. I think I will have one more entry I've been asked by a previous customer to make his brother a raptor style birch natty with a goldfinch inlayed the same as this one I done for him 🎯👊👍👌


Smooth!


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## MOJAVE MO

High Desert Flipper said:


> Here are my first humble attempts at a homemade natty and a SOTM entry.
> 
> I know this month’s SOTM is for natty frames, and not necessarily natty builds, but I went all in on a full frontal au-natty-ral build with this one. If I finish them on time I will get a power tool assisted entry or two in as well.
> 
> For this one, not a single electron flowed through any tool, no cans were rattled, and no synthetic molecules were used in the sling. A “quiet” build as @Treeman put it- my music and grunting were the only things that people needed any ear protection for.
> 
> All hand tools including the Swiss Army knife awl for boring the lanyard hole. Natural latex bands (I also tried some modern tubes with throwback tabs but preferred the bands). And while paracord is great, I went with a hand braded lanyard made from jute twine and adobe-ish dyed hemp thread.
> 
> The fork came from a tree that blew down on our hard, wild plum I think. The wood is nice and hard, but not very striking otherwise- pretty plain in fact, but it is what blew down in the yard. The branch had some convenient dents that I accentuated to try and get subtle locates for my index finger and thumb. The finish is many coats of tung oil applied between each finish sanding step. Most pics show just the tung oil finish which turned out really well all on its own. The final pics include a buff put on with bees wax loaded steel wool.
> 
> I cracked the fork trying to speed dry it in the microwave, the crack is filled with walnut sawdust in wood glue (yeah, I pretty much made my own dark wood putty... 🤔).
> 
> I also included a video to show that it shoots with my not yet very natural full butterfly- I’m still working on the full draw. But thanks to the magic of video editing it looks like I hit the can two out of five tries.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for looking and hope you enjoy.
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Clean and clever lanyard work on that one!


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## KawKan

MOJAVE MO said:


> Okay that is a devine spooner! You also gave me an idea on how to rescue my own spooner attempt out of the Pile of the Lost! You are lucky, my version won’t make it in time for the 11th hour defeat!


Gracias, mi Amigo!


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## skarrd

High Desert Flipper said:


> Here are my first humble attempts at a homemade natty and a SOTM entry.
> 
> I know this month’s SOTM is for natty frames, and not necessarily natty builds, but I went all in on a full frontal au-natty-ral build with this one. If I finish them on time I will get a power tool assisted entry or two in as well.
> 
> For this one, not a single electron flowed through any tool, no cans were rattled, and no synthetic molecules were used in the sling. A “quiet” build as @Treeman put it- my music and grunting were the only things that people needed any ear protection for.
> 
> All hand tools including the Swiss Army knife awl for boring the lanyard hole. Natural latex bands (I also tried some modern tubes with throwback tabs but preferred the bands). And while paracord is great, I went with a hand braded lanyard made from jute twine and adobe-ish dyed hemp thread.
> 
> The fork came from a tree that blew down on our hard, wild plum I think. The wood is nice and hard, but not very striking otherwise- pretty plain in fact, but it is what blew down in the yard. The branch had some convenient dents that I accentuated to try and get subtle locates for my index finger and thumb. The finish is many coats of tung oil applied between each finish sanding step. Most pics show just the tung oil finish which turned out really well all on its own. The final pics include a buff put on with bees wax loaded steel wool.
> 
> I cracked the fork trying to speed dry it in the microwave, the crack is filled with walnut sawdust in wood glue (yeah, I pretty much made my own dark wood putty... 🤔).
> 
> I also included a video to show that it shoots with my not yet very natural full butterfly- I’m still working on the full draw. But thanks to the magic of video editing it looks like I hit the can two out of five tries.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for looking and hope you enjoy.
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 thats a good lookin natty there,and the area you are shooting in reminds me of a couple places outside of Phoenix i used to go,Nice


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## Trap1

In this SOTM A've seen some o' the nicest natties made since joining. Also made from 2 woods that look stunning (& A'm no that familiar with,) Cedar & Sumac. A've made many hundreds o' self arrows oot o' Port Orford Cedar (P.O.C. a straight, tight grained, pale buff wood) in years past & loved the smell when working it!
So when I saw 2 cracking natties made o' cedar, that looked like & had yews similar wayward growth patterns A' thought A' knew Cedar. @Cass @KawKan can either o' yese confirm it is a different species o' cedar from POC & if it smells great when working? Also any info on Sumac (..this might have been a different thread..) would be appreciated @MIsling .
Cheers
John


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## Cass

Hi, my natty s came from the same tree, just regular cedar which grows in Virginia, smells great when working


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## KawKan

Thanks for the kind words, Laddy!
Here in the States we have Eastern Red Cedar.








Juniperus virginiana - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org




It does smell great, and features the dark red heartwood. I think the density and workability is a lot like fir, so it makes a pretty good slingshot!
Both the cedar and Sumac plant themselves on cleared land so aggressively they are considered invasive by anyone trying to maintain pasture land.



Trap1 said:


> In this SOTM A've seen some o' the nicest natties made since joining. Also made from 2 woods that look stunning (& A'm no that familiar with,) Cedar & Sumac. A've made many hundreds o' self arrows oot o' Port Orford Cedar (P.O.C. a straight, tight grained, pale buff wood) in years past & loved the smell when working it!
> So when I saw 2 cracking natties made o' cedar, that looked like & had yews similar wayward growth patterns A' thought A' knew Cedar. @Cass @KawKan can either o' yese confirm it is a different species o' cedar from POC & if it smells great when working? Also any info on Sumac (..this might have been a different thread..) would be appreciated @MIsling .
> Cheers
> John


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## Cass

Hi, I wish I had some here at my house. The ones I got were from my dad's neighbors tree that he was trimming so I keep a small electric chain saw in my car, so I got to cut several forks. I have 20 acres here, heavily wooded, lots of walnut, hickory, redbud, dogwood, and I have 80 acres in WVa., Different types there, hickory, beech, dogwood, hornbeam and pine. Haven't been there this year yet, as I am taking care of my dad, who is 93 and still going strong!!


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## SLING-N-SHOT

Okay, finally got my entries finished up last night……hope they’re worthy to sit alongside the fantastic builds I’ve seen entered already.

Magnolia with blue G10 spacer and red cedar buttcap

























Sweet Birch with Blue G10, Jade G10,and Walnut butt cap

























Magnolia with natural Maple limb butt cap with Turquoise inlay rings around the bark / grain lines and Hognose lanyard attachment 


























Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## High Desert Flipper

SLING-N-SHOT said:


> Okay, finally got my entries finished up last night……hope they’re worthy to sit alongside the fantastic builds I’ve seen entered already.


