# taper oreintation



## flipgun (Nov 14, 2012)

I am introducing a guy at work to slingshots. When you are instructing someone you often run into your preconceived notions. When I was explaining tapered bands he asked, "If the bands are tapered, then the are flat on one side. On an OTT set, is the flat side to the inside or the outside?"

I, "Ummmed a minute, and told him that the flat side of the band goes to the inside and the angled part of the taper goes to the outside."

Any opinions either way?


----------



## pop shot (Sep 29, 2011)

The flat part comes off the tips and continues toward the inside so the two sides form a trough


----------



## pop shot (Sep 29, 2011)

Oh wait, misread. There is no flat side. Rubber has no grain.


----------



## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

I always put the 'flat side' or the side with the square corner, to the inside of the fork tip. This way you are getting a fairly equal stretch over the entire thickness of the rubber.

If the square corner is attached to the outside, although we are talking really small amounts here, the outside edge of the rubber will stretch a slight bit more than the inside edge.

Is this enough of a difference to worry about ? Nah, probably not. We're talking a mm or two at most.

If you want be really particular about this, you can always trim the ends after cutting the bands to make them equal angles.


----------



## Guest (May 19, 2013)

I don't cut bands that way. I use the extra trim on one edge as a tie wrap. But really, it doesn't matter. The difference is on the order of a couple of millimeters of stretch over the length of the average draw, simply not enough to make a difference.


----------



## flipgun (Nov 14, 2012)

Hrawk said:


> I always put the 'flat side' or the side with the square corner, to the inside of the fork tip. This way you are getting a fairly equal stretch over the entire thickness of the rubber.
> 
> If the square corner is attached to the outside, although we are talking really small amounts here, the outside edge of the rubber will stretch a slight bit more than the inside edge.
> 
> ...


That is like the example I drew for my friend. Some times I have ha d severe flyers tht were corrected by re-stringing to match.


----------



## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

I never look at the ends of the band when I tie, but if it is a problem, just square up the ends before tying. -- Tex :cookie:


----------