Amazing pieces, LOVE the caps and turquioise!


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## SLING-N-SHOT

High Desert Flipper said:


> Amazing pieces, LOVE the caps and turquioise!


Tks HDF 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Sandstorm

SLING-N-SHOT said:


> Okay, finally got my entries finished up last night……hope they’re worthy to sit alongside the fantastic builds I’ve seen entered already.
> 
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Great looking shooters Darrell. I’m always a fan of that hognose lanyard hole.


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## SLING-N-SHOT

Sandstorm said:


> Great looking shooters Darrell. I’m always a fan of that hognose lanyard hole.


Tks brother truly appreciate the compliments.
I also am growing very fond of that lanyard attachment method as I don’t have to drill holes side to side through the handle


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Cass

Very nice!!


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## David D

Great work!


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## Pebble Shooter

With this natty "Fest" about to come to an end, I thought I'd add this fork shaped from an apple branch harvested last year. Not the easiest task with this one, because of the angle of the narrower branch relative to the curved shape of the wider branch section. It sort of worked out in the end, along with a bit of fluting on the grip end to remove wood cracks. Surface finish consists of two coats of transparent water-based wood sealant, which is durable.

Entry no. 8 and final.


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## High Desert Flipper

So here is my second ever humble entry into SOTM submitted alongside some really remarkable frames I’ve been admiring as they went up all month long.

I have been wanting to try a Conus for a while. The tree limb that came down in our yard had a “fork” that was more like fused branches thinking about forking out someday, so I had a run at it. Having never shot, let alone made, a Conus before I looked in the templates section of the forum and found an easy to follow highly detailed design posted by Arturo Borquez. I didn’t follow this exactly but it did give me a great feeling for the general gist, and for that I am grateful to Arturo for sharing his plan. The fork was a bit smaller than his plan, so this is probably somewhere between a true Conus and a mini-Conus.

While my first entry was a total natural build this Conus build was anything but. Mostly shaped on a tabletop belt sander- a 50 grit belt made pretty quick work of that. In a perfect world I would have had another couple of days to put the fine touches on it, but I'm out of time for this week (anniversary weekend), so here it is.

This “fork” turned out much more interesting than the last one from the same tree. Still very little heart wood and buried deep but some interesting colors and patterns when the shape of the frame got down to the heartwood. I also left some of the bark and cambium on to add more interesting pattern and color. And like the last build, a few drying cracks for "character". The fork split with bark inside it was stabilized with CA glue before finishing with several coats of tung oil and a layer of bees wax.

I was also pretty happy with the lanyard from my last build so added the same type of lanyard to this one.

Also a short video below showing that it shoots, and that I can shoot a Conus!

Thanks for looking. I really appreciate all the fantastic offerings the SOTM brings out for all to admire every month as well as the chance to put a couple of mine into the mix.


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## skarrd

SLING-N-SHOT said:


> Okay, finally got my entries finished up last night……hope they’re worthy to sit alongside the fantastic builds I’ve seen entered already.
> 
> Magnolia with blue G10 spacer and red cedar buttcap
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Awesome all of them but #3 is Sweet looking 😀


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## skarrd

Pebble Shooter said:


> With this natty "Fest" about to come to an end, I thought I'd add this fork shaped from an apple branch harvested last year. Not the easiest task with this one, because of the angle of the narrower branch relative to the curved shape of the wider branch section. It sort of worked out in the end, along with a bit of fluting on the grip end to remove wood cracks. Surface finish consists of two coats of transparent water-based wood sealant, which is durable.
> 
> Entry no. 8 and final.


Thats a good looking fork there


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## skarrd

High Desert Flipper said:


> So here is my second ever humble entry into SOTM submitted alongside some really remarkable frames I’ve been admiring as they went up all month long.
> 
> I have been wanting to try a Conus for a while. The tree limb that came down in our yard had a “fork” that was more like fused branches thinking about forking out someday, so I had a run at it. Having never shot, let alone made, a Conus before I looked in the templates section of the forum and found an easy to follow highly detailed design posted by Arturo Borquez. I didn’t follow this exactly but it did give me a great feeling for the general gist, and for that I am grateful to Arturo for sharing his plan. The fork was a bit smaller than his plan, so this is probably somewhere between a true Conus and a mini-Conus.
> 
> While my first entry was a total natural build this Conus build was anything but. Mostly shaped on a tabletop belt sander- a 50 grit belt made pretty quick work of that. In a perfect world I would have had another couple of days to put the fine touches on it, but I'm out of time for this week (anniversary weekend), so here it is.
> 
> This “fork” turned out much more interesting than the last one from the same tree. Still very little heart wood and buried deep but some interesting colors and patterns when the shape of the frame got down to the heartwood. I also left some of the bark and cambium on to add more interesting pattern and color. And like the last build, a few drying cracks for "character". The fork split with bark inside it was stabilized with CA glue before finishing with several coats of tung oil and a layer of bees wax.
> 
> I was also pretty happy with the lanyard from my last build so added the same type of lanyard to this one.
> 
> Also a short video below showing that it shoots, and that I can shoot a Conus!
> 
> Thanks for looking. I really appreciate all the fantastic offerings the SOTM brings out for all to admire every month as well as the chance to put a couple of mine into the mix.
> 
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> View attachment 352695
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Thats a beauty right there


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## KawKan

@High Desert Flipper that natty Conus is awesome! Lots of character! You definitely got your money's worth from that blow down branch!
Great shooting, too!


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## MOJAVE MO

SLING-N-SHOT said:


> Okay, finally got my entries finished up last night……hope they’re worthy to sit alongside the fantastic builds I’ve seen entered already.
> 
> Magnolia with blue G10 spacer and red cedar buttcap
> 
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Very, very nice! Also—-please show us a photo of the flute you are making for Nathan Masters when you can!


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## Sandstorm

MOJAVE MO said:


> Very, very nice! Also—-please show us a photo of the flute you are making for Nathan Masters when you can!


I wanna have a beer with that guy some day. He seems like a pretty ok dude. Hell, wouldn’t mind having a beer with all of ya honestly. I don’t even really like beer so that’s saying something 😆


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## Sandstorm

I’ve got two days. Let me see if I can slap this ugly thing together. Just so you’re all aware it’s probably gonna look like, well…a stick.


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## SLING-N-SHOT

High Desert Flipper said:


> So here is my second ever humble entry into SOTM submitted alongside some really remarkable frames I’ve been admiring as they went up all month long.
> 
> I have been wanting to try a Conus for a while. The tree limb that came down in our yard had a “fork” that was more like fused branches thinking about forking out someday, so I had a run at it. Having never shot, let alone made, a Conus before I looked in the templates section of the forum and found an easy to follow highly detailed design posted by Arturo Borquez. I didn’t follow this exactly but it did give me a great feeling for the general gist, and for that I am grateful to Arturo for sharing his plan. The fork was a bit smaller than his plan, so this is probably somewhere between a true Conus and a mini-Conus.
> 
> While my first entry was a total natural build this Conus build was anything but. Mostly shaped on a tabletop belt sander- a 50 grit belt made pretty quick work of that. In a perfect world I would have had another couple of days to put the fine touches on it, but I'm out of time for this week (anniversary weekend), so here it is.
> 
> This “fork” turned out much more interesting than the last one from the same tree. Still very little heart wood and buried deep but some interesting colors and patterns when the shape of the frame got down to the heartwood. I also left some of the bark and cambium on to add more interesting pattern and color. And like the last build, a few drying cracks for "character". The fork split with bark inside it was stabilized with CA glue before finishing with several coats of tung oil and a layer of bees wax.
> 
> I was also pretty happy with the lanyard from my last build so added the same type of lanyard to this one.
> 
> Also a short video below showing that it shoots, and that I can shoot a Conus!
> 
> Thanks for looking. I really appreciate all the fantastic offerings the SOTM brings out for all to admire every month as well as the chance to put a couple of mine into the mix.
> 
> 
> View attachment 352695
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Cool Conus ! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SLING-N-SHOT

skarrd said:


> Awesome all of them but #3 is Sweet looking


Tks Steven 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## High Desert Flipper

SLING-N-SHOT said:


> Cool Conus !
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Thank you! I am still looking forward to trying your turquoise fill and have a fork with a perfect crack for it. Hoping I can get to it in a week or two. And if it turns out half as good as the ones you do I think it will end up looking super cool! I will be sure to post pics if it comes out well.


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## Sandstorm

High Desert Flipper said:


> Thank you! I am still looking forward to trying your turquoise fill and have a fork with a perfect crack for it. Hoping I can get to it in a week or two. And if it turns out half as good as the ones you do I think it will end up looking super cool! I will be sure to post pics if it comes out well.


Everything you made turned out looking really nice HDF. In my amateur opinion, for a first attempt you nailed it. You never know, you might have opened yourself up to a new facet of the slingshot hobby, especially if it was enjoyable. Congrats!


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## SLING-N-SHOT

MOJAVE MO said:


> Very, very nice! Also—-please show us a photo of the flute you are making for Nathan Masters when you can!


Tks MO and definitely will when done. I had to scrap the first one I started for Nathan as it did NOT want to be a flute LOL, so about 1/2 done with the 2nd attempt, so far so good  [mention]Nathan masters [/mention] 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SLING-N-SHOT

High Desert Flipper said:


> Thank you! I am still looking forward to trying your turquoise fill and have a fork with a perfect crack for it. Hoping I can get to it in a week or two. And if it turns out half as good as the ones you do I think it will end up looking super cool! I will be sure to post pics if it comes out well.


Tks for the compliment Steve…..if your crack is wide and deep, fill it halfway with a cheaper material other than Turquoise, then finish off the inlay with Turquoise so you don’t waste it as it is definitely hard to find and a precious commodity now….. can’t wait to see what you come up with.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## High Desert Flipper

Sandstorm said:


> Everything you made turned out looking really nice HDF. In my amateur opinion, for a first attempt you nailed it. You never know, you might have opened yourself up to a new facet of the slingshot hobby, especially if it was enjoyable. Congrats!


It was a lot of fun working on them, and I think I got pretty lucky with a fantastic pattern in the conus fork- I do like that one a lot. I am sure I will do some more, but these did take quite a bit of time. So after I get back to the two bows that are stalled, a project I'm working on for my beautiful bride (30th anniv this weekend), a couple of ply frames I want to make, and.... then I will likely come back and try some more natty's.


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## Sandstorm

High Desert Flipper said:


> It was a lot of fun working on them, and I think I got pretty lucky with a fantastic pattern in the conus fork- I do like that one a lot. I am sure I will do some more, but these did take quite a bit of time. So after I get back to the two bows that are stalled, a project I'm working on for my beautiful bride (30th anniv this weekend), a couple of ply frames I want to make, and.... then I will likely come back and try some more natty's.


Hey! Congratulations on your anniversary!


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## High Desert Flipper

Sandstorm said:


> Hey! Congratulations on your anniversary!


Thank you, leaving shortly to celebrate with a long weekend at the million or so acre time share we sometimes refer to as "the Gila Wilderness". Slingshot already in the pack of course


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## Sandstorm

High Desert Flipper said:


> Thank you, leaving shortly to celebrate with a long weekend at the million plus acre time share we sometimes refer to as "the Gila Wilderness". Slingshot already in the pack of course


Beautiful country down in there. Enjoy


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## Sandstorm

Well in by the skin of my teeth. This was a fun little first build. I know I won’t win any awards but it was an experience. I decided just to keep it simple. The odd curvature kind of locks it into the hand. I’ll have to make another one sometime soon.








































Thanks for taking a look! I had a good time. Doesn’t shoot half bad either. 🤙


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## Stankard757

Sandstorm said:


> Well in by the skin of my teeth. This was a fun little first build. I know I won’t win any awards but it was an experience. I decided just to keep it simple. The odd curvature kind of locks it into the hand. I’ll have to make another one sometime soon.
> View attachment 352869
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> Thanks for taking a look! I had a good time. Doesn’t shoot half bad either.


Don't knock it, that's a cool AF natty

Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk


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## Sandstorm

Stankard757 said:


> Don't knock it, that's a cool AF natty
> 
> Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk


Hey thanks, I appreciate that. The last pic doesn’t quite do it the justice it deserves either. I’ll try and get a better one. I waxed it and it brought out some really beautiful features of the wood. That was cool to see. I think it can handle some bigger bands too! If I were lost in the woods with latex and a roller cutter for some reason😝, I think I could definitely rely on it to take game.


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## skarrd

looks Darn Good buddy!!!


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## High Desert Flipper

Sandstorm said:


> Well in by the skin of my teeth. This was a fun little first build. I know I won’t win any awards but it was an experience. I decided just to keep it simple. The odd curvature kind of locks it into the hand. I’ll have to make another one sometime soon.
> 
> 
> Thanks for taking a look! I had a good time. Doesn’t shoot half bad either. 🤙



Very nice! Love the shape you were given and how it came out!


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## MOJAVE MO

Okay I made it back into the US. No joke. If you like hurdles then go for a trip outside the US, then try coming back. I see my US Flag has been returned, how touching. So what did I miss? Any injuries or sad stories since I’ve been gone?


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## Booral121

So what is the outcome then 🏆


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## KawKan

Time for @mattwalt to weigh in. 
Hope all is good with him. 
Or perhaps another SuperModerator could give us a clue!?


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## skarrd

MOJAVE MO said:


> Okay I made it back into the US. No joke. If you like hurdles then go for a trip outside the US, then try coming back. I see my US Flag has been returned, how touching. So what did I miss? Any injuries or sad stories since I’ve been gone?


well i burned my thumb and 2 fingers grabbing a dropped blade fresh out of the fire,LOL! Glad you made it back safely and hope you had a good time!


----------



## Sandstorm

skarrd said:


> well i burned my thumb and 2 fingers grabbing a dropped blade fresh out of the fire,LOL! Glad you made it back safely and hope you had a good time!


Ahh crap! I’ve had a similar experience with a guy who didn’t quench his tongs after taking them out of the forge and putting them back on the rack. That’s a unique sensation…


----------



## skarrd

definatly is,lol


----------



## Trap1

@SLING-N-SHOT Only jist seein' these beauties Darrell (..away wi' the missus 4dys there on 1st annual devotion 😇 period since covid start! 😮)

V. nice threesome!



Just noticed after postin' I was also no at the end o' the replies..eek!


----------



## Cass

Hi, I haven't burnt myself in the forge for a long time, when in doubt, about not metal, just split on it, but I got a really bad burn in my stove making dinner for my dad!! 3rd degree in my arm I reached in the stove to get a piece of Texas toast and caught my arm on the coils. Use Crest toothpaste on the burn, and all pain will immediately go away!! Really works!


----------



## MOJAVE MO

So the Forum is made up of forgetful and beat-up survivors then? Maybe the next competition should be who has the most original fingers?


----------



## Cass

Well I f so I think I may win. I cut off and got fixed my left thumb, my left index finger, drilled through my left middle finger, cut my left finger to the bone when my wedding ring got caught on a time hood, and then crushed and destroyed by a couch. That's just my left hand. I have been hit by lightning twice. Have got more!!


----------



## SLING-N-SHOT

Trap1 said:


> @SLING-N-SHOT Only jist seein' these beauties Darrell (..away wi' the missus 4dys there on 1st annual devotion  period since covid start! )
> 
> V. nice threesome!
> 
> 
> 
> Just noticed after postin' I was also no at the end o' the replies..eek!


Tks brother …..hope you had a good time with the Missus 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SLING-N-SHOT

Cass said:


> Well I f so I think I may win. I cut off and got fixed my left thumb, my left index finger, drilled through my left middle finger, cut my left finger to the bone when my wedding ring got caught on a time hood, and then crushed and destroyed by a couch. That's just my left hand. I have been hit by lightning twice. Have got more!!


Holy Crap Cass, if we ever get to meet at an event someday, remind me to NOT stand too close to you 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Cass said:


> Well I f so I think I may win. I cut off and got fixed my left thumb, my left index finger, drilled through my left middle finger, cut my left finger to the bone when my wedding ring got caught on a time hood, and then crushed and destroyed by a couch. That's just my left hand. I have been hit by lightning twice. Have got more!!


What!!? Are you magnetic or something!?


----------



## skarrd

Cass said:


> Hi, I haven't burnt myself in the forge for a long time, when in doubt, about not metal, just split on it, but I got a really bad burn in my stove making dinner for my dad!! 3rd degree in my arm I reached in the stove to get a piece of Texas toast and caught my arm on the coils. Use Crest toothpaste on the burn, and all pain will immediately go away!! Really works!


i knew it was hot,i was gripping my tongs with my left hand,and didnt have a good grip,so when it fell just instinctively reached out and caught it,for a Long second,lol. 2nd time in my life ive done this,but if there is a next time will def try the crest,Thanks


----------



## skarrd

Anybody heard from Matt???


----------



## Stankard757

Nope

Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk


----------



## skarrd

Hmmm


----------



## MOJAVE MO

skarrd said:


> Hmmm


Ohhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmm


----------



## Sandstorm

Well sh*t let’s just keep makin’ ‘em then… 😉


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Sandstorm said:


> Well sh*t let’s just keep makin’ ‘em then… 😉


I've got the World's Ugliest I can post! Every once in a while I start something that turns into an experiment based on learning as I go. Wanna see it?


----------



## Sandstorm

MOJAVE MO said:


> I've got the World's Ugliest I can post! Every once in a while I start something that turns into an experiment based on learning as I go. Wanna see it?


Why yes, yes I do!


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Sandstorm said:


> Why yes, yes I do!


It is like I carved it with a pair of toenail clippers. Up-cycled steel bbq grates make lousy pins. Polyurethane stain is a pointless process for a slingshot. I keep this displayed above the bench to remind me to keep it simple and stay in my lane! **Note to judges. This is NOT an entry, just my humble efforts to keep this thread alive and the crowd from getting rowdy!


----------



## Sandstorm

MOJAVE MO said:


> It is like I carved it with a pair of toenail clippers. Up-cycled steel bbq grates make lousy pins. Polyurethane stain is a pointless process for a slingshot. I keep this displayed above the bench to remind me to keep it simple and stay in my lane! **Note to judges. This is NOT an entry, just my humble efforts to keep this thread alive and the crowd from getting rowdy!
> View attachment 352984


It looks..sticky 😂


----------



## Sandstorm

🥱


----------



## Cass

Hi, while we all are waiting for a result here is a pic of a knife I am making. Hand forged 1095 stag handle file work. I need to finish the sheath, maybe with frog or ostrich skin. Just a doodle in steel.😊


----------



## SLING-N-SHOT

Sweet blade Cass ! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Sandstorm

Great looking knife, @Cass!


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Cass said:


> Hi, while we all are waiting for a result here is a pic of a knife I am making. Hand forged 1095 stag handle file work. I need to finish the sheath, maybe with frog or ostrich skin. Just a doodle in steel.😊
> View attachment 352986
> View attachment 352987
> View attachment 352988
> View attachment 352989


Very nice!


----------



## Tree Man

MOJAVE MO said:


> It is like I carved it with a pair of toenail clippers. Up-cycled steel bbq grates make lousy pins. Polyurethane stain is a pointless process for a slingshot. I keep this displayed above the bench to remind me to keep it simple and stay in my lane! **Note to judges. This is NOT an entry, just my humble efforts to keep this thread alive and the crowd from getting rowdy!
> View attachment 352984


It has such lovely shades of dark and darker except that one spot.


----------



## Stankard757

Tree Man said:


> It has such lovely shades of dark and darker except that one spot.


Hey every builder needs to add a "artistic" touch to a build

Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Tree Man said:


> It has such lovely shades of dark and darker except that one spot.


Yea that clamp I used sort of left a window into my soul.😳


----------



## skarrd

MOJAVE MO said:


> I've got the World's Ugliest I can post! Every once in a while I start something that turns into an experiment based on learning as I go. Wanna see it?


shoot yeah!!! i gpt a couple Muglies i can post as well,,,,,,,,,hey maybe thats the august SSOTM Uglys,,,,,,,lol


----------



## skarrd

Cass said:


> Hi, while we all are waiting for a result here is a pic of a knife I am making. Hand forged 1095 stag handle file work. I need to finish the sheath, maybe with frog or ostrich skin. Just a doodle in steel.😊
> View attachment 352986
> View attachment 352987
> View attachment 352988
> View attachment 352989


Now That is a beautiful knife


----------



## skarrd

heres one of my uglys,an experimental _natural_ palm swell,now dubbed the Wart,,,,,,lol


----------



## Sandstorm

skarrd said:


> View attachment 353000
> View attachment 353001
> heres one of my uglys,an experimental _natural_ palm swell,now dubbed the Wart,,,,,,lol


You should turn it into a pipe 😆
Slingpipe. Yep. 🤔🤔


----------



## Stankard757

skarrd said:


> View attachment 353000
> View attachment 353001
> heres one of my uglys,an experimental _natural_ palm swell,now dubbed the Wart,,,,,,lol


1st pic I was "I really like that" 

2nd pic "whoa, what the heck and Why?"



Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk


----------



## Sandstorm

Stankard757 said:


> 1st pic I was "I really like that"
> 
> 2nd pic "whoa, what the heck and Why?"
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk


Lmao that was almost my exact reaction. As I was scrolling I was like oh, well that isn’t so bad… ghaa what is that?!


----------



## skarrd

thought the palm swell idea would be cool.it works but definatly not cool,,,,,,,,,,lol


----------



## Stankard757

skarrd said:


> thought the palm swell idea would be cool.it works but definatly not cool,,,,,,,,,,lol


I tried something similar, then I cut it off. Way better
















Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk


----------



## KawKan

So, this happened. 
I pm'd 3 SuperModerators listed on the Forums page. 
I asked, What about MattWalt. 
I asked, What about the SOTM thread. 
I asked, can a SuperModerator step in and update the thread. 
I got two responses along the line, "That's not my cross to bear."
FWIW!


----------



## Pebble Shooter

Sounds a bit like the music has stopped playing. There must be more going on behind the stage than we are being told. Even if there are no further SOTM competitions, it would only be fair to the multiple participants to end the July SOTM in style. Anything else is a bit of a slap in the face in my opinion, even if the forum is now part of a huge Canadian forums behemoth, where we probably have nothing to say - or so it seems. Those in charge, please take note.


----------



## MOJAVE MO

KawKan said:


> So, this happened.
> I pm'd 3 SuperModerators listed on the Forums page.
> I asked, What about MattWalt.
> I asked, What about the SOTM thread.
> I asked, can a SuperModerator step in and update the thread.
> I got two responses along the line, "That's not my cross to bear."
> FWIW!


It is sort of an ironic and fitting end to the SOTM competition really. The Forum survived the Jolly Roger, the Virus Crisis, but won’t survive new ownership and a room full of IT bumbleheads that wouldn’t know a slingshot from a bag of popcorn. In protest of their disinterest I am pulling my .99cents a month membership fee. That outta freak them out for two seconds or so. Wait. I ain’t paying .99cents a month!? I’ve been paying Tapatalk. What a horrific world we live in now. I need all members of this Forum to send me One Dollar every month for the next 20 years because it is only a dollar after all!


----------



## High Desert Flipper

I hope this is not the end, and sort of doubt that it is. This has been a really cool monthly activity to watch. And without singling out or neglecting any, I would say thanks to @KawKan for reaching out to see how things are going and I hope that his fantastic curved frame gets the consideration it deserves this month.


----------



## Sandstorm

Eh, If it goes on long enough we can always just just create a poll and vote ourselves. Then we can think up something else to do.
Or something, I dunno.

(What was this Jolly Roger incident, or is something going over my head there?)


----------



## Sandstorm

While trying to figure out what the Jolly Roger thing was I came across this entry from @Tag worth resharing 😂 I really hope I never have a ricochet hit me in the dink.


----------



## High Desert Flipper

One additional thought- I really do hope the SOTM keeps going even if there is a hitch now and again. Even though I have only participated once it has been one of the recurring highlights that added a lot to the forum for me. Every week I would see wonderful new creative creations along with some good humor attempts. I thoroughly enjoyed watching all the talented people and variety of offerings that came up every month even without participating most of the time. 

I hope all is good with Matt and that SOTM will keep rolling along.


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Sandstorm said:


> Eh, If it goes on long enough we can always just just create a poll and vote ourselves. Then we can think up something else to do.
> Or something, I dunno.
> 
> (What was this Jolly Roger incident, or is something going over my head there?)


The Jolly Roger was a very outspoken member who thought everyone on the Forum should trade in their slingshots for his own design because it was ultimately the slingshot by which all others should be judged.


----------



## Booral121

MOJAVE MO said:


> It is like I carved it with a pair of toenail clippers. Up-cycled steel bbq grates make lousy pins. Polyurethane stain is a pointless process for a slingshot. I keep this displayed above the bench to remind me to keep it simple and stay in my lane! **Note to judges. This is NOT an entry, just my humble efforts to keep this thread alive and the crowd from getting rowdy!
> View attachment 352984


Well mojave mo first of all 🤮 only joking 🤣🤣 but I will take your ugly natural and raise you my actual pickle fork 🤣🤣👊🎯👍👌


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Booral121 said:


> Well mojave mo first of all 🤮 only joking 🤣🤣 but I will take your ugly natural and raise you my actual pickle fork 🤣🤣👊🎯👍👌


Oh man that is actually impossible to beat! Unless of course, I can fuse a couple of bananas together in the next ten minutes or so.


----------



## Booral121

MOJAVE MO said:


> Oh man that is actually impossible to beat! Unless of course, I can fuse a couple of bananas together in the next ten minutes or so.


I got a better one the only ttf 🦌antler frame I've seen 🤣👊🎯👍👌 and my ruler knife for trimming band and such 🎯👊👍👌


----------



## Stankard757

Booral121 said:


> I got a better one the only ttf antler frame I've seen  and my ruler knife for trimming band and such


Nice that's a "No Officer according to my knife I only stabbed him 2 3/4 inches"

Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk


----------



## Booral121

Stankard757 said:


> Nice that's a "No Officer according to my knife I only stabbed him 2 3/4 inches"
> 
> Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk


It's all about precision with me 🤣🤣👊👍👌🎯


----------



## Pebble Shooter

Well, I just hope Matt is not pulling this one on us:


----------



## Sandstorm

Eesh, I sure hope not. Ahh you never know, he could just be on vacation or something.


----------



## Booral121

Sandstorm said:


> Eesh, I sure hope not. Ahh you never know, he could just be on vacation or something.


I take its just down to matt ? He just picks one ?🎯👌👍👊


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Booral121 said:


> I take its just down to matt ? He just picks one ?🎯👌👍👊


Gasp. That single statement resulted in the Mother of All Threads on at least 3 other occasions going back perhaps 5 years. Me even uttering that recollection could set me up for a a last place finish within this competition as well as an extended banning and removal of my avatar. Dammit—-I should just get back in line and wait for my warm biscuit and water!!🤕


----------



## Booral121

MOJAVE MO said:


> Gasp. That single statement resulted in the Mother of All Threads on at least 3 other occasions going back perhaps 5 years. Me even uttering that recollection could set me up for a a last place finish within this competition as well as an extended banning and removal of my avatar. Dammit—-I should just get back in line and wait for my warm biscuit and water!!🤕


Wow banned for asking a question 😒 .I'm kinda wondering weather I should have entered now .so is there alot of bitching and friends liking friends stuff on here like or am I reading this wrong 🤷🎯👊👍👌


----------



## MOJAVE MO

Booral121 said:


> Wow banned for asking a question 😒 .I'm kinda wondering weather I should have entered now .so is there alot of bitching and friends liking friends stuff on here like or am I reading this wrong 🤷🎯👊👍👌


Naw you are good, we’re all good. The design and development of this competition has been debated many times. The end result and common theme is that the consensus is we are all here for the brotherhood of the slingshot and really nothing more. I personally vote for this Natty here. I can’t remember who made it but is sure is nice!🤣


----------



## High Desert Flipper

MOJAVE MO said:


> Naw you are good, we’re all good. The design and development of this competition has been debated many times. The end result and common theme is that the consensus is we are all here for the brotherhood of the slingshot and really nothing more. I personally vote for this Natty here. I can’t remember who made it but is sure is nice!🤣



It is a great contest and that is a beauty.


----------



## Booral121

MOJAVE MO said:


> Naw you are good, we’re all good. The design and development of this competition has been debated many times. The end result and common theme is that the consensus is we are all here for the brotherhood of the slingshot and really nothing more. I personally vote for this Natty here. I can’t remember who made it but is sure is nice!🤣
> View attachment 353048


Thats good then cause the bitchin and back pating that goes on elsewhere just isn't fir me . Honesty is my way like if I don't like something or think it's bullsh!t and I'm asked I will say I don't like it or it's bullish!t I'm not being a deuch when I do this I'm just being real and honest and I expect the same back 👊🎯 I find this the only way of finding genuine people and friends 🎯💙👊👌👍 and just so everyone knows I hate gypsy style frames and debarked y naturals .I just can't like them sorry people 🎯👊👌👍


----------



## Sandstorm

No no, all that talk up there was just wise cracking. Playing around. It’s a good competition and from what I understand a forum staple. I’m happy to be able to have taken part. Even though mine was a debarked Y Natty 😉🤣. No gypsy tabs on it though! 😝


----------



## skarrd

Stankard757 said:


> I tried something similar, then I cut it off. Way better
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk


probably what i should do with mine,and out comes the *Rasp of Death! lol


----------



## Trap1

@SLING-N-SHOT A' wis the perfect definition o' an icoanic husband Darrell 😂.. 4dys o' chauffeuring, shopping, wining & dining etc & no a complaint fae me! (A' did manage a re-charge by sneakin intae a fishin tackle shoap & buy some wee hooks fur tyin' up some midgey patterns, whilst ma beloved wis in perusing mode...women's stuff in a nearby wummin's shoap.)


----------



## Sandstorm

Trap1 said:


> @SLING-N-SHOT A' wis the perfect definition o' an icoanic husband Darrell 😂.. 4dys o' chauffeuring, shopping, wining & dining etc & no a complaint fae me! (A' did manage a re-charge by sneakin intae a fishin tackle shoap & buy some wee hooks fur tyin' up some midgey patterns, whilst ma beloved wis in perusing mode...women's stuff in a nearby wummin's shoap.)


Trap1, your accent comes through so well in your typing. It’s always really enjoyable to read. 👍🍻


----------



## David D

I will have to apologize because I said I would have an entry ready for this competition. I do have one but it's only 95% done after a month. I work slowly and have too many interests. I tend to work on something for two days and then put it down and not touch it for another week. I have two frames I am working on in this way, one natural and one Mule. I will post them later in the appropriate section. I am really impressed by all the work that was presented and I think they are worthy of winning.


----------



## SLING-N-SHOT

Trap1 said:


> @SLING-N-SHOT A' wis the perfect definition o' an icoanic husband Darrell .. 4dys o' chauffeuring, shopping, wining & dining etc & no a complaint fae me! (A' did manage a re-charge by sneakin intae a fishin tackle shoap & buy some wee hooks fur tyin' up some midgey patterns, whilst ma beloved wis in perusing mode...women's stuff in a nearby wummin's shoap.)


LOL, glad to hear brother and I would have expected no less from you my friend.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## MOJAVE MO

David D said:


> I will have to apologize because I said I would have an entry ready for this competition. I do have one but it's only 95% done after a month. I work slowly and have too many interests. I tend to work on something for two days and then put it down and not touch it for another week. I have two frames I am working on in this way, one natural and one Mule. I will post them later in the appropriate section. I am really impressed by all the work that was presented and I think they are worthy of winning.


You may still have time! Our SOTM judge is AWOL. Let’s call this the very first JulyAugust SOTM Competition! RELEASE THE HOUNDS!!!!!!


----------



## skarrd

the Dogs of War,LOL


----------



## Pebble Shooter

Hopefully Matt is on his way back:


----------



## bigdh2000

Folks - it would seem Matt is MIA at the moment. For now, the competition is extended through Friday, August 27, 2021, 6 PM USA EST.

To keep things interesting, if Matt does not return by that time, I will close the competition, select my favorite of the submittals and ship out a custom carved cedar natty from the BIGDH2000 Shop as a reward. Sound fair?


----------



## Sandstorm

👌✅ Let’s rock and roll!


----------



## MOJAVE MO

bigdh2000 said:


> Folks - it would seem Matt is MIA at the moment. For now, the competition is extended through Friday, August 27, 2021, 6 PM USA EST.
> 
> To keep things interesting, if Matt does not return by that time, I will close the competition, select my favorite of the submittals and ship out a custom carved cedar natty from the BIGDH2000 Shop as a reward. Sound fair?


Lawdy that is generous for you to jump in with a little SlingCPR for the ol’ SOTM showdown! With that kind of prize we are gonna get every termite in the world submitting an entry. Ack—less than twenty days to submit my PlanB!!?😳


----------



## Henry the Hermit

Booral121 said:


> Wow banned for asking a question 😒 .I'm kinda wondering weather I should have entered now .so is there alot of bitching and friends liking friends stuff on here like or am I reading this wrong 🤷🎯👊👍👌


You have to try really hard to get banned here for bad behavior. I haven't seen any of that for a very long time.


----------



## Booral121

Well here's another entry from me 😆👊🎯👌👍 spalted oak utah raptor 'esk natty .🎯👊👌👍


----------



## Sandstorm

I’m going to try to get another single one in, I can’t compete in the numbers game 😂. Something a step up from my tree branch though..gotta get power back to my woodshed man. I think it’s super fat extension cord time.


----------



## High Desert Flipper

Hope all is well with Matt and a big thanks to @bigdh2000 for graciously and generously stepping in.


----------



## Booral121

Sandstorm said:


> I’m going to try to get another single one in, I can’t compete in the numbers game 😂. Something a step up from my tree branch though..gotta get power back to my woodshed man. I think it’s super fat extension cord time.


My friend this is where I stand and do all my nattys and cattys I only need power for my jigsaw to cut out my frame then my dremel and my 18v cordless drill with a 50mm sanding disc does the rest 🤣🎯👊👌👍


----------



## Sandstorm

Booral121 said:


> My friend this is where I stand and do all my nattys and cattys I only need power for my jigsaw to cut out my frame then my dremel and my 18v cordless drill with a 50mm sanding disc does the rest 🤣🎯👊👌👍


That’s what I need, power to my jigsaw. Lightning took out the power box a few years ago.


----------



## Booral121

Sandstorm said:


> That’s what I need, power to my jigsaw. Lightning took out the power box a few years ago.


I've got a 4metre extension cable that I just hang out my kitchen window 🤣👊🎯👌👍


----------



## SLING-N-SHOT

Mighty big of you Dan, ty for stepping up in Matt’s absence  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## bingo

finished TTF natty 👍


----------



## Booral121

bingo said:


> View attachment 353285
> finished TTF natty 👍


Is that not the same one you've put up twice bud 🎯👊👍👌


----------



## bingo

AYe it is why Only finished


Booral121 said:


> Is that not the same one you've put up twice bud 🎯👊👍👌


----------



## bingo

Booral121 said:


> Is that not the same one you've put up twice bud 🎯👊👍👌


Do you like m8 just gave it a finish that's awe


----------



## skarrd

Looks Awesome Bingo


----------



## bingo

skarrd said:


> Looks Awesome Bingo


Thanks bud 👍


----------



## Booral121

bingo said:


> AYe it is why Only finished


I only asked cause I knew I had seen it before thats why .🎯👍and to answer your second reply it's no really my thing style wise ( no disrespect intended )but it does look better with the laquer or whatever you've finished it with 👍🎯👊👌


----------



## bingo

Booral121 said:


> I only asked cause I knew I had seen it before thats why .🎯👍and to answer your second reply it's no really my thing style wise ( no disrespect intended )but it does look better with the laquer or whatever you've finished it with 👍🎯👊👌
> [/QUt





Booral121 said:


> I only asked cause I knew I had seen it before thats why .🎯👍and to answer your second reply it's no really my thing style wise ( no disrespect intended )but it does look better with the laquer or whatever you've finished it with 👍🎯👊👌


Thanks it shoots for me m8 all that matters cheers 👍


----------



## Booral121

bingo said:


> Thanks it shoots for me m8 all that matters cheers 👍


I wasn't being a deuchbag son saying it wasn't my thing .was just being honest with you .🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👊👌👍🎯


----------



## bingo

Booral121 said:


> I wasn't being a deuchbag son saying it wasn't my thing .was just being honest with you .🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👊👌👍🎯


Cool m8 it's mine tho 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💪👍


----------



## Booral121

bingo said:


> Cool m8 it's mine tho 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💪👍


Yeah I know son just making sure you didn't think I was saying it was ugly or something 👊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎯 it's just not my thing .as long as you like it son and by the looks of they cans you can shoot it 😉 so 👌🎯🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👊


----------



## bingo

Booral121 said:


> Yeah I know son just making sure you didn't think I was saying it was ugly or something 👊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎯 it's just not my thing .as long as you like it son and by the looks of they cans you can shoot it 😉 so 👌🎯🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👊


Cool m8 💪👍


----------



## MakoPat

Me being a little flighty and absent myself from here. I have just read of MattWalt's absence. I have reached out to him directly just now. Sonif I hear back from him I will let ere'body know how he is.


Life can sneak up and ambush a fella at times. He has worked very hard and been so supportive of our slinger lifestyle, so it is good Dan Hood stepped in here... but I also think this new less personal format (while necessary) is going to require us to both adapt and be more actively and intentionaly kind and aware to each other. 

I think SSOTM will continue and if we have to change it... we will. 

I am still catching up on reading posts... but SSOTM, What are you shooting, C5's Can Cutting are 3 I peruse 1st ere'time I get behind.


I do love the Natties. July-August has some very awesome flips. Thank you all that have participated and even other voyeurs like me included.


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## MakoPat

As aforementioned, I have indeed heard back from our friend and slinger. Mattwalt is under a great deal of stress in the the personal realm (not mine to share.) 

BUT he is sorting it all out as best as humanly possible and has full intentions of returning as soon as he is able.

Carry on makers.

As a lyrical poet once said, "Oh l, the times are a-changin'." Bonks to them fluctuations... we gonna go a-slingin'!


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## High Desert Flipper

Good to hear he is alive and okay, thank you for sharing.


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## Cass

Glad to hear he is ok! Hope things work out


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## Sandstorm

Thanks for the update @MakoPat. I don’t even know the guy but I was getting kinda worried about him. Hopefully, for his sake, those stressors will get worked out shortly. Maybe we can think up a little slingshot care package for him or something.


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## skarrd

Thank you for checking MakoPat,hope he gets into a better situation,and Sandstorms idea sounds good,if ya'll put it togethor i;m in to help out


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## MOJAVE MO

I haven't seen Quercusuber either in a good long while so I was figuring that Portugal had finally outlawed the Internet. Good to hear that MattW is well and fighting the fight. 💪


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## skarrd

skarrd said:


> View attachment 353000
> View attachment 353001
> heres one of my uglys,an experimental _natural_ palm swell,now dubbed the Wart,,,,,,lol


 Ok so this is NOT an entry,but apparently i deleted all my before pics of the _wart_,i took Stankards advice and trimmed it up and now have an awesome 1/4 in/BB shooter


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## Stankard757

Nice great job

Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk


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## MOJAVE MO

skarrd said:


> Ok so this is NOT an entry,but apparently i deleted all my before pics of the _wart_,i took Stankards advice and trimmed it up and now have an awesome 1/4 in/BB shooter
> View attachment 353655
> View attachment 353656
> View attachment 353657
> View attachment 353658


Surgical sling precision!


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## bigdh2000

One day, ladies and gents. Get your entries in soon. I have a pretty good idea which one I like so far. Three potential prizes have been completed. Winner gets to choose which one they prefer.

Better get to posting if you all want to keep me awake...


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## Stankard757

Decided to throw these two in. Both were made for my end of the Summer trade. First one is spalted oak with green sand filler. The second is a Dorian of unknown wood. Thanks for stepping in with the SSOTM






























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## Booral121

Stankard757 said:


> Decided to throw these two in. Both were made for my end of the Summer trade. First one is spalted oak with green sand filler. The second is a Dorian of unknown wood. Thanks for stepping in with the SSOTM
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Nice the dorian looks a bit like birch 🎯👍👌👊


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## High Desert Flipper

Stankard757 said:


> Decided to throw these two in. Both were made for my end of the Summer trade. First one is spalted oak with green sand filler. The second is a Dorian of unknown wood. Thanks for stepping in with the SSOTM
> 
> Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk



Both very nice and well done!


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## skarrd

sadly both projects here ended up fails,but i will be watching to check out the winners,as well as all the entrys.
Thank you Dan for stepping in and finishing this up.Your Awesome!


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## Sandstorm

Dripping with anticipation. Oh.. no that’s coffee.. spilt my coffee.. but I’m still excited to hear who the winner was!


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## SLING-N-SHOT

Cass said:


> Wow!! Excellent work!! I can't get the top spot to work. Very nice


Cass, try rolling up a small piece of latex tubing in the center of your flat bands, then stretch all that out and pop it down into the top slots.

Darrell.


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## Cass

Thanks Darrell I will try it!


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## bigdh2000

Thanks for all the great entries, folks. This was not an easy decision. In the end it came down to two that really caught my eye. Final decision - @MIsling congrats on the win. That bark on natty was inspired. Not very often you can find a fork that maintains its bark like that. Congrats. Please send me a PM with your address and I will get the prize off to you as quickly as I can.

Winning Entry - SOTM - July 2021 - Natty's


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## High Desert Flipper

Congrats to @MIsling, very nice! And thanks to @bigdh2000 for stepping in to cover for Matt at the end.


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## MOJAVE MO

MIsling said:


> I managed to get this one finished up a few days ago.
> Hopefully you guys like it! I wasn't quite sure about it it first, but it has grown on me.
> I took a lot of inspiration for this fork from Tree Man's Snakehead series. The crisp lines on his forks were something I had never tried to produce before.
> I started with a Sumac fork I cut 5 or 6 months back. My idea with this frame was to do the least amount of shaping needed, while still obtaining a comfortable hold. First, I defined and evened up the forks and the fork gap. Then I removed material on the handle until it held comfortably. The only real rounding on this frame is on the fork tips. Everything else is a chamfer. Once I was happy with the shaping I treated the whole frame with Minwax wood hardener to help lock the bark in place. The center core of this fork was incredibly soft, even after the wood hardener. I ended up digging out what I could and filling the voids with epoxy. After cleaning up the epoxy and sanding everything smooth, I finished the frame with some gloss spray can clear coat.
> View attachment 352442
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> View attachment 352443
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> View attachment 352444
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> I shot it a bit this evening and I am quite happy with it. With medium powered bands it is plenty comfortable and holds well. It might be slightly less pleasant to shoot with heavy bands, or if you were really clamping down on it. With my usual bandsets it will work perfectly.
> A fun build for sure!
> View attachment 352445


Wow! My hand went numb trying to scroll through the trees and find the winner! Here tis’ for your viewing pleasure—(yea I saw the BDH link after this trip). This two-month contest reminded me of a time I was bobbing around in the Caribbean on a 60ft sailboat with two others and no wind for 5 days. Thanks again to BD Hood for putting some wind in the SOTM sail so we could get back to the port!


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## Stankard757

Congrats MIsling outstanding sling man

And thanks to @bigdh2000 for keeping us hoodlums on track
Sent from my LE2117 using Tapatalk


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## Island made

Awesome! Great choice, Dan.


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## Sandstorm

Congrats @MIsling! Thanks for helping out @bigdh2000. I was happy to be part of the competition and it was great getting to see everyone’s work.


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## Cass

Nice pick congrats!


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## Slingshot28

Congratulations!  🎊


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## skarrd

Congrats to Misling! and big thanks to Dan for stepping in!


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## Sandstorm

And oh hey, I was still up for trying to send Matt something to keep his spirits up, but I’m a terrible organizer of those things. If you guys had any interest though I’d like to help there somehow. Looks like maybe @MakoPat is our way in since he knows him better. Heck, what’s the shipping to Argentina cost anyway?! Anyhow, keep me in the loop if anything gets going there.


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## skarrd

Me too


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## bingo

Nice win congrats 🍻👍


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## MakoPat

Congratulations to @MIsling !!
And thanks to @bigdh2000 !!


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## MIsling

I'm honored! As always there were lots of great builds. Thanks to everybody who participated and made this contest happen. Thanks to Dan especially for filling in for Matt.

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## SLING-N-SHOT

Big congrats [mention]MIsling [/mention] and huge thanks to Dan for the obviously arduos task of picking


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